LEARN

Video: Invasive European Buckthorn information

Preventing tick bites and staying safe outdoors

Anelia’s Tree Corner Interesting facts and tree care tips from certified arborist Anelia Tichkova

How to support Oakville’s pollinators! Replace part of your lawn with your own pollinator garden, or add container pollinator gardens to your deck or balcony Look out for Oakvillegreen’s Native Plant Sale in March! We offer ready-made pollinator kits for your garden, native trees, shrubs and more. Choose native plants that are adapted to our local climate and soils. As an added bonus they’ll require less water and care! Incorporate caterpillar host plants such as Milkweed, New Jersey Tea and other nectar sources in your garden. Plant a wide variety of species to ensure that there are plants in bloom throughout the season. Ditch the chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers as they are very harmful to all insects. Don’t tidy up too much – many pollinators overwinter in leaf litter, plant stems and broken branches.

Why Native Plants? Native plants are those that have evolved in a certain area over thousands of years, forming symbiotic relationships with surrounding flora and fauna. They are genetically adapted to local growing conditions. Plants that are native to our Oakville region have evolved with our native pollinators so they are best at supporting them. The native plants in your pollinator habitat will provide the nectar, pollen, larval food and shelter that these pollinators need to survive. Native plants are also easy to care for, require less watering, and they look beautiful! And don’t forget that bees visit TREES too! Native flowering trees, such as maples, willows, cherries, basswood, and serviceberry are all excellent sources of nectar for bees and serve as host plants for many butterfly caterpillars.

Exploring Oakville’s Pollinator Gardens How does pollination occur? Watch our Pollinator Quest video to find out!

What is a Pollinator? A pollinator is an animal that helps transfer pollen between plants. This allows fertilization, which is essential for fruit and seed production. About one-third of our food depends on pollinators. Some types of pollinators include bees, butterflies, flies, beetles, and hummingbirds. Pollinator populations are declining globally due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and urban development. Pollinators Need Our Help! One of the most important things we can do to support threatened pollinators is to create pollinator habitat, by planting a variety of native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. Small scale pollinator gardens, such as those found in backyards, schools, churches and businesses, can play an important role for pollinators in urban settings. If you plant it, they will come! Your pollinator garden will quickly become home to a variety of pollinators like hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, beetles, and bees. You’ll also be helping pollinators to find the plants that are just right for them! Many native plants and pollinators have co-evolved. For example, milkweed is the only plant that Monarch caterpillars eat, so if we want to nurture Monarchs, we must plant native milkweeds.

We recommend compost or fine mulch on the surface around the tree or shrub after planting, to help plants get a good start by preventing drying and keeping out unwanted plants (weeds). Be sure to watch our how-to video on planting young trees below.

Anelia’s Tree Corner Interesting facts and tree care tips from certified arborist Anelia Tichkova How to deal with Spongy Moth around your property A new common name for Lymantria dispar, spongy moth, replaced the prior name of this insect, gypsy moth, in 2022. The Spongy moth is an invasive pest, native to Europe, that was introduced to North America accidentally in 1869 and has expanded its range over Eastern United States and Canada. It is now well established throughout southern Ontario and as far north as Sault Ste. Marie. The spongy moth larvae or caterpillars will feed on a variety of deciduous tree leaves as soon as leaves appear in the spring. If the larvae population is high, they can defoliate whole trees and forests in a short amount of time. Repeated spongy moth outbreaks and defoliation of trees cause significant stress to trees, especially to oaks that are the most susceptible but highly valuable trees for sustaining healthy ecosystems. During the summer, the female moth lays eggs in masses of 100 to 1000 on tree bark, crevices, houses, fences, rocks, etc. The eggs are covered with fine light brown hairs. The egg masses will remain all winter and caterpillars will hatch in the spring, from late April to mid-May. What you can do to protect trees on your property or neighbourhood? Homeowners are encouraged to monitor their hardwood trees like oak, birch, maple, beech, crabapple, basswood, willow and many other types of trees for the presence of larvae, or egg masses. Between the months of August and April, physically remove spongy moth egg masses. Use a putty knife or any other scrapping tool to gently remove the eggs into a container and destroy the eggs by leaving them in soapy water for several days. In the spring, wrap burlap bands at chest height, around trees. The caterpillars will crawl to seek shelter during the day. Use gloves to hand-pick caterpillars and crush or destroy by soaking in soapy water for 48 hours. Contact a professional tree care service provider if you believe manual removal is not sufficient.