All About Pollinators
One of Earth Love Gardens' main focuses is to provide habitat for pollinators. If you are not familiar; what is a pollinator? "A pollinator is an animal that causes plants to make fruit or seeds. They do this by moving pollen from one part of the flower of a plant to another part. This pollen then fertilizes the plant. Only fertilized plants can make fruit and/or seeds, and without them, the plants cannot reproduce." Bees, birds, butterflies, and more act as pollinators. 1/3 of the food we eat was grown thanks to pollinators!
There exists a problem, though. In the past decade, the population of these species has declined by around 50%. The following chart shows the percentage of decline for each species:
One of the main reasons for the decline is habitat loss. Earth Love Gardens has the direct solution for this. Create more habitat! Where can we start? At your home, business, community, and more!
Through planting native, low-maintenance plants that pollinators love, it gives them both food and a home to support the entire ecosystem. If you plant it they will come! Plus, always behold the wonder of the abundance of life in your garden!
Types of Pollinators
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Bees
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There are over 20,000 species of bees worldwide! There are 946 native bee species native to Colorado. These bees pollinate the wildflowers, fruits, and vegetables that give the planet life.
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Did you know?...Honey bees are not native. They were brought over to North America by settlers in the 1600s. Honeybees are native to Eurasia.
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Butterflies
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There are about 20,000 species of butterflies in the world, over 700 in North America, and 20 in Colorado.
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Caterpillars not only grow up to be butterflies, they act as food for birds, maintaining a key role in the ecosystem in many ways.
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Hummingbirds
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There are more than 300 species of hummingbirds in the world, ten of which have been sighted in Colorado.
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Hummingbirds use their tubular beaks to drink the nectar from tubular blossoms. Their favorite color of flower is red, as suggested because their vision is best adapted to this color in the spectrum and conditioned to this color because of the abundance of food found in red bird feeders!
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Beetles
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Flies
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Bats and more!
Planting the correct plants will attract the pollinators that you wish to attract in your landscape.
Pollinator Plants
Different plant species attract, give food, and shelter to pollinators. The following are a few examples of these plants. Stay tuned for an update for many more native, low-maintanence plant species perfect for pollinators and our Colorado climate!
Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) This native sunflower is the grandfather species of them all and is a true staple of any wildflower garden. Bright, cheerful flowers are only 3-4” across and this variety grows to be 18-96” tall. Wild Sunflowers are extremely easy to grow and attract butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden all season long.
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata) A long-lasting favorite in the plains and the west coast, Blanket Flower creates a colorful show that lasts for months. Growing up to 30 inches tall with a spread of 12 inches, this flower can tolerate dry soil conditions. The Blanket Flower will attract bees, birds, butterflies, and more!
Rocky Mountain Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) Rocky Mountain Columbine is planted for its beautiful blue and white flowers. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Native to the higher elevations of the intermountain West, it is best suited for mountain gardens and areas of the West with cool nights. Place in cool shady beds that receive regular watering. Do not let soil dry out.
Types of Pollinator Gardens
Community Solar Garden
A solar array is the perfect place to create a pollinator garden. Solar arrays take up acres and what better use than to use the otherwise unused space under the panels to plant pollinator species? Plus planting under solar panels can increase the efficiency of the panels by up to 11%!
Pollinator Corridor
Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, and more travel across the world pursuing blooming plants for habitat. Bees travel throughout the city from garden to garden pollinating plants. A pollinator corridor, even being a small garden, has a huge impact on the worldwide ecosystem.
Wildscape Garden
A wildscape garden is an abundance of native, low-water, low-maintenance plants adapted to our climate. Pollinators flock to such landscapes that are a beauty to behold and are a precious addition to our ecosystem. Pictured is the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, Colorado.
Find Out More
The following is a resource & partner for more information about pollinators and pollinator landscaping:
Additionally Earth Love Gardens can design & install you a Habitat Hero Garden!
We are always looking for more resources and partnership opportunities in creating the largest force for good in the world. If you have more resources or would like to discuss partnership, Contact Us.