June is Pollinator Month at MRV!
Did you know June is pollinator month? To support our pollinators, we will have pollinator plant trays for sale. Let us know if you or your group are interested as we will be assembling trays starting the last week of May!
Over 75% of our agricultural crops depend on pollinators. Pollinators include more than just butterflies and honeybees. An assortment of wild bees, beetles, moths, bats, wasps, birds, flies, and other insects all play an important role in pollinating plants. We need to do what we can to support them!
Native plants co-evolved with native insects, birds, and wildlife. Native plants in your garden are best when possible. Clusters of plants are easier for the pollinators to spot and feed on than single individual plantings. Group flowering plants together and include different species, if possible. It’s important to provide food throughout the entire growing season with plants that bloom from spring to fall.
Following are some flowers we have in the green house to support pollinators, some native and some more domesticated. Alyssum, black-eyed Susan’s, calendula, coneflowers, lobelia, marigold, milkweed, Joe Pye weed, nasturtium, sunflowers, and zinnia are just a few pollinator favorites.
We also have some herbs to flower now and later in the season. Pollinators are attracted to the flowers of basil, mint, oregano, and others. Butterfly and moth larvae require non-flowering plant parts like leaves of dill, parsley, and milkweed. In addition to the plants listed above, hummingbirds also enjoy petunias!
Water is provided in a variety of ways, like water drops on plants, birdbaths, and shallow dishes of stones. Keep the dish of stones filled with water, especially during the heat of summer.
Regardless of the size of your garden, try some of the practices described above to attract and support pollinators in your area. Every little effort contributes to a lasting positive impact for our pollinators and us!
This picture is a small pollinator garden behind our MountainRose Vineyard’s sign. The front of the sign has a neat bed of zinnias-also pollinators. The side you see has milkweed, coneflowers, bee balm and rudbeckias!