Pollinator Conservation

  1. Pollinator Friendly Lawns

To support an abundance and diversity of native bees, butterflies, and other wildlife, the ideal lawn could consist of native flowers, native flowering trees and shrubs, and meadows. While a yard completely transformed into a native meadow may be appealing to some, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. A few native plants along a border or small bed and a commitment to reduce or stop pesticide use all together, can offer tremendous support to pollinators. Rather than skipping a month of mowing, consider mowing less often (every 2-3 weeks) and not cutting it as short all season long.  

Flowering plants for May/early June:  

  • Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern Columbine) 
  • Baptisia australis (Blue False Indigo) 
  • Blephilia ciliata (Downy Pagoda Plant) 
  • Chrysogonum virginianum (Golden Star or Green and Gold) 
  • Coreopsis lanceolata (Lance Leaf Coreopsis) 
  • Coreopsis verticillata (Threadleaf or Whorled Coreopsis) 
  • Oenothera fruticosa (Sundrops) 
  • Packera aurea (syn. Senecio aurea; Golden Ragwort) 
  • Penstemon canescens (Eastern Gray Beardtongue) 
  • Penstemon digitalis (Tall White Beardtongue) 
  • Penstemon hirsutus (Hairy Beardtongue) 
  • Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox) 
  • Polemonium reptans (Geen Valerian) 
  • Salvia lyrata (Lyre Leaf Sage) 
  • Tiarella cordifolia (Foam Flower) 
  • Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio Spiderwort) 
  • Zizia aurea (Golden Alexanders) 

Habitat for bees and other invertebrates requires not only a food source, but shelter and nesting sites, and a non-disturbed and non-toxic environment to live in. The bees you think of that live in hives and produce honey are not native. Roughly 70% of native bee species nest underground. The other 30% of native bees nest in cavities like the hollow of a dried stem or dead piece of wood. In addition, many native bee species in North America rely on specific plant species that they evolved alongside. Beyond amending mowing practices, additional lawn care involves leaving some areas undisturbed in your yard with patches of bare soil for ground nesting bees. Relatively undisturbed conditions will allow bee nests to become well-established, and adding native wildflowers to your landscape will provide the forage they need to raise young and thrive. 

  1. No Mow May

Urbanization and densification can have negative impacts on the natural environment like loss of habitat for pollinator species. The Borough understands that raising awareness about the importance of pollinators is critical to pollinator conservation in our community. Through the development of educational campaigns and community programs like No Mow May, the Borough aims to encourage and inspire property owners to be involved in the Borough’s environmental sustainability and conservation efforts.  

“No Mow May is a quick and catchy name for a movement that aims far beyond not mowing the yard for a month. It’s more than long grass and dandelion blooms. It’s a gateway to understanding how we share our lawns with many small creatures." (Bee City, USA) 

Turf Grass, Noxious Weeds, and Lawn Care 

Turf grass refers to any grass that is commonly used in regularly cut lawns. Turf grass covers 40 million acres, or 2% of land in the United States, making lawns the single largest irrigated crop we grow1. Most lawns are maintained as primarily monocultures, often with one handful of grass species. In addition, most lawn flowers in North America are non-native, some even being classified as noxious weeds, like bull thistle, and some like ground ivy are aggressive invasive weeds2. Allowing these weeds to grow can increase their numbers in the landscape and has the potential to drive down native biodiversity. When lawns have more variety, containing wild blooming flowers like dandelion, violet, wild strawberry, and white clover mixed in, the idea of No Mow May has more traction. While these weeds are less than ideal nutrition and don’t support a wide range of native bees, they do provide a food source. Non-native plant species can provide some pollen and nectar to bees, but native plants attract and support a larger variety of native bee species. 

Common flowering lawn weeds:  

  • Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum). native to Eurasia 
  • Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) native to Eurasia 
  • Black Medic (Medicago lupulina) native to Eurasia, part of Africa 
  • Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major) native to Eurasia 
  • Dandelions (Taraxacum spp.) native to Eurasia 
  • Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) native to Eurasia and part of Africa 
  • White Clover (Trifolium repens) native to Eurasia 
  • Crown vetch (Securigera varia) native to Eurasia and Africa 

The Benefits of Pollinators

Bees and other pollinators are responsible for approximately 1 in every 3 bites of our food, as 85% of all plants depend on pollination for fertilization3. The fruit that the seeds and nuts produce feeds abundant wildlife beyond our own kitchens, and many of these invertebrates themselves are key nutrition for birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and more.  

1. The Earth Observatory at NASA. “More Lawns than Irrigated Corn." https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/Lawn/lawn2.php 

2. Patch, Harland, Heather Frantz, and Christina Grozinger. “Plant May Flowers.” https://pollinators.psu.edu/news/plantmayflowers

3.  Klein, Alexandria-Maria, Bernard Vaissiere, James Kane, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Saul Cunningham, Claire Kremen, and Teja Tscharntka, "Importance of Pollinators in Changing Landscapes for World Crops (2006)." Available online at https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2006.372.