It is gardening season once again and it’s time to clean up those beds and wake them up from their winter slumber. Begin cleaning the beds once the weather consistently warms up above 10 degrees Celsius because there is insect life still sleeping in your garden. It’s always exciting to see which plants are going to pop up first. If you’re considering building a new garden or planning to add to an existing garden bed, make sure you take careful consideration into selecting native perennials. These plants will not only look great in your garden but they’re easy to grow and self sustainable, requiring little maintenance. Native perennial plants are what keeps the bees, butterflies, moths and other pollinating insects thriving. They don’t live long and often don’t travel very far though they’re providing an extremely valuable service in helping grow our food and ensuring each perennial can reproduce each year.
These native insects have evolved centuries ago to search for specific plants that help them survive, reproduce and forage upon, otherwise known as host plants. Don’t be alarmed if you see a caterpillar eating the leaves! They depend highly on the availability of these plants, however a lot of them are disappearing from the local landscape. The more host plants that you can incorporate into your garden means you are providing high pollinator value and helps slow extinction in a changing climate. Providing better access to these plants also means they don’t have to venture further out and away from their burrows or nesting sites. Imagine walking for 4 hours or more to a grocery store. That’s what it feels like for most bees & butterflies in our area. In Ontario, we have around 400 native bees and more than 100 butterflies that call home to varying habitat needs across the province. Native bees are often smaller in size and aren’t equipped with stingers so there’s definitely no threat of being stung. In fact, most bee stings are likely from a wasp which are more predatory and protective of their nests but are also a different family of insects. Several species of bumblebees in Ontario are of no threat too. Female bumblebees are equipped with a stinger but they only use it for defense. So as long as you don’t bother them then they will mind their own business (the case for most wildlife). They’re actually fun to watch foraging from flower to flower.
Many gardens across the urban landscape have non-native perennials and annuals. These are plants that require more maintenance because they aren’t from the area and are sometimes harder to grow or achieve the result you want. They’re often there for aesthetic value rather than ecological value. There’s currently active research being done on what role non native plants can play in a pollinator garden. Early indications are that they can help fill a void between blooming periods for native perennials. This means there can be a consistent food source for pollinating insects even if the quality of nectar isn’t available.
To make an effective pollinator garden be sure to select plants that are blooming at different times throughout the seasons. Keep that “floral restaurant” open from early Spring to late Fall; or as I like to say “breakfast, lunch & dinner”. Avoid using chemical treatments such as herbicide or pesticide products in your garden to combat unwanted growth or pest destruction. This includes mosquito spraying as these target everything that buzzes and flutters. Consult with your local garden centres, horticultural clubs and local gardening gurus for advice on what to go shopping for or tips on plants that will perform well in your yard.
At the end of the year, and also in the Spring, don’t be in such a hurry to clean up debris from the garden. Leave plant stems uncut and avoid raking the Fall leaves before winter. The majority of the native pollinating insects are either ground-nesting or overwinter in narrow plant stems. Be sure not to rip these insulating, protective roofs off their homes and let them winter safely.
Happy gardening!
Matt Thomson is a local conservationist based in Severn and enjoys engaging the community through citizen science events & activities. You can find him on Instagram or Facebook, @ardtreanature.
