Gardener's Guide

Garden lovers, assemble! This week’s eco-friendly topic is on pollinators, as June is National Pollinator Month. In recent news, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law to protect pollinators in Colorado. SB22-199 will require the executive director of the department of natural resources to conduct a study regarding the challenges native pollinators face. The law also requires the executive director to develop education and outreach programming to improve pollinator populations.

There are more than 950 native species and 250 butterfly species in Colorado, but they need your help! Here’s how you can protect pollinators:

• Grow native plants such as Rocky Mountain Columbine, Butterfly Weed, Alpine Aster, Heath Aster, Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Tickseed Sunflower, Viorna Group, Yellow Beeplant, Narrow-leaf Coneflower, Showy Fleabane, Rocky Mountain Iris, Rocky Mountain Blazing Star, Wood Lily, Wild Bergamot, Brown-Eyed Susan, and Purple Prairie Clover.

• Improving Monarch Butterfly populations is crucial as well. Their populations have grown by 35%, but they still need your help. They survive on Milkweed and there are three species of it that are native to Colorado: Antelope-Horns Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, and Showy Milkweed.

• Help Monarch Butterflies by planting a tree in Mexico via One Tree Planted: https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/monarch-butterfly-reforestation.

• Learn more by joining the Save Our Monarchs Foundation: https://www.saveourmonarchs.org.

• Build or buy a butterfly house, as their habitats are endangered: https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/diy-butterfly-house/

• Try to save a moth if you see one flying in your house, because they are essential pollinators.

• Grow Alyssum, Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Butterfly Weed to attract ladybugs.

• Hang a hummingbird feeder in your backyard. Don’t buy artificial nectar at stores, as they are usually more harmful than beneficial to hummingbirds. Instead, mix ¼ cup of refined white sugar with 1 cup of boiling water until it dissolves. Wait until the boiling water cools before filling up the hummingbird feeder. Diligently rinse the hummingbird feeder with a sponge after every use.

• Build a bee hotel. Female bees lay their eggs in tunnels in decaying wood or sandy soil. Habitat loss makes it harder for bees to find nesting areas, but building or buying a bee hotel can help a lot. Here’s an article on how to build one: https://happyeconews.com/2022/06/03/how-building-a-bee-hotel-can-help-protect-your-local-pollinators/.

• Make a bee bath. Bees are often dehydrated on scalding hot days and drown in a large body of water. In order to help, fill a bowl with rocks and add water to it. It should look like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r3xCi-FJmI.

• Shop from your local beekeepers, such as Meadow Lake Honey.

• Plant trees for bees and other pollinators: https://www.arborday.org/trees/health/pests/article-trees-for-bees.cfm.

• Avoid using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.

• Let the grass grow out on your lawn.

How to ward off invasive species:

• Remove Russian Olive Trees as they consume large amounts of water and help cause droughts: https://www.nature-and-garden.com/gardening/russian-olive-invasive-control.html.

• Another invasive species is the Japanese beetle. They tend to fester during the summer months, so get them while you can: https://www.rescue.com/products/traps/japanese-oriental-beetle-trap/.

• Wasps may not be an invasive species, but they do eat caterpillars and it’s important to protect them. That’s why it’s good to build or buy your own wasp trap: https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-make-a-wasp-trap-1389067 or https://www.groworganic.com/products/reusable-yellowjacket-trap-wattractant?gclid=CjwKCAjwtIaVBhBkEiwAsr7-czK2Tiuh3bZMCL4MZpN8-xRHUdGMWQOfsH1f0NavoXCClJua7ysH1RoChsEQAvD_BwE.