Pollinators such as the monarch butterfly are facing environmental stresses, but there are simple ways you can attract these pollinators to your backyard.

By Patrick Troyer



Education specialist



Paulding SWCD



Spring is officially here and the gardening season is not far behind. While you are actively planning your gardens this season, have you thought about pollinators? You rely on these creatures more than you realize for a successful garden!



Let’s put things in perspective. Did you know that 75 percent of the food crops we raise are reliant on pollinators? Did you also know that these pollinators such as monarch butterflies that we rely on are experiencing population declines?



Fear not, as there is much that can still be done to save these important creatures we so greatly rely upon to help us grow the vegetables we have in our gardens.



Bees and other insect pollinators are facing some environmental challenges that are providing some difficulty to their survival. Issues such as habitat loss, fragmentation, pollution, pesticides and climate change are becoming a common issue.



Air pollution is a problem due to the fact that bees and other pollinators rely on scent to find their flowers and when air pollution is present, relying on scent is even more difficult.



According to Peter Berthelsen of Pheasants Forever, if we do not address the environmental issues that pollinators face, there is a 60 percent chance of them becoming extinct in the next 20 years. If we lose pollinators, many of the foods we have come to enjoy will become much harder to find and thus become more expensive.



There is some good news in the midst of all this.



There are efforts nationwide and here in Ohio that are currently being undertaken in hopes to revitalize habitats for pollinators.



With these efforts, you too can contribute to the cause right in your very own garden. Gardeners can help by adding more flowers including milkweed plants to their gardens, landscape beds, or container plantings.



Why milkweed, you ask? Milkweed is one of the most important plants in the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly, especially as it is laying eggs. Common milkweed and swamp milkweeds are both suitable for this purpose.



Monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on the leaf of the milkweed plant, which makes it an important species to have in your garden if you want to have butterflies come to your garden. Once the caterpillar has transformed into a butterfly, it then becomes an important source of nectar. Nectar is basically sugar water that pollinators are after when they visit a flower.



The pollen attaches to the pollinator such as the butterfly and is transferred once the pollinator reaches its next destination.



You might have noticed my focus on monarchs more than other species, so what is the importance?



The monarch butterfly is the only butterfly in the United States with a long migration, which totals 1,000 miles to Mexico each fall. It is very important that they have food (nectar) in flowering plants as they make their journey to Mexico or to the United States to provide them with energy that is desperately needed for flight, according to Michigan State Extension.



Nonetheless, other pollinators such as birds, bees and other animals are a very important link in the process that provides us with many of the foods we have come to enjoy.



Michigan State Extension writes that the following are great plants to include in your garden or landscaping to attract pollinators: wild cherry, lilac, red clover, goldenrod, marigolds, asters, sunflowers, and, of course, milkweed.



The key concept to keep in mind is planting a wide variety of species which will offer blooms throughout the season from May through October so pollinators will have a steady food source during this time.



Whether you believe it or not, the efforts you put forth to help establish habitat for pollinators will most certainly help once we look at the bigger picture. Our efforts will surely be appreciated by the pollinators who rely on these plants for their habitat.



Next time you are enjoying a pizza (tomato sauce, veggie toppings) or any other vegetable, be sure to thank a pollinator!