Three-fourths of the world's flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world's food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce, according to the USDA. Pollinators are also an indicator of the health and diversity of our environment. Due to shrinking habitat and food sources, pesticide use, and other factors, pollinator populations have shrunken significantly. For example, the USDA also says that "wild bees declined 23 percent across the United States between 2008 and 2013." We can help reduce or reverse this trend by planting native flowers and food for pollinators.
Tim Barberg, local conservationist and DC graduate, has been working to restore native prairie and woodland for 28 years. He has a degree in Wildlife Management from the University of MN and owns and operates a company, Maximized Habitats, through which he helps landowners with conservation practices, including native landscaping, prairie planting, tree planting and weed control.
In Tim's presentation on Planting for Pollinators, he covers the following:
- landscaping using natives plants that attract pollinators
- process of creating small scale pollinator plots
- process of creating large scale pollinator plots
- management of native plantings
- invasive species control
Here is a link to the recorded presentation and his slideshow below. Thank you, Tim, for this wonderful presentation for the community!
Also, a local community member recommended this webpage about integrating native plants into your vegetable garden: https://www.naturalshore.com/integrating-native-plants-into-your-vegetable-garden/
She also highly recommends this central MN company, Natural Shore Technologies, as a great source for locally grown Minnesota native plants!