Pollinator Project

Support native plants and pollinators in our community!

The Pollinator Project is an initiative of the Climate Smart Communities Task Force

Why native pollinators?

When we think of pollinators, our minds generally go to the honey bee. While honey bees are important for agriculture and producing honey, they are not native to North America. Our native pollinators, which include diverse bees, butterflies, moths, flies, birds and bats, are just as important to pollination.

They, however, rely exclusively on native plant species for their entire life-cycle. In fact, the entire food web depends on the interdependence of our native pollinators and native plants… including us!

Over the past several years, the loss of managed pollinator colonies in New York State has been in excess of 50%. Moreover, native pollinator populations have been negatively impacted by loss of habitat and a variety of other stressors. The Village of Potsdam is taking steps to support all of our pollinators. Join us!

We also need our native plants for so many other reasons! They…

  • Help with erosion control and flood mitigation
  • Improve water quality
  • Increase biodiversity
  • Reduce our sterile and expensive lawns
A monarch butterfly pollinates orange flowers.

Honeybees, though important, are not the only pollinators: Butterflies, moths, flies, birds and bats, are just as important.

What are native plants?

That is an excellent question! Native plants are plants that have evolved in a specific area over thousands of years, perfectly adapted to the local soil, climate, and wildlife. Our North Country native plants have evolved for our pollinators, whether migratory or propagating right here in our plants or soils. These wild species and naturally evolving cultivars provide the food and nesting sources native pollinators rely on.

The exotics and hybrid plants sold in most of our retail nurseries and box stores are not beneficial to our region. Ask your local retailers to carry the wild species or unnamed, naturally evolved cultivars that will provide pollen, nectar, and a home for our native pollinators. There are some retailers who specialize; a few are listed here for your reference. Be sure to ask whether it is truly native and whether it’s from the Northeast.

A photo of a variety of wildflowers and grasses.

A variety of native plants and wildflowers are an ideal way to support pollinators.

What you can do

  • Add native plants to your yard and gardens. They are beautiful! Purchase, or start from seed, wild species or a naturally evolved cultivar that calls our North Country home. There are many trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials that do well in a variety of conditions: from wet to dry, sun to shade, rich soils to poor soils. Some are even resistant to browse from our larger native wildlife!
  • Leave dead plant stalks and leaf litter This provides habitat for laying eggs, protecting larva, and supporting the entire life-cycle of our native pollinators.
  • Mow your lawn at a 2-3″ height throughout the summer
  • Avoid using plastic ground covers, dyed mulch, and pesticides.

References

A honeybee pollinating a flower

Protecting pollinator species is some of the most important conservation work people can do.

Questions?

Rose Rivezzi, Co-chair of the Potsdam CSC Task Force 
rrivezzi@gmail.com

Master Gardener SLC Growline
SLCgrowline@gmail.com
315-379-9192 ext. 239

Erica LaFountain, Cornell Cooperative Extension Community Horticulture Educator
ENL2@cornell.edu
315-379-9192 ext.240

Adirondack Action Pollinator Project
info@adkaction.org
(518) 856-3233

Find North Country plants