Green Living Pollinator Corridors
Tips to Reestablish Lost Habitats by Kelcie Ottoes
side of the world,” poetically reminding us that small actions can produce large effects. When it comes to the world’s disappearing pollinators, the modest steps we take today can generate life-saving results tomorrow. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
A
Service (FWS), “Pollinators provide vital benefits to people and wildlife, keeping animals and plants that we depend on thriving while bringing us food and supporting the economy.” Almost 90 percent of flowering plants depend entirely or in part on animal pollination, and yet, the FWS reports that pollinator populations are on the decline. One way to support these important species is to create a pollinator corridor—a pesticide-free, native-plant zone that provides food and shelter for indigenous pollinators.
The Pollinator’s Role While the word pollinator may conjure up images of butterflies and bees, the category is
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well-known Chinese proverb says, “Te flapping of the wings of a butterfly can be felt on the other
much broader and includes birds, bats, lizards, moths, flies, beetles, wasps and some small mammals. “Virtually every ecosystem on Earth that contains flowering plants depends on animal pollinators,” says Kim Eierman, author of Te Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening. “Many are keystone species in the ecosystems where they occur. If a keystone species becomes extinct or vanishes, that ecosystem fundamentally changes, and not for the better.” From apples, melons and potatoes to
almonds, coffee and cocoa, the food we eat is not available without pollination. Losing just one pollinator can have a significant impact. Without bees, fruit and nut trees produce fewer and smaller crops, if any. Of the top 100 edible flowering crops, 80 are pollinated by honeybees. “Every ecosystem is dependent on
pollinators to maintain healthy environmental balances in global food webs,” explains Jen McDonald, the founder of Garden Girls, a Houston-based company that designs and installs home landscapes. “Pollinators don’t
make food just for us, but also for livestock and virtually all other living things. Many plants that require pollination are also needed for shade habitats for birds, insects and small animals.”
Challenges Facing Pollinators
Te decline in pollinators is attributed to a loss of feeding and nesting habitats that occurs when native plants are replaced by non-native grasses, farmlands and urban landscapes. Pesticides, chemicals, parasites, non-native species, new diseases and climate change are also modern-day threats. Monarch butterflies are considered vulnerable to extinction. Nearly one in four bees (347 native species) are at increased risk of extinction. More than half of the 154 North American bat species are at severe risk of population decline.
Designing a Pollinator Corridor
Te good news is that when native plants are re-introduced, pollinators return.
Created by NAPC combining adaptations of CraigRJD and Signature Saddako from Getty Images, Глеб Коровко from Pexels, Anna Subbotina, Annette Shaff, and Scopio Images / CanvaPro
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