A Future Full of Flowers

Driving while chatting with Granny and Auntie Dawn, I picture a hippy convention unfolding over the dim backdrop of an aging auditorium; “Pollinator Summit” sounds like the sort of deliciously granola gathering I would relish. Imagine my surprise when a state of the art olive green paneled facility spotted with classy sculptures and manicured flower beds appeared on the horizon. I entered a room full of educators, biologists, photographers, students and many more who cared about this topic even more than I do and are doing the good, hard, cross-organizational work of saving species on the brink of extinction...

INTRODUCTION

Based on a deep dive into the plight of Pollinators in Minnesota for the purpose of an English class I’m taking, I was compelled to attend a Pollinator Summit hosted by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Through the various speakers in attendance I got to learn more of the specific details about pollinator species and what exact challenges they are having. They provided the back bone for the research in this post—the great majority of authors I cite were mentioned or quoted by the panelists who spoke. This incredible summit hosted a variety of local experts who have a heart for pollinators and are on the ground doing the important work and research required to understand the struggles facing pollinators. It provided discussion around the most effective solutions. The message was clear—pollinators need to have their habitat restored. I was inundated with a slew of advice to get involved. The easiest strategy for laypeople is utilizing lawn space to restore pollinator habitat and to get involved in citizen science projects in order to help generate more data about native pollinators. Attending the event confirmed my feeling of obligation to do something about this tragic happening. It was a huge validation for the work my husband and I are doing in our yard. We are so excited to continue.

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE POLLINATORS OF MINNESOTA ?

In a study focusing on Northern Great Planes commercial honey bee populations, Matthew Smart and company concluded “annual losses for commercial beekeepers in the US have hovered around 30% since 2006–07, with a low of 22% in 2011–12 and a high of 40% in 2012–13. Numerous pests, diseases, and pesticides have been implicated in potentiating colony failure, both alone and in combination…” (Smart et al. 139). In summarizing Obama’s 2014 Memorandum directing every department of government in the United States to come up with a pollinator plan, author M.E.A. McNeil exasperatedly explains why it is important to pay attention to these numbers: “For years we have yammered on the same themes: Pollinators deeply affect our lives – and vice versa. Honey bees are an index species, indicating the status of the environment,” (Mcneil, 2015). The continuous prolonged losses of the economically exploited non-native honey-bee serves as a foreboding measuring stick for other pollinators who are suffering alongside their honey making relatives. Another stark example of these losses is the rusty-patched bumble bee, a native Minnesota species which was placed on the endangered species list this year (Bolt et. al, 2017). The monarch butterfly trails closely behind, already awaiting approval for endangered status having lost most of its natural habitat and 84% of its number since the 1990s (Thogmartin, 2017). Losing our native pollinator species is a tragedy which deeply effects our surroundings and food supply. The issue is so urgent, Obama made the aforementioned memorandum during his presidency requiring all departments to get involved towards creating a solution (Stubbs, 2015) and the Governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton followed suit in 2016.

SO WHAT AM I DOING ABOUT IT?

I have the privilege to live in a home with an ample lawn. As mentioned, a major factor contributing to the decline in pollinator numbers is utter devastation to their natural habitat. I can convert large parts of my lawn into native wildflowers and prairie grass in order to restore some of the habitat of wild pollinators which had been lost. Read more about my living and lawn situation here. The researchers at the summit also stressed it is the loss of native bees that would damage our local ecology most. Therefore, focusing efforts on providing habitat for native wild bees is the objective of my personal solution to pollinator collapse in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

WILL THIS ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

It could be argued this undertaking will have a negligible influence on increasing pollinator habitat because it is such a small and isolated space, however, experts in the field are relying on a collaboration of disciplines and efforts in hopes a change will come:

Pollinators, both wild and managed, are undeniably in crisis and facing big changes in climate, land use, and policy globally that are likely to impact them. Rigorous field and laboratory research on pollinators is certainly a critical tool to addressing these challenges—but it should not be the only one. Pollinators need all the help they can get, so the scientific community should embrace partnerships with thinkers and dreamers in the social sciences, humanities, and arts to both imagine and then create different futures for bees and ourselves. (Whitney, 2015)

The truth of the matter is converting my lawn will not be what saves the bees (or other pollinators), but it will contribute to an improvement and the benefits are not mutually exclusive. Reclaiming lawn space isn’t only good for the birds, butterflies and bees, it’s also great for the soil.

THINKING BIGGER

Furthermore, studies have shown the most valuable land to reclaim is agricultural cropland (Thogmartin et al, 2017) (Fowler, 2016) (Smart, 2016). At the Pollinator Summit, I was introduced to an incredible organization called the Xerces Society, whose aim is to accomplish this very task. The Xerces Society partners with farmers across the country. They have numerous inspiring testimonials about collaborating with the agricultural community to plant native plants alongside and integrated into farmlands (Eckberg et al., 2017). Again, the process is beneficial on both sides: to pollinators, the farmers and their crop production. For those in the agricultural sphere, donate to or get involved with the Xerces Society—tell your local famers about them and the incredible work they do.

THE OTHER FELLOW’S YARD

Another struggle I may face with my personal lawn project is the watchful eye of neighbors. There are many internet testimonials of folks creating similar spaces in their lawns and properties being chastised by neighbors and in some cases the authorities because pollinator friendly plants are often considered weeds. One recent example is the City of Minneapolis Government issued a citizen science survey to learn more about pollinator habitat in exchange for free pollinator friendly plants on their Facebook page. An initial comment on the thread reads: “Can property inspectors be a little more forgiving if we let pollinator-friendly plants like milk weed grow in the alley? I got ticketed for 'lack of maintenance' - when most of those plants would make good bee habitat,” (https://www.facebook.com/cityofminneapolis/posts). Another example arose in my primary research for this pollinator project when a couple who practices native planting on their properties had downtown neighbors complain to them about the way their yard “doesn’t fit in with peonies and roses,” (Louise, 2017).

This is an unfortunate limitation and alternative view to the strategy of creating pollinator friendly yard space. However, pollinator friendly space can easily be made beautiful—it is primarily flowers after all. Through careful selection and strategic planting, pollinator gardens can be as beautiful as any other garden on the block. The advice given by the Master Gardeners an extension of the University of Minnesota (who were present at the summit) included choosing reclamation space wisely. “Select pieces of your lawn that don’t get seen or used very often as a place to start, we have signs available for posting so neighbors and passersby can understand why your lawn looks this way and how it is important,” (Marsden, 2017). Another rebuttal to persnickety neighbors is asking them how they maintain their own yards—do they use pesticides? If so, this is an opportunity to open dialogue around how harmful pesticides are to pollinators: specifically, the chemical pesticides neonicotinoids. Conversing with people will be an element of my yard project, as we share three sides of the space with chatty and observant neighbors. A conversational aim will be helping them understand that:

‘It is the misuse and overuse of these pesticides that leads to adverse ecological and human health consequences.’ It’s not questioning the actual paradigm of pesticide usage. A major research goal needs to be to find alternatives to pesticide use – promoting diversified farming systems, integrated crop pollination, natural predators, cycles of pests, crop rotation, habitat for natural enemies. (Mcneil, 2015)

Unfortunately, overuse is all too common and neonicotinoids are ubiquitously available for everyday use. Insect Ecologist K.S. Whitney explains why neonicotinoids are especially concerning:

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticide, related to nicotine, which have recently become very widely used in agriculture and residential backyards. They block a neural pathway found mostly in insects, which causes paralysis and death. Neonicotinoids were initially touted for their reduced risk to beneficial insects and other nontarget organisms because of their selectivity. However, now a large body of research suggests that neonicotinoids are toxic to bees and potentially a causal factor in colony collapse disorder. (Whitney, 2015)

The choice to avoid these easy-to-reach-for chemicals is an important one to make and will play a key role in conversations with neighbors and others when discussing yard reclamation. I believe these conversations will be fundamental to shifting the focus from neat and tidy weed free yards to well-loved wild lawns which are diverse, beautiful, and neonicotinoid free.

STARTING NOW

The back quarter of my lawn had tarps weighed down with rocks stretched across its subtle slope all summer. These tarps served the function of killing the existing Kentucky Blue grass without the use of herbicides (which also have a negative impact on insects and their habitats). Last week, my husband spread a blend of wildflowers and fine fescue grass over the brown and yellow block of earth revealed when the tarps were taken up. Sam Droege, a widely published biologist and insect photographer, spoke about the recent endangerment of the rusty-patched bumble bee at the Pollinator Summit. “Bee management is plant management,” he said. I found this to be a profound summation of the heart of what it means to be reclaiming my own lawn. Bees are an indicator species, meaning their health and vitality is reflective of the health and vitality of other species around them and their environment.

CONCLUSION

Because the honey bee, its wild counterparts, and the vanishing monarchs require intervention to survive, there are many communities and organizations in Minnesota taking notice and taking action. After attending the Pollinator Summit, I feel encouraged to participate in this community, who visualize a future full of food and flowers. I am taking steps towards creating the possibility of a food rich, ecologically healthy future in my own backyard and since the research shows we need all hands on deck to make a difference--you should too.

REFERENCES

Rykken, J., Rodman, A., Droege, S., & Grundel, R. (2014). Great Lakes Pollinators. Park Science, 31(1), 88.

McNeil, M. E. A. (2015). The national strategy to promote the health of honey bees and other pollinators. Bee Culture, 143(12), 36-45.

Bedford, F. E., Whittaker, R. J., & Kerr, J. T. (2012). Systemic range shift lags among a pollinator species assemblage following rapid climate change. Botany, 90(7), 587-597

Matthew D. Smart, Jeff S. Pettis, Ned Euliss, Marla S. Spivak, Land use in the Northern Great Plains region of the U.S. influences the survival and productivity of honey bee colonies, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Volume 230, 16 August 2016, Pages 139-14

Whitney, K. S. (2015, June 15). 6 Misconceptions About Saving the Bees. Retrieved from americanscientist.org

Thogmartin, W.E., et al (2017). Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck.’ Environ. Res. Lett

Fowler, J. (2016). Specialist Bees of the Northeast: Host Plants and Habitat Conservation. Northeastern Naturalist, 23(2), 305-320

Stubbs, M. (2015, September 5) The Administration's National Pollinator Strategy. CRS in Focus.

National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. (2015, May 19). Obama White House Archives

last name unknown, Dave and Louise (2017, August 30). Personal interview.

Bolt, C., Droege, S., Evans, E., & Smith, T. (2017, September 15) Keynote—A Ghost in the Making: A Conversation about the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee. 2017 Pollinator Summit conducted at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, MN

Eckberg, J. & Foltz-Jordan, S. (2017, September 15) Planting Solutions in Agriculture: Farming with Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects. 2017 Pollinator Summit conducted at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, MN

Marsden, C., Weaver, S. & Forsberg, B. (2017, September 15) Planting Solutions in Communities. 2017 Pollinator Summit conducted at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, MN