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Jessica Schwartz
Minnesota “Lawns To Legumes” Accepting Applications
Minnesota landscapers, heads up! Here’s something to make your clients aware of: The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is once again accepting applications for the Lawns to Legumes program. The state-wide program, which aims to increase habitat for at-risk pollinators in residential settings, means your clients can potentially be reimbursed for up to $350 in costs associated with establishing new pollinator habitats in their yards. Recipients are required to contribute a 25% match in hiring a landscaper (you), purchasing materials, or as in-kind time spent planting and maintaining their projects. This presents an eco-friendly and cost-saving opportunity for clients, while giving landscapers an opportunity to upsell services and showcase their garden design skills. The program also provides workshops, coaching, and gardening resources. The new application period is now open. “This program empowers Minnesota residents to make a difference for pollinators in their own living spaces,” BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke said. “Lawns to Legumes offers options for Minnesotans to put conservation on the ground in a way that works for them.” Applications will be accepted through January 18, 2023 Notifications about funding decisions will be sent to project applicants in February. Those who do not receive funding are encouraged to pursue DIY projects using the many online resources, including BWSR’s Planting for Pollinators Habitat Guide, gardening templates, tips for selecting native plants and more. Apply online at Blue Thumb’s website. For previous coverage on pollinator habitats, visit “Could Your Business Handle a No Mow May?“
Helping The Endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a plan to recover the endangered rusty patched bumble bee to prevent extinction and ensure its long-term future. “Saving a species from extinction is a group effort… we can’t do this alone” said Charlie Wooley, regional director for the Great Lakes Region of the USFWS. “This is a great opportunity for those who live in the range of the rusty patched bumble bee to get involved in recovery… We encourage everyone to help by learning more about this interesting bee and providing flowers for pollen and nectar.” Rusty patched bumblebees are found in small, scattered populations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Historically, the bee ranged across the eastern and upper Midwest U.S. Declared endangered in 2017, the bees’ population has plummeted by about 87% in the past two decades. The cause of the species’ drastic decline is unknown, but evidence suggests an interaction between a disease-causing pathogen and exposure to pesticides. Other threats include habitat loss and degradation, competition and disease introduction from managed and non-native bees, small population genetics, and climate change. The species needs nectar and pollen-producing flowers for food, undisturbed nesting habitat near food sources, and suitable overwintering areas to survive. The final recovery plan includes: land management to improve floral resources; measures to reduce exposure to pesticides and disease; and raising awareness. Five things landscapers can do to help the rusty patched bumble bee (and other native ...
Helping The Endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a plan to recover the endangered rusty patched bumble bee to prevent extinction and ensure its long-term future. “Saving a species from extinction is a group effort… we can’t do this alone” said Charlie Wooley, regional director for the Great Lakes Region of the USFWS. “This is a great opportunity for those who live in the range of the rusty patched bumble bee to get involved in recovery… We encourage everyone to help by learning more about this interesting bee and providing flowers for pollen and nectar.” Rusty patched bumblebees are found in small, scattered populations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Historically, the bee ranged across the eastern and upper Midwest U.S. Declared endangered in 2017, the bees’ population has plummeted by about 87% in the past two decades. The cause of the species’ drastic decline is unknown, but evidence suggests an interaction between a disease-causing pathogen and exposure to pesticides. Other threats include habitat loss and degradation, competition and disease introduction from managed and non-native bees, small population genetics, and climate change. The species needs nectar and pollen-producing flowers for food, undisturbed nesting habitat near food sources, and suitable overwintering areas to survive. The final recovery plan includes: land management to improve floral resources; measures to reduce exposure to pesticides and disease; and raising awareness. Five things landscapers can do to help the rusty patched bumble bee (and other native ...
It’s National Pollinator Week! What Are You Planting?
It’s National Pollinator Week, the 13th consecutive year of bringing greater awareness to the critically important issue of pollinator conservation. Pollinator Partnership (P2) founded the initiative in 2007 which has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and beetles. Landmarks across the U.S. and Canada will be lit in pollinator colors (yellow and orange) while numerous virtual gatherings, webinars, responsible planting sessions, socially distant garden and farm walks will be held. To find activities in your area, click here. Here are some facts from P2: About 75% of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators and over 200,000 species of animals act as pollinators. Of those, about 1,000 are hummingbirds, bats, and small mammals. The rest are insects such as beetles, bees, ants, wasps, butterflies, and moths. Worldwide, approximately 1,000 plants grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices, and medicines need to be pollinated by animals in order to produce the goods on which we depend. Foods and beverages produced with the help of pollinators include blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, pumpkins, vanilla, and almonds. P2 offers variety of free eco-regional pollinator friendly planting guides. Simply type in your zip code here to download gardening advice specific to your area. Here are some general tips: Habitat opportunities abound on every landscape – from window boxes to acres of farms to corporate campuses to utility and roadside corridors – every site can be habitat. Utilize plants native to your area (or ...
World Bee Day: BeSure! Campaign To Help Bees
Today is World Bee Day! Running through July, the second annual “BeSure!” campaign is promoting best management practices when using neonicotinoid products to protect honey bees and other pollinators critical to the food supply and ecosystem. This year, the campaign is seeking to reach not only growers and applicators, but also golf course, turf, and ornamental landscape managers. In its first year, BeSure! focused its messaging on major crops in the Midwest that utilize neonicotinoid-treated seed, such as corn and soybeans. This year, the campaign is expanding to include neonicotinoid foliar sprays, soil drenches, and granule uses on fruits, nuts, vegetables, turf, trees, and ornamental plants that bees visit. (It’s also extending outreach to include the citrus industry in California and Florida where neonicotinoids have been very effective in stopping invasive pests, such the Asian citrus psyllid that spreads the Huanglongbing (HLB) disease that is decimating Florida’s citrus industry and has cost the state more than 8,000 jobs and $4.5 billion in the last five years.) “Neonicotinoids are widely used in agriculture and in a variety of landscape and nursery settings,” said Tom Smith, executive director of the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC). “Regardless of the specific use and method of application, product label directions should always be followed and responsible stewardship practices used to protect pollinators, such as avoiding conditions where product drift may occur and avoiding making applications when pollinators are actively foraging.” GrowingMatters.org/BeSure, an interactive website with up-to-date stewardship tips and information, explains how other neonic ...
Lawns To Legumes Program Will Pay MN Residents For Pollinator Plantings
Though it was rainy and cold last Thursday in Roseville, MN, inside the Roseville Skate Center, attendees of the “Lawns to Legumes Workshop” were already thinking and planning for Spring. Specifically, they were learning about a new program whereby Minnesota landowners can actually receive up to $350 to help convert their grass lawns into pollinator friendly habitats. Minnesota landscapers take note: this could be a great program to promote among your clients! Earlier this year, Minnesota passed legislation setting aside approximately $900,000 to assist homeowners in the effort to install wildflowers, clover, and other native plantings on their properties. The Lawns to Legumes program aims to protect the Minnesota state bee, the rusty patched bumblebee (which has declined by 87% in the last 20 years and was the first bee in the continental U.S. to be labeled an Endangered Species), and other at-risk pollinators by helping to counteract issues like habitat loss and pesticide use. Will more states follow suit? Perhaps. On Tuesday, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced ten grants totaling more than $1.5 million to projects geared toward conserving monarch butterflies, rusty patched bumblebees, and other insect pollinators in nine states across the U.S., including Arizona, California, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The grants will generate more than $2.8 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of more than $4.4 million. “These projects will restore and improve habitat for monarch butterflies and other at-risk native pollinators, which are vital to the ...
