A project from the Vermont Master Naturalist Program funded by Town of Hinesburg Conservation Commission. Native plant seeds donated by American Meadows.
For more information about creating your own lawn to pollinator habitat, visit: unlawningamerica.societyrne.net.
Pollinator populations are declining, but there is something you can do. Anyone can have a positive impact on the environment by simply reducing mowed lawn areas to only what we use for play space or sports. This site at the Geprags Community Park in Hinesburg, VT was created to demonstrate what it looks like to transform a periodically mowed lawn into an ecologically beneficial pollinator habitat. There are two different methods on display.
The first creates habitat by simply not mowing and stopping use of any herbicides or pesticides. You can just let the plants at the site grow, watching to see how many different plants just waiting to grow from a formerly mowed lawn. If the plant diversity is very low, or if you want more native flowering plants, you can simply put some in. Alternately, in early spring or late fall, throw some native plant seed balls around the site. Native seed sources can be found below.
The second method suppresses existing plant growth by covering with cardboard and gravel or mulch before putting in native plants.The second method should also never use any herbicides or pesticides. At the Geprags site we planted a mix of native perennials which have the most benefit for local species. For more information about what we used, and links to additional resources, please continue to scroll down.
This project was created by a group from the Hinesburg chapter of the Vermont Master Naturalist Program: Meg Handler, Nina Friscia, Chris Runcie and Brian D Collier. Site sign design and website by Brian D Collier. Special thanks to the amazing Alicia Daniels, without which none of this would be possible.
Keep scrolling for more info about transforming existing lawns into pollinator habitat.
Method 1: Just Let it Grow! It can be very easy to create pollinator beneficial habitat by simply not mowing part of an existing lawn. Sites like this can benefit many species of bees, butterflies and other important pollinators by just letting things grow. Wild growth of any kind provides far more ecological benefits than a mowed lawn. You can make a site look neater by adding a defined border. Increase plant diversity by planting hardy native plants among the existing vegetation. Creating a shaped or fenced border around your now mow habitat will make it look neater and more like an intentionally created habitat. As soon as you stop mowing and let plants grow you will see an almost immediate increase in pollinator and other beneficial invertebrate activity. You will also see an increase of bird activity. For more information about simple no-mow strategies you can go to the Unlawning America website. You can also visit the Xerces Society, The Pollinator Partnership, or NWF Garden for Wildlife.
Method 2: Cover and Plant. With a bit more effort you can introduce a high percentage of pollinator beneficial native plants to your habitat. Planting with natives means you will be providing the most benefits to a large number of species including butterflies and bees. Start by suppressing existing plant growth with cardboard topped with stone, or gravel. You then plant with native plant plugs through holes cut in the cardboard. This method gives native plants space to grow without the use of harmful herbicides. It’s especially effective for a site with invasive species that might reduce overall plant diversity. At our site we planted a mix of 50 pollinator plants including: butterfly milkweed, aromatic aster, northern blazing star, lanceleaf coreopsis, purple coneflower, pale beardtongue, silky aster, orange coneflower, hairy mountain mint, jacobs ladder, bee balm, northern blazing star and other natives. Some information on sourcing native plant can be found at the following websites: XS Pollinator Friendly Native Plant Lists, Natives For Pollinators, Pollinator Pathways Lists.
Keep scrolling to track the growth of the site over time
Keep checking back for periodically updated information. Please visit the site just off the parking lot at Geprags to watch it develop.
Credits:
All photos by Brian D Collier