Pollinator Garden

On April 14, 2024, the Catlin Gabel community gathered to plant this wonderful pollinator paradise just behind the science building! Covering just over 500 square feet of area with over 70 plants making up 25+ unique native species. 

A pollinator garden is designed to contain plants to provide food and shelter to animals (bees, birds, butterflies, moths, wasps, bats, and small mammals) that pollinate plants that support the local ecosystem and food web.  Over 80% of the world's flowering plants depend on pollinators. Oregon is home to thousands of species of native pollinators, all of which have evolved alongside the local plants in symbiotic relationships. These pollinators are in decline, primarily due to the use of pesticides and loss of habitat. This is where the pollinator garden comes in.

Over 80% of the world's flowering plants are dependent on pollinators. Oregon is home to thousands of species of native pollinators, all of which have evolved alongside the local plants in symbiotic relationships. 

Pollinator populations have been declining at alarming rates. Populations of some species of native Oregon bumblebees have dropped by over 90% in just 20 years. Besides pesticides, the gravest threat many pollinators are facing is habitat fragmentation, as large contiguous ecosystems are divided into smaller, isolated environments.

This pollinator garden is part of a pollinator pathway, a corridor connecting habitats together to help sustain pollinator populations. Gardens like these, with a variety of flora attracting all sorts of different native pollinator species, fill the gaps that many urbanized areas have in resources, providing pollinators with many of the tools they need to thrive.