What do pollinators need?
What makes good habitat for pollinators?
"The best pollinator habitat will generally have access to food, cover, and water within close proximity, as well as connectivity to other important habitats, such as deciduous forests. Sunny and open conditions, field edges, and hedgerows are needed for ground-nesting sites, as well as wood and pithy-stem nesting pollinators."
From FRCOG’s Regional Pollinator Action Plan, p. 16
Cover : where both insects and birds can safely nest, lay eggs, and develop young. For insects, this includes leaves, grass, and twigs on the ground.
Cover : where both insects and birds can safely nest, lay eggs, and develop young. For insects, this includes leaves, grass, and twigs on the ground.
Water: can include a bird bath, a pond, a stream, or places where small amounts of water can collect.
Water: can include a bird bath, a pond, a stream, or places where small amounts of water can collect.
Food for pollinators: pollen and nectar for adults, leaves of native plants for their caterpillars.
Food for pollinators: pollen and nectar for adults, leaves of native plants for their caterpillars.
Metallic green sweat bee on New Jersey Tea(Ceanothus americanus )
Bumble bee on false blue indigo (Baptisia australis)
Food for birds: Providing what pollinating insects need also helps birds, who feed on insect larvae. Extend the banquet by planting native shrubs with berries, which provide the best nutrition for birds in the fall and winter.
Food for birds: Providing what pollinating insects need also helps birds, who feed on insect larvae. Extend the banquet by planting native shrubs with berries, which provide the best nutrition for birds in the fall and winter.
Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata)
Possumhaw, smooth wither-rod (Viburnum nudum)