Spring Is Almost Here ~ Caring for Creation

Caring for Creation ~ Spring Is Almost Here!  

Spring is almost here!  We are having warm and pleasant weather.  Are you already planning your Spring Garden?

If you are considering a spring or summer garden, this is the perfect time to figure out what you need to get started.  If you haven’t had a spring or summer garden for a while, or ever, it is a good idea to start with a “Pollinator Garden”.  All gardens need pollinators, especially vegetable gardens!  So, if you start with a small or medium-sized pollinator garden, you’ll have pollinators already hanging around for your vegetable garden.

Remember, these gardens do not need to be large or complicated.  And, if you have a pollinator garden going, you are way ahead.  Pollinator gardens can have a variety of blooming plants.  Some plants like Butterfly weed bloom early in the gardening season, while others like Indian Blanket or Beebalm bloom midway in the summer.  Showy Goldenrod or BlueSage are late bloomers.  Having plants that flower in stages will invite Pollinators to your garden all summer!

There are so many kinds of Pollinators and we need all of them!  For instance, there are more than 4,000 species of Bees that are native to North America!  This includes Honey Bees who live in hives.  Many of the other Bees nest underground, in twigs and leaf debris, or even in dead trees!  These Bees are more often vulnerable because they are invisible!

Butterflies and Moths are excellent pollinators.  Butterflies visit our gardens in the daytime while Moths visit at night.  Hummingbirds and Bats are also reliable pollinators.  Hummingbirds prefer tubular flowers in bright warm colors, like red.  Beetles and other similar insects are reliable pollinators.  At least 40 % of all insects are Beetles!

We need to pay attention to all the Pollinators and support them because they have been losing habitat for years!  Fields and fence rows that were once covered with blooms have been plowed under for shopping malls and housing developments.  Fortunately, some very new housing developments include community gardens, and composting as well as yards planted with flowers specifically for Pollinators.  Unfortunately, there are very few developments that are this thoughtful and resourceful.  Just think, a world without Pollinators would be a world without Apples, Blueberries, Strawberries, chocolate, almonds, melons of all kinds, peaches or pumpkins !!!  That would be too terrible to even imagine!

You can help all Pollinators as well as any neighborhood gardens by putting in a Pollinator garden this Spring!  Even putting a few Pollinator-friendly plants in pots on your porch or in your backyard can make a difference.

If you have questions, look up your state Native Plant Society.  Most large towns and cities all over the country, have a Master Gardener Program.  These wonderful garden people would be happy to help you with your garden.  If you can’t find anyone to answer your questions or make suggestions, check with the Department of Agriculture office near you (USDA.gov) or go to their website.  They will know someone locally who can help you.  I know this because I have talked to all these people, asked loads of questions, and gotten excellent assistance!

Remember Honey Bees alone contribute to the production of many billions of dollars worth of crops every year !!!  This is why “We Love Bees and All Pollinators”!