Happy Bees, Happy Yards

Photo: Spring Beauty Bee, Judy Gallagher

Plant NoVA Natives

Gardening to attract as many bees as possible is more than a rewarding pastime. It’s a blend of purpose, beauty and connection to something grand and greater than we are. The growing season is marching by, but sufficient time remains to add a few new bee-favorite flowering plants and shrubs to your property. Bees are key to the environment. Their health reflects the state of the health and interconnectedness of the surrounding world. If the bees are happy, so are the habitats they occupy.

Bees are among the most efficient and effective pollinators in the insect kingdom. Pollinators ensure the reproduction of 80% of all flowering plants, a Herculean feat that bees accomplish inadvertently. In the process of collecting nectar and pollen for their own use, bees become covered in the plant pollen, fertilizing plants as they move from bloom to bloom. The plants that bees pollinate have played their part as well, evolving flowers that are custom-built to attract bees by accommodating their unique preferences, anatomy and behavior. It is an ancient and productive partnership between two very different forms of life.

In more recent times we’ve come to appreciate the direct benefit bees provide to uncultivated ecosystems. In meadows, for example, bees cross-pollinate many different plants, which leads to genetic diversity and stronger, more resilient plant stocks. Bees promote the diversity of plants that help clean the air and water and reinvigorate the soil. Plants are the foundation of food chains that feed herbivores and, subsequently, carnivores. The native plants that grow and thrive in undisturbed natural settings fix carbon, release oxygen and mitigate soil erosion. In short, the health of wild ecosystems is greatly enhanced by the activity and industry of bees.

The non-native European honeybee, which arrived in North America in the 1600s, is well known and recognized in our region. However, the ecosystem depends on the 400+ species of native bees that were here in northern Virginia to begin with. Eighty percent of them are generalists and will visit many different flowers. The rest are specialists that need access to specific native plants to survive.

Native bumblebees are a good example of generalists. There are 14 species of native bumble bees in northern Virginia, all of which are adorable, hardworking and fast. A bumblebee can pollinate six blueberry flowers in the time it takes a European honeybee to pollinate just one. European honeybees are highly social insects that live together in colonies. The native Spring Beauty Bees, on the other hand, are small, solitary bees. It is a specialist that emerges in early spring and relies heavily on the Spring Beauty ephemeral flower to survive. You can often see females carrying large amounts of pink pollen collected from the Spring Beauties.

But whether they are large or small, generalists or specialists, social or solitary, all native bees are suffering. Habitat loss and fragmentation, pesticide use, and climate change are the primary causes. Their food sources and nesting sites are disappearing. Their numbers are declining, some drastically, others less so. Despite these complex threats, there is much we as individuals can do to protect them.

1. Tuck some of the native flowers and shrubs that are known to support bees into blank spaces in your garden. (See the Gardening for Bees link, below). After the heat of summer fades, add some spring ephemerals to help the early season native bees next year. It’s worth mentioning that bees are highly unlikely to sting when gathering food, as many gardeners will attest. When issues occur, it’s almost always because bees are defending their nests, and that is only an issue for a few species.

2. Remove non-native invasives from your property. They greatly disrupt native ecosystems.

3. Plant and maintain a pollinator garden that is reserved exclusively for native plants. With some care and planning, it can mimic a mini meadow.

4. Add a source of water like a birdbath to your garden.

5. Don’t spray for mosquitoes. The mosquitoes tend to reappear quickly after a spraying, but almost every other insect the mosquito fog reaches, including bees, will be annihilated.

6. Avoid the use of any pesticide.

7. Most native bees nest in the ground, so leave some bare ground in your garden or landscape for tunneling.

8. Think about leaving dead stalks in place for a year or two. Some native bees overwinter or reproduce in those stalks and need time to grow and emerge. 

Bees are small but mighty creatures who need our help as never before. Our own future is served when we help shelter, feed, and protect them. Let’s see what we can do to help. For more information about native bees and the plants that attract and support them, visit the “Gardening for Bees” page of the Plant NoVA Natives website, which, among other interesting information, offers suggestions for pairing specific plants with the bees that are known to visit their blooms.

Five Great Reasons to Garden with Natives

Photo: Native plant gardener in her garden, Margaret Fisher

Plant NOVA Natives

Gardening enthusiasts everywhere are gearing up for spring with renewed passion and anticipation. There are garden beds to expand, turf grass to shrink, new natives to add, non-natives to remove, and an urgency to finish the work before the warm weather arrives.

It’s a lot of physical labor, but we know it’s worth it. Gardening not only creates beauty. It is a moving meditation that helps calm our minds and makes us more present to the moment. As Margaret Atwood once said, “In the spring, at the end of the day, you SHOULD smell like dirt.” It’s very good for us on so many levels.

Not surprisingly, there are many more native plant gardeners today in northern Virginia than there were ten years ago, evidenced by the increase in commercial demand for native plants. This is not just a trend. It is a permanent shift in behavior driven by a deeper understanding of the interdependence of native plants, insects, birds, humans, and many other creatures. We have become ever more aware of the impact of our choices on the biodiversity of the region. There is no going back.

If you’re still on the fence about natives, here are five great reasons why native plant gardening is good for what ails our planet - and our hearts.

1. When you garden with native plants, you learn to name and recognize them in the wild as well. That knowledge is nice to acquire, of course, but it also helps foster a deep sense of appreciation for the natural world. Simply stated, when we know more, we care more about the environment and the collective human efforts to nurture it.

2. Native plant gardening is even more enjoyable when shared with others. Your newly acquired knowledge will undoubtedly lead to connections with other like-minded native plant lovers. New friends and acquaintances appear, sharing tips, experiences, and a collective love of gardening. An expanded network contributes to a sense of belonging as we act in concert with others instead of alone.

3. There is no denying that climate change is a daunting global issue. But native plant gardening nevertheless encourages and empowers us as individuals. Property owners of all stripes can do something significant to benefit the soil, the climate, and the entire ecosystem. Don’t fall into the trap of believing we are too small to make a difference. Together we can help heal the planet.

4. Native plant gardeners love the beauty of the blooms as much as the insects. There is no need to sacrifice aesthetics. Native plants not only attract pollinators and nurture their life cycles, they also offer stunning displays of color and texture that never fail to please.

5. Many native plants bloom later in the season. When non-native cultivars are starting to fade in the mid-summer heat, many natives are just beginning to show up and show off, ensuring a lively view that both delights the viewer and sustains local wildlife well into the fall. The stalks, seedheads, and berries continue to beautify the garden through winter.

Native plant gardener in her garden, Margaret Fisher

Gardening has always been fun, but gardening with natives is also meaningful. It serves a healing purpose and adds our names to the group effort. At the end of the day, native plant gardeners create beautiful spaces where humans and plants not only meet but conspire to collaborate. We are collectively honored to “smell like dirt” after creating such powerful things.

It all starts with planting your first native plant. To learn the how-tos, visit the Plant NOVA Natives website. You can also take the first step to certify your yard as a wildlife sanctuary by requesting a consultation visit by an ambassador from NVBA’s Wildlife Sanctury Program.