Pollinator Habitat
The loss of biodiversity and reduction in resource availability — both consequences of climate change and human activity — have contributed to a severe decline in pollinator populations. Native pollinators co-evolved with native plants, forming close relationships that benefit both the flower and the pollinator. Our changing climate is affecting the timing and duration of flowering, which throws the entire cycle of pollinator/plant interactions out of sync. Couple the impact of climate change with our increasing populations, urban expansion, and reduction of biodiverse habitats through natural and human disturbances, and we have a serious problem.
Urban landscapes can help mitigate the environmental impacts of human activities and climate change through creation and preservation of important pollinator habitats in our urban developments. But that requires a subtle shift in how we view and design landscapes.
The right plants are a portion of the puzzle, but structural elements that provide nesting habitats is also critically important. And the use of native plants in designs that emulate natural processes reduces or eliminates the need for herbicides and pesticides — both commonly used in conventional landscapes and known to adversely affect a wide range of pollinator species.
Landscape designers, contractors, and maintenance companies must understand the subtle differences in design, plant choices, and construction practices that create habitat for all species — including pollinators — to make a positive change in how we relate to the world that supports us.
Symbiotic relationships
Pollinators have developed close relationships with specific plants or types of plants over millenniums. Recognizing those relationships and designing landscapes that include plants that are regionally specific for local pollinators creates important habitats and creates a sense of place.
Even non-native pollinators are important
European honey bees are a non-native pollinator that have become synonymous with the term “pollinator”. This exotic bee operates in a more limited environment than most of our native pollinators, but is essential to agricultural production around the world. It’s also an opportunistic feeder and pollinator on many of our native plants.