Bee a Good Neighbor: Remember Pollinators When Preparing Your Spring Garden As the days warm up, it's not just plants that are waking up from the winter, pollinators are nestled into your garden waiting to | £2| emerge. Follow these tips to provide them the space and time they need to wake up and contribute to your gardening efforts. \ i3 'ollinating a. Leave these for the bees. Pollinators overwinter in hollow stems, piles of wood, and leaf litter. Leave garden beds and plant materials undisturbed over the winter until you see pollinator activity in the spring. Keep soil still. Avoid tilling in areas that appear to have insect activity or where you've seen ground nesting pollinators in the past. When planting, leave some areas bare for ground nesting. Refill your water feature. Fill up your fountains and bird baths to provide a source of clean water for emerging pollinators. Keep it chemical free. Do not use pesticides or herbicides as they may harm pollinators and their habitat. Think locally when planting. Incorporate a diverse mix of native plants best suited for your climate and region. Visit pollinator.org/guidesfor ecoregional planting guides. Create a garden debris Butterfly Leave sticks and pile round provide habitat stems to area some year for pollinators Beetes Ground nesting bees ------- |