The pandemic may have canceled Clean the Bay Day this year, but there are high hopes we can march into Pollinator Week (June 22-28) determined to make a difference. Initiated by the Senate, for the past 13 years one week each year has been designated by the Pollinator Partnership to celebrate pollinators and bring awareness to their role in our lives and help them in their plight.
I read a grim (but not surprising) bit of research just published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution that examined pesticide contamination in milkweed samples in California. In the study, researchers gathered milkweed samples from across the landscape in urban, agricultural refuges and retail settings to test for the presence of contaminants. Samples were tested for 262 compounds, an assortment of pesticides, fungicides and insecticides. Of the nearly 230 samples collected across 19 sites, at least seven compounds were found in 50% of the samples and 17 compounds were found in 10%. But the most disturbing discovery was the presence of two insecticides (Methoxyfenozide and chlorantraniliprole) in more than 90% of all the samples.
Although the study was performed on the West Coast, specifically in California’s Central Valley, it stands to reason that if replicated on the East Coast the results would be much the same — with large swaths of land devoted to growing soybeans, cotton, peanuts and tobacco.
In addition to this unsettling research, the EPA’s ban on the herbicide dicamba has been changed from effective immediately to permitting the use of chemical stores already in possession through the end of July. According to a study published by Caroline Cox in the Journal of Pesticide Reform, nearly 16 million acres of agricultural land and 3 million lawns are treated with dicamba each year, an unfortunate statistic considering the high driftability of the product and its toxicity to both human and insects.
Alongside habitat destruction and disease, widespread chemical applications on agricultural and private properties is one factor in pollinator decline. By raising awareness, pledging not to use chemical pesticide, herbicide or fungicide applications, and creating habitat, homeowners across the U.S. use Pollinator Week to make an impact on health of the ecosystem.
Although Pollinator Week is typically marked by celebration, festivals and group plantings, this year people can join in by registering their yards as pollinator habitat with Xerces Society and taking the Pollinator Pledge.
Some ideas of how to create or improve habitat in your yard include:
? Plant a garden that with nectar- and pollen-rich species that will have successional blooms, throughout the entire season. Even if you have space only for planters, window boxes or a micro garden, every bit counts.
? Install a bee house for our native, solitary bees. Consider leaving some bare ground for ground-dwelling species, like miner bees.
? Switch to organic herbicides, like a salt/vinegar/soap mixture.
? Plant butterfly and moth host species.
? Research and implement integrated pest management practices.
? Leave leaf litter and dormant plants in gardens over winter.
? Consider a bee-friendly lawn with a mix of flowers and grass.
? Spread the word about the importance of our imperiled pollinators.
In Full Bloom is a weekly feature from Allissa Bunner that focuses on sustainable gardening, environmental stewardship and related community news and initiatives. Bunner is a Norfolk resident who is passionate about plants — especially natives — and enjoys growing things from seed. She can be reached at acbinfullbloom@gmail.com.
