Pollinators, Please
Pollinators please us in so many ways, first in the incredible expanse of vegetables, fruit, flowers, and herbs that we enjoy because of their hard work. At minimum, fully one third of everything we eat, and likely a much greater percentage, exists thanks to the diligence of insects and other pollinators. Try to name a few meals you’ve tasted that haven’t had ingredients pollinated by birds, butterflies, bees, beetles or bats. Yes, bats are pollinators – moles too!
The benefits pollinators provide to plants and the planet extend far past enabling plant reproduction. Plants, especially natives that thrive in specific locations, are essential to sequester carbon, filter pollutants in our water, improve soil health, and perhaps most crucially, provide the oxygen we breathe.
Understanding the who, what and where of pollinators informs us how to best support these creatures. Pollination is the particular act of transferring a grain of pollen from the anther (male part) of a flower to the stigma (female part). While some plants self-pollinate, and others are wind pollinated, about 75% of all flowering plants do require pollinators to reproduce. Food plants most dependent on pollinators to reproduce are the ones that produce cocoa for chocolate, pumpkins, vanilla beans and watermelons; all could virtually disappear without the help of pollinators.
Kristin Andres, Associate Director for Education and Informational Services at the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), says, “There’s something misunderstood about pollinators, particularly honeybees. They’re not native here, having been brought from Europe years ago. What we want to support are the more than 400 different species of bees that are native and range in size from tiny wild bees to carpenter bees the size of Brazil nuts. Most of these are single nesters. The female lays her young in a tunnel she digs, or in dead wood. They’re not territorial. They don’t defend their nests.”
Many other living things carry and deposit pollen; sometimes even people, either intentionally when striving to create new varieties, or accidentally when brushing by a plant. Yet it’s important to support our native insects because in the case of bees, for example, some native species have adaptations that honeybees lack, making them particularly adept at pollinating native plants. Monarch butterflies are frequently mentioned as pollinators (and they certainly do contribute), yet it’s moths that do most of the heavy lifting. “It’s their wings which are very fur-like, and excel at the transfer of pollen,” says Andres.
For the most part, Cape Cod’s pollinators do not travel great distances; most stay within miles or even feet of the plants they will pollinate. To better support them, in 2021 a steering committee was formed, spearheaded by the Nauset Garden Club. The committee includes representatives of eight other Cape organizations: the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Chatham Conservation Foundation, Garden Club of Harwich, Master Gardeners of Cape Cod, Orleans Conservation Trust, Orleans Improvement Association, Orleans Pond Coalition, and the Town of Orleans. This effort eventually launched Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod.
The concept was based on the work of environmentalist Donna Merrill of Wilton, CT. In 2016, Merrill began to develop a Pollinator Pathway in Wilton that would eventually become a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Merrill’s efforts were inspired by Sarah Bergmann, who in 2007 founded the original Pollinator Pathway in Seattle that would kick-start a global movement.
“Some countries are far ahead of us in seeing the interconnectedness of ecosystems,” says Andres. “If we want insects and butterflies to live, we have to support their habitat.”
A wonderful and free initiative that’s open to all, it seeks to build a “pathway” linking those parcels of land that support pollinators based on four guiding principles:
Add natives – From a single plant to a garden makeover, every choice is important.
Rethink one’s lawn – Reduce the expanse of turf, add raised beds, plant clover, thyme or other cover crops.
Avoid herbicide and pesticide use – Many additives labeled organic have not been tested on pollinators.
Leave the leaves – Do a fall “unclean-up” – allowing leaves and debris to stay in place over the winter, providing pollinator habitat while enriching the soil.
At the Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod website, one can access a complete listing of native plants that support pollinators, a listing of the Pathway’s partner nurseries that stock native plants, ecological landscapers, and other partners. Andres says, “By reaching out to garden clubs, land trusts, and conservation groups who in turn encourage homeowners and businesses to join the Pathway, the steering committee has done a phenomenal job.”
The peripheral advantages of joining the Pathway and following their principles are profound: native plants attract more birds. Less pesticides equals more insect pollinators, therefore creating more food sources for juvenile birds. Insect and disease pressure is often less with native plants. Mowing is less frequent and overall, there is more diverse wildlife to enjoy.
Kristin Andres reminds us to consider attending one or more days of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, this year taking place from July 5-14. Organized by the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, this celebration of gardens highlighting hydrangeas features a daily roster of both private and public gardens from Provincetown to Woods Hole that are open for tours, with each one sponsored by a different Cape non-profit.
Garden tours are $5 per site. Paid at each location, a site’s fees are donated to its sponsoring non-profit. Plus, museums, businesses and other organizations often schedule sales, demonstrations and other events during the festival. “There will be several gardens on the tour featuring native plantings that support pollinators. We love promoting it,” says Andres.
The town of Orleans became the first town to back Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod when, impassioned by the movement, its select board unanimously approved a resolution of support on January 19, 2022. Orleans pledged to use pollinator friendly practices on town land and parks. When possible the town will leave leaves and debris in beds, plant more native species to provide forage for pollinators, avoid using herbicides and pesticides for appearance, and reduce the expanse of turf.
Brewster will soon join Orleans in officially backing the Pollinator Pathway principles. A newly formed steering committee is leading an enthusiastic group of citizens and business owners who were abuzz with energy and ideas at their initial kick-off meeting in April.
Gary Bowden, a current Trustee of the Orleans Conservation Trust, and Master Gardener who worked with 13 people to form the Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod (PPCC), says, “The latest news is that multiple PPCC participating organizations are coming together to effect change, create habit, educate, and advocate for pollinator friendly landscaping across the town of Brewster.”
Once any landowner, community business or organization is following the Pathway’s principles, they may register their property and street address only (no names) on an online Google map, and the Pathways’ logo, a lavender butterfly, will indicate their location. Medallion signs labeled Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod and featuring the logo, are available for purchase at local garden centers and businesses Capewide. Displaying the sign in your garden just may spark a conversation leading someone new to join the pathway.
“Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod now has well over 350 gardens across the Cape; homeowner gardens, organizations, and business-sponsored gardens and landscapes all dedicated to supporting pollinators with native plants and as pesticide-free safe havens,” says Andres.
The Cape Cod Pollinator Pathway could one day extend the length and breadth of the Cape. Plant a single pot of bee balm or transform a lawn into a food forest. Just begin.
Writer Michelle Koch lets small fallen trees remain on the ground, mulches beds with leaves, and lets her lawn grow a bit long, creating a haven for butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, dragonflies and tiny frogs.
Association to Preserve Cape Cod’s partner nurseries that carry native plants:
Agway Cape Cod
Cape Abilities Farm
Crocker Nursery
Hyannis Country Garden
Ponderosa Garden Center
Soares Flower Garden Nursery
The Farm (Orleans)
Public Pollinator Gardens:
Oak Crest Cove Gardens – Sandwich
Orleans Conservation Trust Office – Orleans
Town Green – Orleans
Saquatucket Harbor – Harwich Port
Wellfleet Traffic Islands off Route 6
Meadow on Main – Chatham
Thompson’s Field – Harwich
Association to Preserve Cape Cod – Dennis
Mass Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay
Wildlife Sanctuary – Wellfleet
Theresa’s Way – Orleans
Lyn Peabody Wildflower Gardens – Brewster
Memorial Park Garden, Falmouth Herb Garden, and Colonial Garden – 55 Palmer Avenue, Falmouth
Ways to Begin
• Visit a public pollinator garden for inspiration.
• Provide a saucer of clean water for pollinators.
• Cover gardens with mowed leaves. Used as mulch, they will break down in place and provide pollinator habitat.
• Find and place a flat rock in your garden – a pollinator landing pad.
• Scatter a packet of native wildflower seeds somewhere on your property.
• Remove an invasive plant or shrub from your yard.
• Substitute pine needles and grass clippings for fabric ground cover to lessen weed pressure.
Association to Preserve Cape Cod
Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod
pollinator-pathway.org/towns/cape-cod
Inquiries about Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod signs:
pollinatorpathwaycapecod@gmail.com
Inspiring book: Tallamy, Douglas W. (2020). Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. Oregon: Timber Press.
