A Pollinator Garden Abstract

 

Wild Bergamot Monarda Fistulosa

Wild rose

Snowberry Clearwing Moth Hemaris diffinis courtesy of Judy Gallagher CC 2.0

Black swallowtail on wild bergamot

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Photo credit Paul Stein

The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist.
For man, it is to know that and wonder at it.
-Jacques Cousteau

Its the middle of March, plant a flower indoors, begin a pollinator garden! When contemplating your next pollinator garden, factor in various flower colours, and sizes, along with a variety of plants which bloom in different seasons of the year. Your pollinator garden will support bees, hummingbirds, bats, ladybugs, butterflies and moths. A pollinator garden provides an ecosystem to plants as well as insects. Provided are links to listings for a variety of native plants to attract pollinators to your garden.

***From the various pollinator flowers for Saskatchewan, perhaps Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is the easiest to establish and maintain.

***Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) requires acidic soil such as found in the higher elevations of spruce and bog forests where the parkland meets with the tundra ecosystem of Saskatchewan.

***Prairie Crocus (Pulsatilla patens), the provincial flower of Manitoba, is a remarkable native flower and is being encouraged in its native habitat by efforts of the Saskatoon Nature Society. The requirements of the prarie crocus is soil which has been undisturbed (uncultivated) for about 30 years to allow the proper micronutrients to flourish to feed the crocus corms (bulbs). The crocus, also thrives under adverse conditions, and adapted to the migratory patterns of buffalo herds, and historic raging prairie grass fires extending miles across the plains.

***The Western Red Lily, Prairie Lily or Wood Lily (Lilium philadelphicum), is the official flower of Saskatchewan, and a protected species, so do not run out and pick the next one growing in its native habitat. Go to a reputable garden supply centre. Lily plants also grow from bulbs, so planting in the fall is the best season of the year to establish a bulb.

***Western Wild bergamot, or bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) is a beautiful purple flower attracting pollinators blooming in July and August.

***Purple Coneflower (Echinacea augusifolia D.C.) produces purple ray florets with a protuding yellowish-brown disc floret in the centre. Blooming in July through September, the yellow prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera is more common, and the purple coneflower is very rare in Saskatchewan.

***Blanket Flower (Gaillardia sp.) is a bright yellow – orange flower growing to a height of 1 to 3 feet. Perennial Blanket are a burst of sunshine in your wildlife garden, and love well-drained soil

***Purple coneflower, upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera), and blanketflower or common gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata) are both a documented nectar source for the Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae).

***Alpine Columbine Aquilegia alpina is a spring/early summer blooming perennial. Small-flowered Columbine (Aquilegia Brevistyla Hook) and Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis L) are both native to Saskatchewan.

***Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) with delicate white blooms loves to grow in moist soil – though will survive drought conditions` which has been disturbed (turned over). Blooming in late June, the yarrow will bloom into September.

*** Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) saskatchewan produces a stalk with yellow blooms, flowering in late summer and into the early autumn months.

***Smooth aster (Symphyotrichum leave) or any member of the aster family are beloved by pollinators. Smooth aster is vivid blue violet in colour with prominent yellow disc florets in the centre. Growing between 1 and 4 feet high (30-120 cm) however mainly observed growing closer to the 1 foot height. In August and September is when this aster blooms.

March 10, Plant a Flower Day start a pollinator garden. Though it may be -19 Celsius, with snow on the ground, aim for a target. There are many other native flower species than those suggested here, don’t just trust me, click a link on this page.

• Learn.
• Experience
• Do Something: ^***

Start your flower seedlings for an awesome and magnificent pollinator garden, and be amazed at the wildlife and biodiversity which arrive this summer.

Pollinators are what ecologists call keystone species. You know how an arch has a keystone. It’s the one stone that keeps the two halves of the arch together. […] If you remove the keystone, the whole arch collapses.
-May Berenbaum, PhD, Entomologist. From Silence of the Bees, PBS Nature.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

A good match Pollinator and flower

A good match ~ WPC Murtagh’s Meadow. Writings from the meadow.

Alpine Columbine (Aquilegia alpina) Choosing Voluntary Simplicity.

A Pollinator paradise

At the heart of nature composer in the garden.

Bat Conservation International | Conserving the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet | How to install a bat house

Bee Balm Pollinator superstar The garden diaries.

Bees Matter. Bees Matter to everyone. Explore our site to learn more. | Native Pollinator Friendly Plants by province

Bee friendly gardening infographic Richard Chivers Sharpen your spades.

Bee Happy [Kew gardens] Debbie Smyth Travel with Intent

Bee Virus Spread is Human-made Rachel Falco, How to provide

Bellflower. The lantern room

Bountiful Blue Wood Aster. The Natural Web.

Bumbles are back! Murtagh’s meadow

Butterflies: Where to Buy? Butterfly breeders.

Butterflies of Canada. Canadian Biodiversity information facility. Government of Canada

Crisis:Crash in pollinator numbers a big threat to wildlife point 4 counterpoint.

Create a be friendly garden | Build a bee house David Suzuki.

Crocuses and Bees Judith beyond the window box.

Dupont, Jamiee. My native species bring all the pollinators to the yard Land Lines The Nature Conservancy of Canada Blog. June 17, 2014

Farm life, Color, Pollinator Garden Hermitsdoor

Flower for Pollinators III Petals and Wings

Garden Photography Wildlife Garden Small blue green flowers

Harries, Kate. Glorious Goldenrod Return of the Native. September 2016

Help the Bats. | Why bats are important. Canadian Wildlife Federation

Help the pollinators and plant a Wildlife-Friendly Garden | Blooms for songbirds! Canadian Wildlife Federation.

Lepidoptera Buffet. Butterfly Garden Host and Nectar Plants.
Lepidoptera No. Aquilegia vulgaris (columbine)

Majerus, Mark. New Native pre-varietal Germplasm releases for the Northern Great Plains and Intermountain region.

Monarch Butterfly Milkweed Garden 101

Malley, Shaun. White nose syndrome. The fight to save bats heats up CBC News. August 21, 2015.

National Pollinator Week (June)

National pollinator week (June) Tina, my gardener says.

Native Plant Databases. | How to create bio-degradable pots for your seedlings. Evergreen.

Life of a Single mom (Bee) Chris Helzer, The Prairie Ecologist

Native Plants | Nature Regina listing of wildflowers for a native plant garden

Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan | Native Plant Sources

Native Prairie Survey Wilton IV Wind Energy Centre Burleigh County North Dakota September 2014

New bee plants in the garden A French Garden

North American Native Plant Society. Plant database

Plant and Pollinator Gallery Prairie Pollination. The Manitoba Museum 2014.

Plants in bloom month by month. Landscape Ontario.com Green for life [Though an Ontario resource and this province has different hardiness zones than Saskatchewan, there are overlaps in plant species, so the listing may give a quick guide to the time of year for flower blooming times.]

Pollinator Blog Posts Ryan Clark Ecology.
Pollinator Garden Design Workshop Mlozanduran.gapp.

Pollinator Garden Ashland Or garden club

Pollinator Health Fund Grants. MISA announcements

Pollinator independence. Albuguerque urban homestead.

Pollinator Seed Mixes Rhobin, Rhobin’s Garden.

Pollinator’s past Mark, nature’s place.

Province launches pollinator health action plan transition cornwall.

Raspberry Pollinators and Visitors: Focus on bees Government of Manitoba. Agriculture Crops Production publications.

Recent developments in pollinator conservation: IPBES, 10 Policies, pesticide conspiracies, and more Jeff Ollferton’s Biodiversity blog

Robert Miles – Bat man Ideacity. Moses Znaimer’s Conference.

Sadik, Pierre. Canadian scientists call for greater effort to save Monarch butterflies as their status is reassessed under the Species at Risk Act. Nature Canada.

Saskatchewan Mixed Grassland Species. Nature Conservancy Canada. [doc file]

Saskatoon Horticulture Society

Seeds of Diversity | Pollination |Make insect nests Pollination Canada.

Rare species surveys and stewardship activities by the Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, 2010

Shimmering Charades: Yard Butterflies Dirt n Kids.

Species: Achillea Millefolium – Common Yarrow. Lepidoptera foodplants. Butterflies. List of lepidoptera species using Achillea millefolium as larval foodplant.

The Sunflower Verdict Bill, practicing Resurrection

Think Native Asters in the Spring

To Bee or not to Bee? Robyn Haynes, Big Dreams for a Tiny Garden.

Unlikely plant-pollinator relationships Ecology is not a dirty word

Vinson, Katherine, and Dr. Youbin Zheng. Plant species Recommendations for Green Roofs in Northern Climates Based on Survey School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph. January 2013.

Whitecliff Butterfly and Pollinator Garden. Beautify crestwood

Wildlife Observations ~ Small things, Thank goodness for asters. Frogend dweller.

Pollinators are what ecologists call keystone species. You know how an arch has a keystone. It’s the one stone that keeps the two halves of the arch together. […] If you remove the keystone, the whole arch collapses.
-May Berenbaum, PhD, Entomologist. From Silence of the Bees, PBS Nature.

“When the trees go, the rain goes, the climate deteriorates, the water table sinks, the land erodes and desert conditions soon appear”.~Richard St. Barbe Baker

For directions as to how to drive to “George Genereux” Urban Regional Park

For directions on how to drive to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

For more information:

Blairmore Sector Plan Report; planning for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area,  George Genereux Urban Regional Park and West Swale and areas around them inside of Saskatoon city limits

P4G Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth The P4G consists of the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, the Town of Osler and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park; planning for areas around the afforestation area and West Swale outside of Saskatoon city limits

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SW 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063
Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot
Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Facebook: South West OLRA

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )

Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year).  Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers  Please and thank you!  Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated.  Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!

Canada Helps

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

You Tube Video Richard St Barbe Baker presented by Paul Hanley

You Tube Video Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale wetlands

You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area – Saskatoon’s best kept secret.

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Hoar Frost

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Saskatoon

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park

 

 

I believe in oneness of mankind and of all living things and in the interdependence of each and all. I believe that unless we play fair to the Earth, we cannot exist physically on this planet. Unless we play fair to our neighbour, we cannot exist socially or internationally. Unless we play fair to better self, there is no individuality and no leadership. ~Richard St. Barbe Baker.

 

“Kind people have been expressing superlatives on my work. But I can assure you that anything which I have been able to achieve has been team work. We have a motto in the Men of the Trees. TWAHAMWE. It is an African word meaning ‘pull together’ and I pass this on to all those concerned with conservation in this country. I would like to call you to silence for a moment with the words of Mathew Arnold:

“Calm soul of all things, make it mine,
To feel amidst the City ‘s jar
That there abides a peace of thine
Men did not make and cannot mar. ”
~Richard St. Barbe Baker

 

Soon the bracken became shorter

 

“I believed that God has lent us the Earth. It belongs as much to those who come after us as to us, and it ill behooves us by anything we do or neglect, to deprive them of benefits which are in our power to bequeath.” Richard St. Barbe Baker

 

There is only one real reason to keep bees, and that is because they are fascinating. If you just want honey, make friends with a beekeeper.
-Australia beekeeper, Adrian the Bee Man

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