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“Pollinator Challenge: The What, Why, and How of Gardening
to Support Pollinators (and other Wildlife) at Home”
Lauren Simpson of St. Julian’s Crossing Wildlife Habitat
for Sugar Land Garden Club (February 16, 2021)
• Tip 1: “Support the home team.”
o Native-plant locators and information:
▪ NPSOT-Houston native plant information: http://npsot.org/wp/houston/native-plant-info/
▪ Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s Native Plant Database:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PHNO2
▪ Native-plant locator by Zip Code (NWF): https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/Plants (also:
https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants)
▪ Pollinator Partnership eco-region planting guides: https://pollinator.org/guides
▪ Audubon Society native-plant database: https://www.audubon.org/native-plants
▪ USDA Plants Database: https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/java/ (includes interactive map with species data
by county)
▪ BONAP: http://bonap.net/NAPA/Genus/Traditional/County (species maps by county, organized by genus)
o Why native-plant butterfly and bird gardens are better (Jaime González, Katy Prairie Conservancy):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puh_g_dMCH8
o Why native flowers are better for bees than non-natives:
http://beautifulnativeplants.blogspot.com/2016/07/pollinators-and-native-vs-non-native.html
o Why locally-sourced and -grown native plants matter: http://www.ecobeneficial.com/2015/07/why-locallysourced-locally-grown-native-plants-matter/
o Native v. cultivar: https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2016/JuneJuly/Gardening/Cultivars
o Native v. non-native milkweed (St. Julian’s Crossing):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/147962152041939/permalink/581481632023320/
o “Weeding Out 4 Native Plant Myths”: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/51248852/list/4-Native-Plant-Myths
• Tip 2: “Avoid pesticides.”
o Beneficial insects for gardens and landscaping (TAMU): http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/index.htm
o Enticing beneficial predators to your garden: https://www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/NationalWildlife/2010/Enticing-Predators-to-Patrol-Your-Garden
o How gardeners’ use of pesticides and herbicides harms bee populations:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/05/31/gardeners-fueling-bee-decline-by-using-weedkillers-andpesticide/
o Neoniconoid pesticide dangers: http://www.xerces.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/10/HowNeonicsCanKillBees_XercesSociety_Nov2016.pdf,
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/12/four-questions-about-neonicotinoid-pesticides/, and
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37089385
• Tip 3: “Mix it up.”
o Tips on plant variety to support pollinators:
http://web.archive.org/web/20140701234902/http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/pollinators-and-flowers/
o Layering plants: http://rockies.audubon.org/news/five-wildscape-principles
• Tip 4: “Pile it up.”
o Planting in masses for wildlife and for design: http://northcoastgardening.com/2012/07/wildlife-gardendesign-plant-masses/
• Tip 5: “Embrace imperfection.”
o Why to leave leaf litter in fall garden beds: https://www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/NationalWildlife/2015/OctNov/Gardening/Leave-the-Leaves and http://content.yardmap.org/learn/wildlife-value-of-amessy-garden/
o Leaving fall gardens be: https://savvygardening.com/6-reasons-not-to-clean-up-your-garden-this-fall/
o Leaving pithy stems in place for bee nesting: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/39422662/list/SmallCarpenter-Bees---Looking-for-a-Home-in-Your-Plant-Stems
o Leaf mold, mulch, and compost: https://www.planetnatural.com/leaf-mold/
o How to prep. garden safely for spring: https://savvygardening.com/spring-garden-clean-done-right/
• Bonus Tip: “Stock the Nursery.”
o Bare earth and garden care for native-bee nesting: http://content.yardmap.org/learn/bare-earth-for-nativepollinators/ and http://www.xerces.org/in-your-pollinator-garden-november-2015/
o Building and responsibly maintaining bee hotels for native bees: http://www.foxleas.com/make-a-beehotel.asp; https://www.mountaineers.org/blog/mason-bees-raising-beneficial-pollinators;
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/bee_abode.html?credit=web_id154010812; and
http://ncagr.gov/spcap/bee/documents/BuildingWildBeeHouses.pdf. But see
http://www.conservationmagazine.org/2015/03/bee-hotels-have-unwanted-guests/.
o Designing a garden for native bees: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/32351570/list/How-to-Design-aGarden-for-Native-Bees
o Host plants by butterfly species:
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Butterfly%20Gardening/Host%20Plants%20by%20Butterfly%20Species.ht
m and https://npsot.org/wp/houston/files/2014/08/February-2017-NPSOT_HOUSTON-information-pages.pdf
• Wildscaping generally:
o Planting guides by ecoregion (Pollinator Partnership): http://www.pollinator.org/guides
o Simple tips on creating a pollinator-friendly garden: https://pollinatorgardens.org/2016/01/12/design-ideasfor-gardeners/?platform=hootsuite
o Five simple tips to turn a yard into a pollinator paradise: http://blog.nature.org/science/2015/07/20/5-simpletips-your-yard-pollinator-paradise-bees-butterflies-decline/
o Butterfly gardening in Houston: http://houstonarboretum.org/2015/03/butterfly-gardening-in-houston/
o Introduction to pollinator gardening: http://content.yardmap.org/learn/pollinators-at-home-intro-to-pollinatorgardening/
o Creating a low-maintenance wildscape (NPSOT): http://npsot.org/wp/story/2009/2188/
o “Neighborly Natural Landscaping in Residential Areas”: https://extension.psu.edu/neighborly-naturallandscaping-in-residential-areas
o Native-bee garden ideas and resources: http://www.houstonnativebees.org/learn/bee-habitats/
o “How to Turn Your Yard into an Ecological Oasis”:
https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2020/02/07/yard-sustainability-native-plants/
o Bringing Nature Home: http://www.bringingnaturehome.net/
• Articles on decline of overall insect/arthropod numbers (citing studies):
o “Eight simple actions that individuals can take to save insects from global declines”:
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2/e2002547117
o Special feature in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (vol. 118, no. 2): “Global Decline of
Insects in the Anthropocene”:
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/2?fbclid=IwAR3FipkWDMbn2ATkeKsPyqHZ6dYXOwdc7c1XmNMf0k6BddDmy5xMQcuFXo#TheGlobalDeclineofInsectsintheAnthropoceneSpecialFeature
o Excellent 4-part series on global insect declines (citing studies):
▪ Part 1: https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-great-insect-dying-a-global-look-at-a-deepening-crisis/
▪ Part 2: https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-great-insect-dying-vanishing-act-in-europe-and-northamerica/
▪ Part 3: https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-great-insect-dying-the-tropics-in-trouble-and-some-hope/
▪ Part 4: https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-great-insect-dying-how-to-save-insects-and-ourselves/
o Article examining possible causes of insect declines: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/as-insectpopulations-decline-scientists-are-trying-to-understand-why/ (citing studies)
o Call for action to avoid declines in insect abundance and diversity:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335554972_Declines_in_insect_abundance_and_diversity_We_kno
w_enough_to_act_now and https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/csp2.80
o Light pollution causing insect declines: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/22/lightpollution-insect-apocalypse (citing study)
o “Insect Declines and Why They Matter”: https://www.somersetwildlife.org/sites/default/files/2019-
12/FULL%20AFI%20REPORT%20WEB%20Small_1.pdf
o Blog of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: https://xerces.org/blog (various topics on insect
conservation)
• Book recommendations:
o Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, by Jessica Walliser
o Attracting Native Pollinators, by Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
o Bringing Nature Home, by Dr. Doug Tallamy
o Garden Revolution, by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher
o The Living Landscape, by Rick Darke and Dr. Doug Tallamy
o Nature’s Best Hope, by Dr. Doug Tallamy
o A New Garden Ethic, by Benjamin Vogt
o Planting in a Post-Wild World, by Claudia West and Thomas Rainerbox and begin editing. Use the text editor to customize your text. It's that easy!