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Adopt a Bee-Friendly Lawn Care Routine
Adopt a Bee-Friendly Lawn Care Routine
The ideal American yard is full of lush, green grass without a weed in sight. Every year, Americans spend billions of dollars on lawn care products such as fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation. In fact, with 40 million acres of turf grass across the country, turf is now the largest irrigated crop in the United States.
While having a lush lawn may look neat and tidy, this regimen has been detrimental to vital pollinator and wildlife species, as turf grass has replaced the biodiverse prairies and forests that existed before human development. Additionally, many pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are used on lawns have been linked to pollinator population declines. Don’t despair; try one or more of the following suggestions to support pollinators in your yard:
- Mow less: research has shown that mowing a lawn every two or three weeks, instead of every week, significantly increases the abundance of bees. This practice also saves time and is climate-friendly, as it reduces air pollution emitted by lawnmowers.
- Replace some (or all!) of your yard with native flowers and grasses: replacing turf grass, which provides very little benefit to wildlife, with trees, native grasses, and nectar-rich flowers will provide high-quality habitat for a wide variety of bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. These landscapes will also provide time- and cost-savings, as these plants are adapted to our climate, and thus require no fertilizers or pesticides and minimal watering after establishment. Figure out how much space you have to spare and create a small native garden or learn more about large-scale lawn alternatives.
- Avoid using chemical fertilizers and pesticides: not only will this maintain a healthy habitat for pollinators; it will protect our watersheds as well! Additionally, while it may be tempting to fog for mosquitoes and other pests, these sprays kill many beneficial insects, some of which may even eat mosquitoes. Try taking a more natural, preventative approach to managing pests.
By taking these simple steps, we can protect important pollinator populations and improve our air and water quality. Start planning your course of action today!
So good to remind folks that lawn care — and caring enough to not use pesticides and fertilizers — is vital to urban pollinators! Thanks for sending this.
I am representing Joe Wingbermuehle, administrator of the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 6400 Minnesota Ave. 63111. We would like to see if the Brightside can help us put in more Pollinators on the East Side of our Property.
His email is jwingbermuehle@csjsl.org. I have signed him up for your newsletter.
Thank You!
Wonderful! I just sent you an email with some options on how we can help!