Create Habitats for Insects and Pollinators
Water: All animals need fresh clean water. This is especially true of birds and bees. Birds are attracted to the sound of moving water so a small bubbler is attractive to them. Native bees may drown in a deeper bird bath. They love a container filled with rocks and water so they can drink in the shallows. Be sure to change your water frequently to keep it fresh.
Bird houses: Providing a home for birds can attract them to your yard, creating a well balanced habitat.
Native bee houses: Some varieties of native bees live in hollow sticks or plant stalks. This environment can be replicated with native bee house. Although native bees do not produce honey, they are prolific pollinators and very rarely sting. Native bees require a minimal amount of care.
Brush piles: Birds and other animals need shelter for houses and as protection from predators. Dead branches also supply housing and food to assorted insects. Creating a brush pile is beneficial to the diversity of your yard. It can be hidden behind shrubs or other tall plants.
Winter pruning: Many beneficial insects and pollinators overwinter in and amongst the the stems of last year’s plants. You can help these creatures survive the winter if you don’t prune back all you dead plant material until the spring. Additionally the seed heads and fruits of many grasses, flowering plants, shrubs and trees are essential winter food sources.
Pollinator Toolkit
Learn more about planting for pollinators with our Green Corridor Pollinator Toolkit. This toolkit details how to work with common landscape “situations” in suburban Connecticut. The designs were created to increase biodiversity and climate resiliency by attracting and sustaining the widest possible range of pollinator species, and in particular, species of the greatest conservation priority in southwest Connecticut. You can adapt these designs to create habitats for insects and pollinators in your own yard.
