Transcript Why Wildflowers?

Why Wildflowers
Pollinators need food too!
• 70% of what we
eat needs to be
pollinated
• 4000 native
pollinators in
North America
• And the
Honeybee
• As the honeybee
goes
• So goes the others
• What’s harming the
Honeybee?
Combination of Causes
• 1. Varroa Destructor
Mite
• 2. LOSS OF HABITAT
• 3. Mono Culture
Growing
• 4. Diversity of Bees
• 5. Pesticides,
Fungicides,
Herbicides
2. Loss of Habitat
• 98% of the Great
Plains natural
vegetation replaced
by corn and soybeans
• 40,000,000 acres of
lawn in the U.S.
• Let’s not count the
cities and highways
What do you do with your lawn?
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Mow
Fertilize
Apply herbicides
Walk on it?
About Lawns
• 40,000,000 acres = 62,500 sq. miles
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9 Billions gallons/yr of irrigation water
200 gallons/person/day lawn 320 gl/p/dy
800,000,000 gal/year to mow
5% urban air pollution
10X more pesticides/acre than farms
Do we need all of that lawn?
• 40,000,000 acres = Georgia + 2 Rhode
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Islands
• Turn 20% into flowers, trees, bushes
• 8,000,000 acres = Maryland
SO
Why Wildflowers
Research is finding loss of habitat is
the #2 reason for the decline in all
of the pollinators, including
Monarch Butterflies, Bumble Bees,
and Honey Bees.
Wildflower Benefits
• Wildflowers have
always been a food
source for the
pollinators
• Nectar provides
carbohydrates
• Pollen provides
protein and amino
acids
• Plants provide shelter
• Study in Europe
• Planting of a beneficial wildflower mix
around wheat fields lowered cereal leaf
beetles by 50%.
• Increased yields by 2.5-10%
• And NO pesticide use
Where, when, what kind, how much
• Plantings may by small or large
• Plantings may be highly visible or out of the way
• A mix of wildflowers provides food spring,
summer, and fall
• Plantings may include annuals and perennials
• Plant along property lines or edges
• Plant in waste or hard to grow areas
Bee Friendly Wildflowers
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Asters
Black eyed Susans
Dandelions
Lemon Balm
Purple Coneflower
Snap Dragons
Sunflowers
Yarrow
Zinnias
What can you do?
• Plant Wildflowers
• Encourage others to plant wildflowers
• Minimize Pesticides, Fungicides,
Herbicides, and Synthetic Fertilizers
• Urge your elected representatives to fund
wildflower plantings
• Support our efforts to improve our World
Wildflower Sources
• Roundstoneseed.com
• Honey Bee Specialty Mix & Southern Pollinator Mix
• Americanmeadows.com
• Honey Bee Mix & Pollinator Mix
• Naturesfinestseed.com
• South-Atlantic Honey Bee Pasture Blend
• Sainfoinseed.com
• Sainfoin Grass Seed