Our New Hive!

What is a pollinator you may ask?

It is any little critter big or small that helps spread the love of pollen and make our gardens so vibrant and our food so rich. Pollination occurs when pollen is moved within flowers or carried from flower to flower by pollinating animals such as birds, bees, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles, or other animals, or by the wind.

Pollination ensures that a plant will produce full-bodied fruit and a full set of viable seeds.  Somewhere between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need help with pollination – they need pollinators. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops.

This significant and often invisible ecosystem service ensures the success of our agricultural economies, food supply, and surrounding landscapes. Without pollinators our world would surely be less diverse and less delicious!

Why Plant for Pollinators?

Around the world, pollinators are declining due to factors that threaten all biodiversity.  Loss of habitat is the principal reason, followed by improper use of pesticides, pollution, and invasive species. As our food systems become increasingly industrialized, we have seen colony collapse disorder plague Northern America. When Colony Collapse Disorder appears, worker bees disappear from their hives or die, leaving the queen behind. It is our job as caretakers of the land to ensure that where possible we are providing ample habitat for pollinators to grow and thrive.

What to Plant:

Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur.  A diversity of native flowering plants in your garden will provide a wonderful habitat for a large variety of native pollinators and may even provide you with a tasty treat to eat at the end! Plant any of these following plants in your garden and you are sure have a symphony of pollinators visit come spring. [embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/urbanfarm/files/2018/04/PollinatorGuide-1i6a5pq.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google” ]

Pollinators at the Farm

Here at the farm, we are especially appreciative of our little friends who visit us everyday and keep our plants looking their best.  Along with providing students with resources to learn about pollinator plants, we are gearing up to plant our very own pollinator garden!

After suffering quite a few bee colony losses over the last year, we finally have a healthy, bustling hive. Thanks to a frequent wanderer of the urban farm– a swarm was spotted down the road and Harper Keeler was just quick enough to bust out his bee box and give these bees a new home. Stop by the Farm this Spring and check out our new friends and learn about how we are designing for pollinators!