Wisconsin Native Pollinators
Wisconsin Pollinators is a comprehensive resource to Wisconsin native pollinators including bees, butterflies and birds. There is a catalog of Wisconsin native plants and flower garden plants to create your own pollinator habitat.
Why are pollinators important? Approximately three quarters of the world’s major food crops require or benefit from animal pollination. This includes many fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, currants, plums, apples, sweet cherries, pears, watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, squashes, and tomatoes. Pollinators also are beneficial for seed production in crops such as carrot, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and many herbs.
How do I attract and support native pollinators? Recent declines in honeybee populations have gained much attention, but there also have been notable declines in some native bees, including many species of bumblebees. Local populations of all types of bees can be supported by cultivating flowering plants, providing nesting sites, and eliminating the use of pesticides.
Please Help Native Pollinators
Ask the Wisconsin Dept of Transportation to replace the planting of non-native grasses with pollinator-friendly native plants along Wisconsin roadways. Provide a corridor for Bees, Butterflies and Birds to move through the State and restore the natural beauty of our roadways.
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7 Ways To Use Fall Leaves
One of the very best sources of organic matter is autumn leaves. Now it's time to reap the season's most abundant crop - leaves. Here are 7 ways to put autumn leaves to work.
Neonicotinoids: Impact On Pollinators
Neonics are neurotoxins designed to attack an insect's central nervous system causing paralysis and eventually death. There were designed specifically to target agricultural pests such as vine weevils, aphids, whiteflies, Colorado potato beetles and termites. The damage they have caused over the last two decades to other insects, including bees, has been devastating.
YIKES! Invasive Jumping Worms
Jumping worms grow more rapidly, reproduce more quickly and consume more nutrients than other earthworms in the State. Once jumping worms become established, they quickly transform soil into dry, granular pellets with a texture like discarded coffee grounds.