Connecticut is Buzzing! Making your Land a Favorite Stop on the Pollinator Pathway Mary Ellen Lemay, Connecticut Outreach Facilitator, Hudson to Housatonic RCP Emily May, Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Xerces Society Dr. Jennifer Mattei, Professor of Biology, Sacred Heart University Donna Merrill, Executive Director, Wilton Land Conservation Trust Workshop Agenda State Policy: Mary Ellen Lemay, Hudson to Housatonic RCP What Bees Need: Emily May, Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Xerces Society Where, When and How to Plant for Pollinators: Dr. Jennifer Mattei, Professor of Biology, Sacred Heart University Pollinator Pathway Landowner Outreach: Donna Merrill, Executive Director, Wilton Land Conservation Trust An Act Concerning Pollinator Health: May 2016 Connecticut is the first state in the nation to restrict use of neonicotinoids through restriction of sale. It only allows use by licensed pesticide applicators. It is illegal to apply to any plant when it has blossoms or to linden trees. The DOT is required to plant native plants for pollinators along state highways that have been deforested. CT Ag. Exp. Station developed Citizen s guide to model pollinator habitat and mowing guidelines for pollinator habitat Encouraged Creation of CT Native Plants for Pollinators and Wildlife Working Group Highstead Meadow by Artist Linda Thomas What Do Bees Need? Overview of Bees and their Habitat Needs Xerces Society Who we are Protect wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat Emily May Pollinator Conservation Specialist Pesticide Program Photo: Thelma Heidel-Baker Now-extinct Xerces blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces) Major Programs: Endangered species Aquatic invertebrates Pollinator conservation & ag biodiversity Pesticide program Photos: Anne Averill, H. Ballard, Ed Ross 1
Xerces Society Who we are Xerces Pollinator Team Staff in CA, CT, IN, ME, MN, NC, NE, NJ, OR, WA, WI Seven joint Xerces / USDA-NRCS positions Part 1 Pollinators: Why We Need Them Pollinator Conservation Education Outreach to 60,000+ farm and agency professionals since 2008 Training events in all 50 states, Europe, Asia, Latin America Habitat Restoration Supporting 400,000+ acres of habitat created in the U.S. since 2008 Photos: Jessa Kay Cruz, Don Keirstead Photo: Matthew Shepherd Pollinators and flowering plants Pollinators and human health More than 85 percent of flowering plants require an animal, mostly insects, to move pollen. Pollinators are valuable to our economy and our diets! 35% of global crop production Over $18 to $27 billion value of crops in U.S. ($217 billion worldwide) Many of our necessary vitamins and minerals come from insect-pollinated plants Ollerton et al. 2011. How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals? Oikos 120: 321-326. Morse and Calderone 2000; Klein et al. 2007; Eilers et al. 2011 Photo: Rollin Coville Photo: USDA-ARS/Peggy Greb Pollinators and human health Pollinators and human health Produce section with bee-pollinated crops Produce section without bee-pollinated crops crops One of every three bites we eat comes from pollinators Photo: Whole Foods Market Photo: Whole Foods Market 2
Part 2 Who They Are Meet the pollinators Butterflies Flies Moths Beetles Photo: Nancy Adamson Photo: Doug Tallamy, MJ Hatfield, Mace Vaughan Bees: The most efficient pollinators Honey Bees: Essential to modern agriculture The European Honey Bee Our Most Familiar Managed Crop Pollinator We are reliant on a pollinator that is facing many challenges. honey bee wild bees Actively collect and transport pollen Exhibit flower constancy Forage in area around nest Photos: Nancy Adamson and Rollin Coville Photo: Eric Lee-Mader Wild native bees Three broad groups of native bees bumble bees (social) Nearly 3,600 species of native bees in the U.S., including ~350 in Connecticut ground-nesting (solitary) cavity-nesting (solitary) Photos: Doug Walsh, Bob Hammond, Mace Vaughan, Eric Lee-Mader, Nancy Lee Adamson Photos: Mace Vaughan, Rollin Coville, Elaine Evans 3
Life cycle of a bumble bee colony Life cycle of a solitary bee Fall: Mated queens seek overwintering sites Winter: Hibernating queen Fall: New queens leave the nest and mate Spring: Nest establishment and egg laying Mining bee (Andrena sp.): a year in its underground nest as egg, larva, and pupa before emerging to spend a few weeks as an adult. Fall: Old queen dies Summer: Colony peak Illustration: David Wysotski Photos: Dennis Briggs, Nancy Adamson Ground nesting solitary bees Tunnel/wood/cavity nesting solitary bees Roughly 70% of bee spp. nest underground Most are solitary Some nest communally, but forage alone Nest chambers lined with waxy secretions that resist flooding Scout for nests, conserve sandy soil & bare ground mining bee Andrena barbara Roughly 30% of native bees nest in hollow plant stems or wood Nest partitions constructed of mud, leaf pieces, or sawdust Artificially managed for some crops Conserve old snags, brush piles & pithy-stemmed plants Edward Ross Photo: Matthew Shepherd Photo: Nancy Adamson Photos: Jim Cane, Dennis Briggs, Nancy Adamson Tunnel nesting bees Managed tunnel nesting bees Hollow stem example: Cross-section of silk cocoons Pollen mass Egg Mud wall Larva Pupa Adult Mason bee (aka blue orchard bee) (Osmia lignaria) Alfalfa leafcutter bee (Megachile rotundata) Silk cocoons with dormant bees inside Mud cap closure 4
Part 3 Habitat is the key ingredient What Do Bees Need? The amount of natural habitat in our landscapes has a direct influence on bee diversity and abundance. Kremen et al. 2004; Winfree et al.. 2008; Morandin and Winston 2006; Garibaldi et al 2011; Blauuw and Isaacs 2014 Photo: Matthew Shepherd Photo: Jennifer Hopwood What habitat provides Plant Diversity and Season-Long Bloom Food Shelter Refuge Nectar, pollen, host plants, alternative prey Nest sites, overwintering sites Protection from pesticides Pollinators need a succession of bloom: spring, summer, and fall Photo: Jennifer Hopwood Photos: Elaine Haug NRCS, Matthew Shepherd; Mace Vaughan, Eric Mader, Jeff McMillan NRCS, Berry Botanic Garden Plant Selection Plant Selection Species with high pollinator value Succession of bloom periods Site appropriate characteristics Pesticide-free seed or plants Many butterflies and moths need specific host plants Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has plant lists for butterfly host plants, native bees, and other beneficial insects: https://www.wildflower.org/collections/ Photo: Marshall Hedin, CC 2.0 5
Early Spring Trees Early Spring Trees Mining bee (Andrena sp.) on willow Examples of early-spring blooming trees: Willow (Salix spp.) Maple (Acer spp.) Cherry (Prunus spp.) Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) Hawthorne (Crataegus spp.) Photo: Nancy Lee Adamson Photo: Nancy Lee Adamson Providing nesting habitat Allowing un-mown areas Planting bunch grasses and pithystemmed plants Leaving brush piles and snags Assessing Habitat for Beneficial Insects Assessing a site or landscape for value to pollinators Recognize existing habitat Identify habitat deficiencies Prioritize habitat improvements Photos: Grinnell Heritage Farm, Matthew Shepherd Assessing Habitat for Beneficial Insects Habitat Assessment Guide: Educate user (landowner, local Extension, and/or conservationist) Prioritize conservation actions Quantify habitat or management improvements on a single property Habitat loss Lawns are monocultures! Over 40 million acres of lawn in U.S. Lawns, ornamental landscape plants support fewer pollinators, beneficial insects, songbirds, than native plants Photo: Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society Photo: Scotts Lawn Care 6
Mullet Gardening Resources: Xerces Society Publications Business in the front, party in the back! Replace grass lawns with flowers Flowering plants in pots, planters, window boxes, raised beds, etc. www.xerces.org Photo: Eric Mader Thank You!! Special thanks to the many scientists, conservationists, farmers, foundations, and Xerces Society members that make our work possible. Xerces Society Members Annie's Bently Foundation Bill Healy Foundation Cascadian Farm Ceres Trust Cheerios Cinco CS Fund The Dudley Foundation Endangered Species Chocolate Gaia Fund General Mills Häagen-Dazs Ittleson Foundation J.Crew Justin's Madhava Natural Sweeteners www.xerces.org Wilton Pollinator Pathway 7
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