Take Action to Help Pollinators #7

This post was originally published on April 5, 2012, on my blog “Pollinators Info” (no longer online).

Allow a little nibbling

It seems that many gardeners aim for plants in pristine condition. While this has aesthetic appeal, it usually means killing anything that threatens to take a bite out of their plants.

Plants in the natural world – I mean, those that aren’t tended by people – are exposed to all sorts of munching, chewing, drilling, hammering, and breakage. Only in extreme cases do these kinds of damage cause long-term harm to the plants.

By relaxing your expectations for a beautiful garden, you can make room for more pollinators! For instance, moth and butterfly adults feed on nectar, but their larvae might need some of your garden leaves to reach maturity. Leaf-cutter bees get their name from their habit of cutting small segments of leaves (as seen in the featured image (content added)), which they mold together into nest chambers for their young. And, there are beetle species that contribute to pollination as adults, but will need plant roots to eat in their grub stages.

Do you allow a little nibbling in your garden to give pollinators a hand? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Athena Rayne Anderson