World Pollinator Week: DIY "Pollinator Pod"
Written by: Emily Thornton - Executive Director of Angelina Beautiful/Clean
It's World Pollinator Week, and Angelina Beautiful/Clean is celebrating by raising awareness for our local pollinators and empowering our community to protect the insects, mammals, and other animals responsible for pollination. In an effort to raise awareness for pollinators, AB/C created our own little "Pollinator Pod" that is home to some of our local pollinator's favorite flowers. This activity is perfect for summer, is a great addition to your home/business, and is a great opportunity to show your support! Keep reading to learn more about how to create your very own "Pollinator Pod".
Here are some of the materials you will need to complete this project:
1 bag of potting soil
Drainage rocks
Pollinator friendly flowers (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/etpmcpo8049.pdf)
Gardening gloves
Small gardening shovel
Before we moved forward with our project, we selected a spot outside our office that would get an adequate amount of sun for the flowers we had selected. From there, we added in our rocks for drainage and piled the soil on top.
Next, we sat our pots on the top to get our desired arrangement. We played around with a couple of options until we got our desired aesthetic.
From there, use your shovel to dig out the space for each flower/plant (set the soil over to the side to use for later). I highly recommend planting one at a time that way you can space your other items accordingly. Once all of the flowers are in place, pack soil around them, and give the flowers a good water!
We can't stress enough how important it is for us to celebrate and protect our pollinators. These tiny, but mighty, pollinators not only have a large impact on our environment, but also our economy. Pollinators add billions of dollars to the global economy, and are responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of food you take.
Whether you know it or not, you're benefiting from pollinators! Pollinator populations are declining, and it's our duty to protect them! Here are a couple of ways that you can help pollinators:
Check what pesticides you're using. Here is a great resource for pesticide use: https://bees.caes.uga.edu/bees-beekeeping-pollination/pollination/pollination-protecting-pollinators-from-pesticides.html
Plant pollinator friendly gardens
Create bee habitats https://www.naturalbeachliving.com/mason-bee-habitat/ or https://www.honeybeesuite.com/mason-bees-actually-sting/
Here are some other great resources if you're looking for more information on pollinators.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/pollinators/what-is-a-pollinator.htm
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/12281/masonbee.pdf
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, please give Angelina Beautiful/Clean a call at 936-632-5326.