January 2023 Pollinator News

New Year’s Endeavors; Fulfilling Promises

Have you thought of new resolutions or goals and already begun to waiver? Maybe you skipped some important steps along the way and need to re-calibrate. Ask yourself to choose a resolution that really motivates you. Choosing otherwise will be less likely to succeed. Next, choose something that is realistic, something you can actually do and establish a specific time-frame. Then, break it down into intermediate goals along the way. Now you have a plan and a resolution with a higher likelihood of achievement.

For instance, you may have said that you want to help pollinators by planting some native perennials or some larger native shrubs and trees. Now is the time to begin! If are starting from seed, now is the time to begin winter sowing. Starting plants in a milk jug greenhouse gives you a head start on the growing season by conditioning seeds for quicker, more uniform sprouting in the spring. It’s an achievable, measurable, and motivating task.

If you have more ambitious goals and want to change everything in your yard, break the project down into several steps and pace yourself. Removing existing landscape and preparing the ground can take a long time. Be realistic. Take the time to plan all that you want to have done. This can be a sticking point for many. What plants are best? How many do I need? How close should they be? Do I have enough sun? What about that section that always stays wet?

If you have more questions than answers, you can turn to Webbedfoot Designs, Inc. We created this non-profit consulting business for people like you who need some help along the way. Avoiding critical mistakes can save you money in the long run. You want to avoid putting the wrong plant in an unsuitable environment. You have to consider soil type and moisture. You have to avoid utilities and other infrastructure that could stop you in your tracks. And you may want your new landscape to look great when its all done.

If you don’t have even a little land but want to lend a hand, there are ways you can help pollinators. Get involved with a community effort. For instance, you can adopt a Rain Garden, https://neomasterraingardener.org/volunteer/ and nurture some native pollinator plants all season long. Learn with new friends and support public outreach. There are opportunities all over NE Ohio.

You could also join Wild Ones of Greater Cleveland https://www.facebook.com/wildonesgreatercleveland and help build a community of individuals dedicated to native plants and natural landscapes.

Resolutions big and small start with a basic yet well planned framework. Are you motivated? Is it do-able? Can you state a clear timeline for measurable outcomes? Are there in between steps that help you recognize accomplishments along the way? Large or small, you can make meaningful changes for yourself, for your community and for nature that supports us all.

Seed, Service and Celebration

Our special seed packaging event was very energetic. In just three hours our team of volunteers filled, sealed, and labeled 2,193 envelopes, readying 20 different species for distribution.

Purple Coneflower,
Echinacea purpurea

A very popular perennial with large lavender flowers blooming in mid-summer for a month or more, Purple Coneflower is well known as a supplement or tea. It is easily grown in full sun and in moderate to moist loamy soil. Extreme heat and drought may produce some wilt.  It is a mainstay of prairie gardens and makes a good cut flower. Less common in the wild than in cultivation it is native to most of Eastern North America.

The genus name comes from Greek ‘echinos’  which means ‘hedgehog’ in reference to the pin cushion like central disk. ‘purpurea’, of course, means purple. PC grows to 2-4 feet. The individual flowers can be up to 4 inches across. There are 10-20 flower petals. The central disk is domed and bristly, becoming more so as seeds mature and dry. Dense colonies may form by root sprouts from an individual plant. The late-season seeds are relished by Goldfinches and other songbirds. May be browsed by deer. It is very attractive to bees and butterflies.

Seeds do not easily release from the flower head in the fall. Once cut and dried for a couple of months they will more readily separate. Cold-moist stratification for a couple of months improves germination. It grows easily from seed and will self-sow in the garden. Many cultivars are available in the trade but there is no strong consensus on whether they support pollinators as well as the strict species.

Aster Yellows

Even if you have the best plant in the perfect location problems could arise. A disease that affects Purple Coneflower and hundreds of other native species, Aster Yellows, is unwittingly transmitted by a little leaf hopper. As they suck sap a bacteria-like micro-organism is introduced to the plants internal nutrient transport system, clogging the flow of fluids and producing wilt. Flowers may not develop properly, resulting in knots of green tissue that are of no use to the plant or to pollinators.

There is no cure. The best course of action is to remove the entire plant. Do not compost as the disease may remain in the compost only to be a source of pathogens later on.

More details from Missouri Botanical Gardens HERE.

Cultivars – modified species

There is a great deal of talk about cultivars A.K.A. Cultivated Varieties. Cultivars are variations from what normally occur in natural settings. They may be natural mutations or selections only found in nurseries. They may have profound changes in color, size, height and other characteristics that a grower determines to be a significant improvement or variation of interest. Skillful growers are then able to propagate these varieties faithfully retaining these novel traits. Often, they get a patent for exclusive right to reproduce and market these. They attach a special name to the cultivar like, Echinacea purpurea ‘Pica Bella’. When you see the name in quotes after the scientific name, it identifies the special cultivar.

Some cultivars perform very well and provide all the ecological services that the species does. Other cultivars fail to do so. The only way to truly know if a cultivar is suitable in a strict native landscape is to do the science. With so many native plant species and cultivars to consider, good scientific evaluations are lagging. At the forefront of this pursuit of truth is the Mt. Cuba Center. See their review HERE. They have taken on a deep exploration of Echinacaea and found that many cultivars are beautiful, hearty and ecological stalwarts. See full report HERE,

Ongoing Webinars

2023 Northeast Ohio Pollinators Society – Winter Series

The next one is January 25th at 7pm. Register HERE.

 Inviting Biodiversity into Our Gardens - Session 2 January 25  1-3 pm

Register HERE.