Pollinator-Friendly Varieties, and Why Consumers Should Care About Pollinators

Posted by Brian Sparks|March 6, 2019

In late February, the National Pollinator Garden Network (NPGN) announced that it had not only met, but exceeded, its Million Pollinator Garden Challenge goal. In just three years, 1,040,000 gardens have been registered with the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, involving an estimated eight million people, concentrated in the U.S. and Canada, with some in Mexico, and across the globe. From tiny yards to public gardens, the million-plus gardens add up to a network of approximately five million acres of enhanced or new pollinator habitat.

“Together, through collaborative conservation we are restoring pollinator populations that provide the foundation of our ecosystems and our food supply,” says Collin O’Mara, President and CEO of National Wildlife Federation. “When we save wildlife, we save ourselves.”

With 40% of all invertebrate pollinator species — particularly bees and butterflies — at risk of extinction, the NPGN responded as the largest pollinator conservation effort to engage the horticultural and voluntary sectors in a major role — offering a hands-on way for citizens to restore and enhance pollinator habitat.

The NPGN’s 2019 call to action is designed to build on recent momentum in two ways:
• Expanding garden habitats by asking Americans to plant at least three different pollinator-friendly plants that bloom in three different seasons to help ensure a consistent food supply for pollinators.
• Track the outcomes of this movement, by encouraging everyone to participate in citizen science projects that help pollinators.

For more information about the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge or to learn about what can be done to reach the next million, contact Peggy Anne Montgomery or Anna Vecchio.