North Raleigh Today

National Pollinator Week is an annual event celebrated internationally in support of pollinator health. There are over 3,500 native species of bee in the United States and their populations are in decline. Pollinator Week marks a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of protecting declining pollinator populations.

Join the City of Raleigh June 20-25 in celebrating our local pollinators by discovering ways to protect them, downloading our pollinator coloring book, visiting a pollinator garden, nature park, or preserve near you, or following @RaleighParks on social media to learn more about pollinator gardens and pollinator conservation.

Join Wilkerson Nature Preserve on June 20th from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. in planting milkweed and other helpful activities in the pollinator garden located near the Education Center. Stop by Durant Nature Preserve or Walnut Creek Wetland Park any day during Pollinator Week to check out pop-up tables celebrating our local pollinators.

Here are three easy steps Raleigh Parks is taking that you can join in on today:

1. 1.Provide shelter for pollinators by leaving the leaves and the tall dead stalks of flowering plants over the winter. Leaf litter and tall dry stems provide valuable habitat for pollinators over winter. In early spring you can clean them up after they have emerged.
2. 2.Provide food and water for pollinators. Growing a variety of native flowering plants from spring to fall gives pollinators essential nutrition in the form of pollen and nectar throughout the year. Don’t forget to provide water, such as a bird bath, for thirsty pollinators.
3. 3.Protect pollinators from pesticides. Indiscriminate pesticide use, such as insecticides to control mosquitos, can kill pollinators. Talk to your pest control professional for bee-safe alternatives. Better yet, practice Integrated Pest Management to manage the insects you want and don’t want. Don’t leave standing water where mosquitos can breed. And encourage natural predators of mosquitos like fish in ponds and dragonflies.

To learn more about the Raleigh Parks Monarch Waystation Program visit: Wildlife and Pollinator Program | Raleighnc.gov 

Original source can be found here