RESOURCES

Operation Pledge Forms (for use in establishing participants commitment to build a garden)

Just FOUR EASY STEPS to Get Involved in the Operation Pollination Project:

• STEP ONE: USE OUR HANDY CHECKLIST TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT YOU'D LIKE TO DO.

• STEP TWO: DEVELOP YOUR OWN POLLINATOR RESOLUTION.

• STEP THREE: ENLIST PARTNERS TO SIGN A POLLINATOR PLEDGE.

*These partners can be large or small, for profit or not-for-profit, government or nongovernment. Put their names on the back of your Resolution.*

• STEP FOUR:  PUT PARTNER NAMES ON THE BACK OF YOUR RESOLUTION AND OBTAIN WIDESPREAD MEDIA ATTENTION ABOUT YOUR OPERATION POLLINATION PROJECT.

Resources for Installing and Nurturing a Pollinator Garden

Education about installing and nurturing pollinator gardens:

1. Video links:

1. Five Steps to Success. How to establish a garden of any size.

2. Susan's in the Garden (2019) & Susan's in the Garden (2020). A good example of ways to establish a pollinator garden and how it evolves.

3. It Used to be a Lawn. A five-year process of replacement to a more prairie-oriented pollinator garden.

2. Online links

• MSU’s MI Pollinator Initiative. An excellent source of information and ideas.

1. Introduction

2. MSU’s Recommended Native Plants

3. Pollinator Plants: Great Lakes Region

4. Michigan DNR Insects/Monarch Resource Page

5. Michigan's Managed Pollinator Protection Plan

6. Monarchs in Michigan One Pager - Pollinator Gardening Tips

3. Book titles

1. "BEE BASICS- AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR NATIVE BEES" BY BEATRIZ MOISSET, PH.D AND STEPHEN BUCHMANN, PH.D.

2. "BUMBLE BEES OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES" BY SHEILA COLLA, LEIF RICHARDSON AND PAUL WILLIAMS

4. Magazine titles

1. 2Million Blossoms

5. Mentors available for coaching

1. Steve Diller. sdiller58@yahoo.com. 

2. Ira Johnson. sfitj1@yahoo.com

3.  

Training options for installing and nurturing pollinator gardens:

Link to trainings ROHC has set up, with sign-up form and calendar of events

1. A PowerPoint deck that’s available

2. Schedule of programs explaining all this

3. Guest speakers

• Tyler Ream

• Marie Krane

• The Lagattutas

• Ken Neumann

4. Online trainings

5. Hands-on trainings at specific locations

1. Fernwood - Carol Line

2. Steve’s place

6. Cost estimate tools

 

Plant Selection

When choosing plants for your pollinator garden, keep in mind that native plants are not the same as wildflowers. Wildflower seed packets may or may not be adapted to our local environment. You also want to avoid planting hybrids if your goal is to support pollinators. Hybrid varieties might be pretty, but most do not produce much nectar and pollen for pollinators to eat. 

You should also be wary of the pesticides used on nursery plants. Nurseries mean well, but they might sell plants with systemic pesticides which can end up in pollen and nectar. Pesticide use may not be labeled. When in doubt, ask the nurseries or buy seeds without pesticide coatings instead.

For plants native to Michigan and suitable for Michigan pollinator’s see:

• Regional Plant Lists
• Selecting Plants for Pollinators

Area nurseries selling native pollinator plants

When buying plants and seeds for pollinator gardens for Harbor Country locations, it’s very important that the options selected are both “native,” meaning the plants evolved in this part of North America, and are “non-invasive,” meaning they won’t totally take over the location you’re establishing the garden. While these limit your choices to a small extent, they facilitate the development of a self-sustaining garden that supports the full range of our local pollinator species. Non-natives and more invasive plants, beautiful though they may be, prevent this from occurring. The nurseries are as follows:

• Hidden Savanna

Excellent source of native perennial seedlings in Kalamazoo, MI

• Glorious Gardens

Outstanding, often-rare, perennials in Sawyer, MI

• DeRuiter Greenhouse

Decent source of pollinator-friendly plants in Three Oaks, MI

• Cardno

Great source in Walkerton, IN

• Vite Greenhouses

Big selection of perennials. Be sure to ask for native, non-invasive options

• Naturally Native

Excellent selection of natives in South Bend

Nurseries selling native pollinator seeds

• Native Connections

Outstanding supply of native perennial seeds, in Kalamazoo

• Michigan Wildflower Farm

Another outstanding supply of native seeds, in Portland MI

• Prairie Moon Nursery

Prairie Moon sells a huge variety of both native plants and seeds from Winona, MN. While buying seedlings from a supplier risks the health of the plants to some extent, seeds can of course travel far more safely. An excellent source. 

Key supplies needed and sources:

Supplies:

• A few key tools
• A hand-held tiller (electric ones can be rented)
• Lawn roller (to press seeds into the ground)
• A rake
• A shovel
• Gloves
• Soil amendments for both clay and sand- compost, mulch

Some sources of supplies: 

• Sawyer Garden Center

The “big daddy” of Harbor Country garden supplies

*Volunteers available for helping install and nurture gardens on your project*

Financial resources

• Any money the HCR chooses to commit to Operation Pollination

• Tools for submitting grant proposals

• Individuals willing to consult on writing grant proposals

• The State of Michigan provides “funding opportunities” for establishing pollinator gardens including educational grants and sources of free seeds and plants. For links to this information, see:

• FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ESTABLISHING POLLINATOR HABITAT

Helpful Websites 

• MSU Native Plants and Ecosystem Services

• Wildflowers and Native Plants: What's the Difference?

• Native Flowering Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects

• Attracting Beneficial Insects with Native Flowering Plants

• Protecting and Enhancing Pollinators in Urban Landscapes for the US North Central Region

• Gardening for Pollinators: Smart Plants to Support Pollinators

• Invite Pollinators to Your Garden by Creating a Smart Habitat

• Smart Gardening to Support Monarchs

• Smart Gardening for Pollinators Video

• Smart Gardening for Pollinators Webinar

• Bees of the Great Lakes Region and Wildflowers to Support Them

• MSU Master Gardener Program

• Understand Your Planting "Tools": Plant Hardiness Zones vs. Ecoregions

List of Current OPG Projects:

Diller/Johnson Property

• Who: Planted and cultivated by Steve Diller and Ira Johnson

• Where: Three Oaks

• What it is: A half-acre of heavy clay in a “savanna” of second-growth forest

• Progress Updates

• 4th quarter, 2020 - prairie and other native plant seeds have been collected for the site

• 1st quarter, 2021 - site being prepared for spring planting, additional plants ordered

Hoadley Trail

• Who: Managed by Larry Shawver in collaboration with Three Oaks Parks & Rec Board

• Where: Three Oaks

• What it is: An area adjacent to the Hoadley Trail, which was established by HCR. 

• Progress Updates

• 1st quarter, 2021 - scope of project, resources needed, etc., being determined by Larry with the Board

 

Rotary Club Chain of Lakes 

Our newest community service project  will be Operation Pollination. The Chain of Lakes Rotary Club is working to partner with influencers within the community to restore pollinator habitat and preservation. We plan to implement this project during the National Pollinator Week of 2021. To learn more about the National Heritage Area Operation Pollination Project click here to view an article from the National Park Service. If you would like to sign our POLLINATOR PLEDGE form, please email:

barbara.lancaster@bentrupagency.com or call 763-568-2312.

Quick Links to Navigate Operation Pollination:

Introduction

Why the Focus on Pollinators?

What are some examples of a “Pollinator?”

What is “Pollination” and why is it so Important?

What is a Pollinator Garden or Landscape?

What is the Difference Between a Butterfly and a Pollinator Garden?

What are the Phases of Establishing a Pollinator Garden?