Your yard can be a haven for bees and butterflies this spring
We need insects in our environment! They play many roles in nature, such as pollinating plants, improving soil health and providing food for birds in our area as well as for other creatures. Numbers of butterflies, bees and other insects are declining quickly, but providing habitat for them can make a difference. The choices you make during spring clean-up in your yard can support insects or hurt them.
To be a champion supporter of insects, leave the leaves in your garden beds. The leaves will break down naturally, feeding the soil, and they will provide cover for insect larvae while spring temperatures are fluctuating. If you’re lucky, you will glimpse a white throated sparrow rummaging through those leaves for prey by April!
If you’ve left plant stalks standing, thank you! Those are a home for insects over the winter. If you can, leave 6-12 inches of the stalks standing until late spring to give bugs the chance to emerge. If you must cut them, stack them in a corner of your yard (preferably upright). Old stalks and leaves provide nesting material for birds as well as insect habitat. Seed heads, such as those from coneflowers, provide food for birds.
Now is the time to talk with your yard service. Rather than selecting the usual “mow and blow” standard lawn care option, ask maintenance people not to use leaf blowers. Ask them to stay out of your garden beds so they don’t trample young plants just emerging. You can also ask them to mow your grass at a higher three-inch height, which naturally shades out weeds and allows you to minimize any herbicide use. Also, remember that a green lawn doesn’t have to be all grass! See our lawn care guidelines for suggestions.
Use as little pesticide as possible. Don’t allow your lawn care company to spray for mosquitoes. The sprays they use are harmful to many insects and can cause mosquitoes to develop resistance to the sprays. The North Shore Mosquito Abatement District controls mosquitoes by treating areas of standing water, where mosquitoes lay eggs and larvae mature. If you see mosquitoes on your property, contact the NSMAD, and they will come to help you free of charge. You’ll be doing your part to support the insects we need for a healthy environment!
