“又到了一年中的这个时候。”我们在花园里巡视时，我的朋友呻吟着。
“What time?” I asked.
“春天”,她说。“该清理院子了。万物复苏。”
“Even humans.”
“Especially gardening-type humans.” She chuckled at my joke.
“但我们必须小心，”我补充道。“你总是告诉我要照顾传粉者。”
“Definitely! Many beneficial bugs overwinter under the leaves. If we disturb their safe place by raking too soon, we’ll kill them off before they have a chance to benefit the garden.”
“When do you suggest we can safely start?”
“再加上10摄氏度，”她说。“或者50华氏度。持续的温暖将使传粉者走出冬眠。然后我们打扫。”
She stopped to bend over. “I see my bee balms are starting to poke through the earth. Pollinators love this flower. Especially hummingbirds.”
“What else do you recommend?” I’m always looking for new plants to add to my garden. My friend is a fountain of knowledge where gardening is concerned.
What Are Pollinators?
Pollinators are living creatures that help carry pollen from the male part of one flower (the stamen) to the female part of the same or different flower. Yes, there is such a thing as cross pollination. I’ve had interesting varieties of columbine flowers after pollinators transferred from my marigolds to columbine — creating a columbine flower that had the texture of a marigold.
Pollinators include birds, bees, wasps, ants, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, ladybugs, and animals like the black and white ruffed lemur, giraffes, elephants, and many others. Even deer and dogs can help with pollination as the pollen clings to their coat until it’s brushed off against another plant. Pollen can also be transferred from one flower to another by the wind.
What Is Pollination?
Quite simply, pollination is a means of fertilizing plants. Without pollination, there will be no flowers or fruits. Without flowers and fruits, there will be no viable seeds to ensure a new crop of the plant in future years.
为什么授粉对人类如此重要?
Well, for one thing, it affects our food chain. At least 1,000 plants that are grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices, and medicines, need to be pollinated by living creatures in order to produce the product. In the United States, pollination by insects, produces $40 billion a year in viable products. These products include staples such as apples, all types of berries, chocolate (can’t live without chocolate), coffee, melons, peaches, pears, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, vanilla, almonds, and much more. I was surprised to learn that potatoes needed pollination, but they, too, produce flowers that nurture the underground fruit that we depend on.
Should We Be Concerned About Our Pollinators?
是的。蜜蜂尤其受到严重威胁。在过去的十年里，美国失去了超过50%的蜜蜂数量。2022年，加拿大蜜蜂授粉的美味、甜美的副产品(当然是蜂蜜)失去了近一半的传粉者。蜜蜂少了，传粉者也少了;蜂蜜少了，依赖蜂蜜的农产品就少了。蜂蜜生产的损失可能超过10亿美元。
世界各地的传粉者正遭受着自然栖息地的丧失、化学物质的滥用和过度使用、疾病、寄生虫以及新引入的、通常是入侵的动植物物种的痛苦。这一切都是因为授粉植物正在遭受痛苦。没有传粉者，植物会遭殃，我们的食物供应也会受到影响。我们的底线是要保护他们。
What Can We Do to Help Pollinators?
首先，我们可以把花园的重点放在对传粉者友好的植物上。Instead of lawns, we need to nurture the native plants like dandelions (which are not weeds any more than grass is//m.emmstar.com/blog/why-you-should-keep-your-dandelions/)和其他野花。
简单地说，你想拯救我们的星球，让它在未来几个世纪都适合居住吗?然后种植一个适合传粉者的花园。做其他我们需要帮助的好事。
- Reduce, reuse, recycle — how many times have we heard that catch phrase (perhaps we haven’t heard it enough)?
- 支持当地种植的食品，特别是不含农药、对环境和传粉昆虫有益的有机食品。
- Lower your carbon footprint by walking whenever and wherever you can, or cycle, use public transit, carpool, or, work and study virtually.
- Make your voice heard. Vote for the future leaders that have our planets best interest at heart (and I’m not talking about those who believe another tax — a carbon tax — will save the environment).
What Are Some Pollinator-Friendly Plants?
Imagine a world with no lawn to cut weekly. Remember the carbon emissions from gas-powered mowers aren’t good for the environment. I’d love to get rid of my lawn. In fact, I’m already on the path to doing just that. Wildflowers are much prettier and they don’t need to be mowed.
Related Post:Plants That Will Help Save The Bees
以下是一些我最喜欢的适合传粉的植物。
Bee Balms
Perhaps the name says it all. Pollinators love bee balms. I enjoy watching the honey bees and hummingbirds hover over my bee balms every summer. They certainly attract pollinators://m.emmstar.com/blog/bee-balm/
Marigolds
This is one of my favorite annuals. I find this plant seeds well and will keep reappearing year after year. Lots of color choices, too.
Foxglove
Also known asDigitalis purpurea，毛地黄是一种受欢迎的双年展。遗憾的是，这种植物我运气不太好，但我喜欢看它在野外生长。
Hebe
我以前从未听说过这种植物。这并不奇怪，因为hebe是在南半球发现的，最常见的是在新西兰，那里有90种hebe。它实际上是一种常绿灌木，开着漂亮的紫色花朵，在夏天开放，一直持续到秋天。
Cardoon
Another one I was not familiar with — probably because it’s native to the Mediterranean. At first glance, it looks like a Scotch thistle, and it’s identified as a thistle in the sunflower family.
Sunflower
Dubbed as the “happy flower” because it mirrors the sun and the energy provided by the heat and light, a sunflower is considered an herb. Beekeepers often grow fields of pollinator-friendly sunflowers to encourage pollinators.
Red Hot Poker
Also called the torch lily due to its vibrant red, yellow, and orange flower spikes, red hot poker is native to Africa.
Hydrangea
Another one of my favorites. Its pink, blue-purple, and white, puffed flowers make a great ornamental shrub to complete any garden design.
Dahlia
I love my dahlias, but I have to remember to winter the bulbs indoors, digging them up before the first frost.
Echinops
Commonly known as globe thistle, this plant is native to the United Kingdom. Its bold, globe-shaped blue or white flowers will fill any field with color.
Fuchsia
I love fuchsia, but have to admit I had better luck growing this plant while living in British Columbia than I do in my current, cold winter climes of Ontario. I had one huge shrub in my Victoria garden that grew as tall as me and boasted many blooms almost all year.
Lavender
Who doesn’t love the smell of this herb? Its tiny purple flowers attract pollinators of all shapes and sizes.
Prairie Mallow
Similar in appearance to a miniature hollyhock.
Hollyhock
Another favorite of mine. It blooms midsummer with many colorful flowers on tall stalks.
Poppy
This delightful flower comes in multiple color choices. Sadly, it blooms only briefly, usually in the spring.
Borage
Borage is native to the Mediterranean, and known as the starflower.
These are just a few select choices to consider — depending on where you live and what grows best for you. There are many more pollinator-friendly plants to choose from, and if we all do our part to encourage pollinators in our gardens, we will not only enjoy the beauty of a colorful garden, but also the ecological benefits of these pollinators doing their job. Let’s save our planet one pollinator at a time.
Leave a Reply