By Education and Outreach Manager Rachel Calderara
With warmer, longer days here at last, many people are getting ready to do their spring-cleaning — both indoors and out! At Wildlands Trust, it is almost time to clean up our native perennial gardens as new growth emerges from the soil. However, if we hold off on the cleanup for long enough, it gives hibernating insects time to emerge. Outreach and Education Manager Rachel Calderara spoke with Wildlands Trust’s gardener, Kim Goggin, to learn more about the native perennial gardens at Wildlands Trust headquarters, Davis-Douglas Farm, and the pollinator-friendly practices she uses.
Rachel: First, what kinds of native plants for wildlife do we have at Davis-Douglas Farm?
Kim: For bees, we have black-eyed Susan, yarrow and Coreopsis. For monarch butterflies, we have the host plants Asclepias tuberosa (orange butterfly weed) and Asclepias incarnatoa (swamp milkweed). Then we have Chelone glabra for Baltimore checkerspot butterflies and aster for pearl crescent butterflies. For birds, we have winterberry and cranberry viburnum, as well as Monarda (bee balm) for hummingbirds.
R: What insects benefit from these plants over the winter and into early spring, and why are they important?
A view of the front garden at Wildlands’ headquarters at Davis-Douglas Farm.
K: Over the winter, many insects in various forms of life burrow beneath leaves, in the soil, in decaying branches and in spent stalks of native perennials. Among them are solitary bees, syrphid flies, parasitic wasps, morning cloak butterflies and moths such as the wooly bear caterpillar. Luna moths form a chrysalis, which looks much like a curled, dried leaf, and spend the winter there.
Some of our native plants are host plants for specific butterflies to lay their eggs, while others provide nectar for pollinators throughout the season, giving them the energy they need to either migrate or overwinter. Butterflies we frequently see at Davis-Douglas Farm include monarchs, American lady and painted lady butterflies.
R: How can we help protect these insects during our spring garden cleanup?
K: Foregoing fall clean-up all together and postponing spring clean-up until temperatures have stayed consistently above 50 degrees for several days insures that insects will have enough time to emerge from their winter state of diapause. This means leaving spent stalks for the winter, delaying raking leaves and watchfully pruning, as some moths such as the Luna moth may form chrysalises on branches for the winter.
R: After cleanup, is there anything else we can do to help protect native pollinators?
A monarch chrysalis hangs from milkweed at Davis-Douglas Farm.
K: Most importantly, do not use pesticides. You can provide brush piles where insects can feed, bare patches of earth for ground nesting bees (out of the way of any foot traffic) and shallow dishes of water mixed with a bit of soil to provide minerals for butterflies. Plant a variety of heights, colors and flower shapes in your garden. Plant in groupings so pollinators can move easily from one flower to another. Provide flowering plants from early spring into late fall.
R: What plants would you recommend adding to perennial gardens this year to help native wildlife?
K: Zizia is one perennial I would like to add this year, as it is the host for the black swallowtail butterfly. In addition, Heliopsis (false sunflower) proves nectar for native bees and goldfinch love the seeds in the fall.
We want to thank Kim Goggin for all she does to keep our gardens beautiful and pollinator-friendly at Wildlands Trust! Everyone can help pollinators in their own gardens by following her simple advice. Happy spring-cleaning!