A Carolinian pocket pollinator forest for Lawrence Park
On November 29 we planted a pocket forest in Lawrence Park (next to Collins Creek).
Too often pollinator gardens are restricted to flowering perennials. But trees, shrubs, grasses, and sedges are important pollinator plants as well. Thanks to the work of Douglas Tallamy, many people now know that pollinators need host plants. And that some trees and shrubs are considered keystone species thanks to the number of Lepidoptera (moth and butterfly caterpillars) they host.
While trees and shrubs are important host plants, their nectar and pollen are also important for pollinators. In trees for bees: the underappreciated way to help pollinators in your yard, bee scientist Zach Portman says:
"It’s hard to see bees when they are so high up or obscured by leaves... [yet] when it comes to the sheer amount of resources provided to pollinators in the spring, flowering trees will win out every single time. When deciding on the best ways to help pollinators, we need strategies that match with our ecology and climate."USDA Forest Service researcher Michael Ulyshen writes that:
"There’s a common misconception that bees don’t live in forests... Forests provide pollinators with a wide variety of flowers, nesting sites, and other resources that are generally absent from other land cover types... Trees provide shelter from extreme conditions for traveling bees that are sensitive to overheating.”
While Kingston isn't in the Carolinian zone, we are in a transitional area with a number of Carolinian species who call Kingston forests home including: Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis), Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata), Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), Black Maple (Acer nigrum), and Blue Beech (Carpus caroliniana).
With the changing climate, we're helping more Carolinian species migrate to the Kingston area. Here's who we planted in the Lawrence Park pocket forest.
Canopy layer
- Cucumber Magnolia (Magnolia acuminata). Hosts 21 Lepidoptera. Pollinated by beetles. Highly specialized flowers attract beetles with their large size. They lack nectar, but have abundant pollen. Flowers close at night to avoid visitations from moths.
- Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera). Hosts 21 Lepidoptera including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and Tuliptree Silkmoth. Hummingbird and Orioles are attracted to the flowers. Other birds visit the flowers to capture the insects the flowers attract. Flower nectar and pollen attract miscellaneous flies, beetles, honeybees, bumblebees, and other long-tongued bees. Thrushes, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Finches, Mockingbirds, Thrashers, Chickadees, Titmice, Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and more eat the seeds.
- Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica). Hosts 26 Lepidoptera. Flowers in late spring attract many types of Bees. Highly nutritious dark bluish-black fruits ripen in late summer or early fall attract migratory birds, Thrushes, Waxwings, Pileated Woodpeckers and more.
- American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana). Hosts 50 Lepidoptera. Floral visitors include Honeybees, Bumble Bees, little Carpenter Bees (Ceratina), Digger Bees (Anthophora, Synhalonia), Cuckoo Bees (Nomada), Leaf-Cutter Bees (Megachile), Mason Bees (Osmia), and Halictid bees (including green metallic bees). Also attracts Syrphid flies and Skipper butterflies.
Understory layer
- American Plum (Prunus americana). Hosts 456 Lepidoptera including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red-Spotted Purple, Promethea Moth, and the Clearwing Hummingbird Moth. Nectar and pollen of the flowers attract bees, various flies, and other insects. Bee visitors include Honeybees, Bumblebees, little Carpenter Bees, Cuckoo Bees, Halictid Bees, and Andrenid bees. Hummingbirds and Baltimore Orioles enjoy the nectar. While the fruit is too large for many songbirds, birds who you may spot enjoying the fruit include Robins, Catbirds, and Downy Woodpeckers.
- Red Mulberry (Morus Rubra). Hosts 9 Lepidoptera including Mourning Cloak Butterfly, Rosy Maple Moth, Lo and White-Marked Tussock Moth. Early maturing fruits a magnet for many species of birds. Turtles also enjoy the fallen fruit.
- Eastern Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). Hosts 129 Lepidoptera. Nectar and pollen attracts Bumble Bees, Cuckoo Bees, Mason Bees, Halictid Bees, and Andrenine Bees. Other insect visitors include occasional wasps, Syrphid Flies, Bee Flies, and a variety of beetles. Fruits are popular with birds including Grosbeaks, Sparrows, Woodpeckers, Thrushes, Vireos, and some Warblers.
- Sassafras (Sassafras albumin), who Cornell Botanic Gardens calls the native gem of North America, hosts 38 Lepidoptera including Spicebush Swallowtail and Tiger Swallowtail. Nectar and pollen attracts small bees. Fly visitors include Syrphid Flies, March Flies, Dance Flies, Tachinid Flies, Flesh Flies, Blow Flies, and Muscid Flies. Their attractiveness to flies makes me think they may be a good companion to attract the flies necessary for Pawpaw pollination.
- Pawpaw (Asimina triloba). Hosts 12 Lepidoptera including Zebra Swallowtail and Pawpaw Sphinx Moth. Pollinators include beetles and flies. We'll plant the Pawpaws in spring.
Shrub layer
Anthony Blowers/iNaturalist
- Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum). Hosts 295 Lepidoptera including Brown Elfin, Henry's Elfin, Pink-Edged Sulfur, Green Comma, and Striped Hairstreak butterflies. Moths include Triton Dagger Moth, Graceful Underwing, Canadian Sphinx, and Norman's Dart). Nectar and pollen attract Honeybees, Bumblebees, and Andrenid bees. And birds adore the berries!
- Spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Hosts 12 Lepidoptera including Spicebush Swallowtail. Critical early resource for pollinators particularly small bees and various flies. The berries are great for birds.
- Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica). Hosts 52 Lepidoptera. Another critical early resource for pollinators. Nectar and pollen attracts Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), Andrenine bees, cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), Syrphid flies, and more Small Carpenter Bees burrow into the pith of stems of Sumacs to build their nests and lay eggs. Twigs can be cut to expose a soft pith for tunnel-nesting bees. Berries are an important winter food for many birds.
Herbaceous layer
Chris Helzer/The Prairie Ecologist
Next year we’ll also plant keystone perennials, choosing ones which we're hoping can hold their own against nearby pasture grass. Possibilities include: Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus), Green-Headed Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata), Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), and Heart Leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium).
Possibilities for grasses and sedges (underappreciated as pollinator plants!) include Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and Fox Sedge (Carex vulpinoidea). Both are larval hosts for Skipper butterflies, pollen sources for Bees, Flies, and Beetles, and a source of seed, cover and nesting sites for birds.
For annuals, we’ll scatter Beggartick seeds near the creek, including Nodding Beggarticks (Bidens cenura) and Bearded Beggarticks (Bidens aritosa) as well as Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), who Hummingbirds love.
For more inspiration, check out our posts: