CNN — You can help Mother Nature in a battle for survival. Pollinators, which provide one out of every three bites of our food, are struggling. Five butterfly species in the United States have gone extinct since 1950, and dozens more are on the verge of extinction according to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
”There are 30% fewer butterflies flying around in your yard, on the farm, in natural areas than there were 20 years ago,” says Scott Black, Xerces Society’s executive director. The monarch butterfly is in a steep decline having lost about 90% of its population in North America since the 1990s.
Bees aren’t faring any better. More than a quarter of North American bumblebees are at risk of extinction with both bees and butterflies declining by a shocking 1 or 2% a year, according to a report in the National Academy of Sciences.
“Will we have the crops that we need to sustain us?” asks Black, “It’s a very serious issue.”
Climate change, habitat loss and pesticide use are mostly to blame, say scientists. “It’s kind of this trifecta of threats that are really pushing pollinator populations down,” warns Black. But all is not lost.
“Anybody can help no matter how large or small their landscape- whether you live in a tiny yard or you’re a farmer or you manage a parks department,” says Black. “You can make real substantial changes for pollinators.”
Give to these pollinator charities
Non-profits like Xerces Society and Pollinator Partnership work with farmers, companies, private citizens and governments. They spread the word about pesticides’ impact on pollinators and encourage more eco-friendly approaches to pest control. The groups also encourage seeding native plants that attract pollinating fauna to agricultural fields, roadsides, parks and gardens.
But donations alone won’t solve the problem, says Black. He encourages turning your yard and garden into a welcoming place for butterflies, bees, beetles and birds.
Plant and they will come (even in winter)
Plant native wildflowers in your yard. “Contrary to popular belief, the fall and the winter can actually be a great time to plant and put down seed as well,” says Kelly Bills, executive director of Pollinator Partnership.
Not only will those flowers bring you joy throughout the year; native wildflowers are the best source of food and shelter for pollinators like bees and butterflies. When you plant flowers that are native to your region, they flourish with less watering and upkeep.
Leave the leaves for overwintering creatures
Fallen leaves are perfect nesting sites for native bees, moths and butterflies. “It’s a place for them to basically tuck away and get through the winter until spring,” says Bills. Leaving the leaves doesn’t mean that you leave four inches of leaves on your turf grass.
“Maybe even just thinning them out and leaving them in some parts of your yard. You’re really gonna get that nutrition filtered back into your soil which will help your grass in spring and summer,” says Bills.
A little mess helps
You can help bees by cutting your dead flower heads off and leaving the stems.
“A lot of those stems become hollowed out and pithy and the bees actually hibernate in them over winter,” says Bills.
If you can’t stand how the stems look without flower heads, you can bundle cut stems and leave them on the side of the yard as nesting sites. Ecologists also encourage leaving some fallen branches and logs if you can for pollinators like beetles and bees to overwinter.
Avoid pesticides, encourage pests’ natural enemies
Pesticides and weed killers may kill what you don’t want in your yard, but they also kill off beneficial insects. It’s one of the leading causes of insect and pollinator die-off, says Black.
When it comes to homeowners, “Pesticides are mostly used for cosmetic purposes. They’re used to make your garden perfect. Do we need those perfect landscapes? I would say no,” says Black. You should be able to control pests with non-chemical methods like planting native vegetation that not only attracts bees and butterflies but also draws pests’ natural enemies.
Spread the word with yard signs
Your neighbors may begin to wonder why you are digging out grass and replacing it with wildflowers. Yard signs can let them know that you’re helping bees and butterflies. Those gardening signs are available with many memberships in pollinator charities along with planting guides. “Pollinator signs, no pesticides signs, ‘leave the leaves’ signs – that’s incredible education,” says Black.
Become a citizen scientist
You can also take part in seed collection and restoration projects to open up habitat near you. Pollinator Partnership’s Project Wingspan program trains citizens in the Midwest and Great Lakes region to collect and identify seeds. Volunteers learn to clean seeds and redistribute them in areas that need more habitat for the endangered monarch butterfly and rusty patched bumble bee. The non-profit is working to enhance and create 18,000 acres of habitat.
Support farms that are pollinator-friendly
Try to buy food from farmers who grow their produce in ways that sustain butterflies and bees.
Xerces certifies food grown sustainably while maximizing crop health with the “Bee Better Certified” seal found on everything from blueberries to almond milk.
“If consumers are putting out the demand that they want food and produce from bee-friendly farms, that can be a big help to get other farmers on board,” says Bills.
