South Central Nova Scotia Uplands
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Selecting Plants for Pollinators A Guide for Gardeners, Farmers, and Land Managers In the South- Central Nova scotia uplands Halifax Dartmouth Table of CONTENTS Why Support Pollinators? 4 Getting Started 5 South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands 6 Meet the Pollinators 8 Plant Traits 10 Developing Plantings 12 Farms 13 Public Lands 14 Home Landscapes 15 Plants That Attract Pollinators 16 Habitat hints 20 Habitat and Nesting requirements 21 This is one of several guides for S.H.A.R.E. 22 different regions of North America. We welcome your feedback to assist us in making the future guides Checklist 22 useful. Please contact us at [email protected] Resources and Feedback 23 2 Selecting Plants for Pollinators Selecting Plants for Pollinators A Guide for Gardeners, Farmers, and Land Managers In the South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands Halifax Dartmouth A NAPPC and Pollinator Partnership Canada™ Publication South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands 3 Why support pollinators? IN THEIR 1996 BOOK, THE FORGOttEN POLLINATORS, Buchmann and “Flowering plants Nabhan estimated that animal pollinators are needed for the reproduction of 90% of flowering plants and one third of human food crops. Each of us depends on these industrious pollinators in a practical way to provide us across wild, with the wide range of foods we eat. In addition, pollinators are part of the intricate web that supports the biological diversity in natural ecosystems that helps sustain our quality of life. farmed and even Abundant and healthy populations of pollinators can improve fruit set and quality, and increase fruit size. In farming situations this increases urban landscapes production per hectare. In the wild, biodiversity increases and wildlife food sources increase. Fruits such as blueberries and apples, in addition to vegetables and field crops such as alfalfa are grown in Nova Scotia that rely actually feed the on honey bees and native bees for pollination. Honey bees pollinate more than $4 billion worth of crops in Canada each year. terrestrial world, Unfortunately, the numbers of many native pollinators are declining. They are threatened by habitat loss, disease, climate change, and the excessive and inappropriate use of pesticides. As a result research and conservation and pollinators actions supporting native pollinators are increasingly active. Honey bee colony losses have significantly impacted beekeepers. Parasites, disease, are the great pesticide use, insufficient nutrition, and transportation practices all impact honey bee health, and this in turn can impact the commercial pollination services honey bees provide. The efforts to understand the threats to connectors who commercial bees should help us understand other pollinators and their roles in the environment as well. enable this giant It is imperative that we take immediate steps to help pollinator populations thrive. The beauty of the situation is that by supporting pollinators’ need for habitat, we support our own needs for food and support diversity in the food system to natural world. Thank you for taking time to consult this guide. By adding plants to your work for all who landscape that provide food and shelter for pollinators throughout their active seasons and by adopting pollinator friendly landscape practices, you can make a difference to both the pollinators and the people that rely on them. eat... Including us.” Val Dolcini – Roger Lang, Chairman, President and CEO Pollinator Partnership Pollinator Partnership 4 Selecting Plants for Pollinators Getting Started THIS REGIONAL GUIDE IS JUST Framework Report. The National Long before there were homes and ONE in a series of plant selection Ecological Framework for Canada farms in the South-Central Nova tools designed to provide you with is a system created as a management Scotia Uplands, natural vegetation information on how to plant local tool and is used to predict responses provided essential opportunities native plants for pollinators. Each to land management practices for wildlife, including pollinators. of us can have a positive impact throughout large areas. This guide Farmers, land managers, and by providing the essential habitat addresses pollinator-friendly land gardeners in this region have requirements for pollinators management practices in what is a wide palette of plants to use including food, water, shelter, and known as the South-Central Nova in the landscape. In choosing enough space to raise their young. Scotia Uplands. plants, aim to create habitat for pollinators that allow adequate food, Pollinators travel through the The seasonal cycle of sun and shade shelter, and water sources. Most landscape without regard to within the forests has created a pollinators have very small home property ownership or provincial changing pattern of bloom time for ranges. You will make a difference boundaries. We’ve chosen to use food plants and shelter needs for by understanding the vegetation the ecoregional classification system foraging, nesting, and migrating patterns on the farm, forest, or and to underscore the connections pollinators. Farms and residential neighbour’s yard adjacent to your between climate and vegetation areas provide a diverse range of soil property. With this information in types that affect the diversity of types in both sunny and shady areas. hand, your planting choices will pollinators in the environment. With this diversity of locations many better support the pollinators’ need different species of plants may be for food and shelter as they move The Canadian ecoregions are used to improve pollinator habitats through the landscape. based on the National Ecological where they are lacking. South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands 5 Understanding the south-central Nova Scotia Uplands n The South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands ecoregion is a part of the larger Atlantic Maritime Ecozone, and covers the south-central portion of inland Nova Scotia. This ecoregion consists of humid warm summers and cool winters, having a climate strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the ecoregion is characterized by forestry, and residential urbanized areas including Halifax and Dartmouth also dominates this ecoregion. Agricultural land use covers 3% of the South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands. n Not sure about which region you live or work in? Go to www. pollinator.org/guides and click on Ecoregion Locator for help. n 6 217 square kilometres of Nova Scotia. n Rolling plain that ranges from 30 metres above sea level to 180 metres above sea level. n Mean annual precipitation ranges from 1200-1400mm. n Mean annual temperature is approximately 6.5°C, with a mean summer temperature of 14°C and a mean winter temperature of -2°C. The South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands is one of the most humid areas of the Maritimes because of its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Characteristics n Large portion of the ecoregion covered by mixed-wood forests, extensive wetlands, and rock barrens, as well as rolling till plain, drumlin fields, extensive rockland, and wetlands. n Provides habitat for white-tailed deer, snowshoe hares, porcupines, raccoons, fishers, red fox, coyotes, and beavers. n Plain consists of stony, discontinuous veneers and blankets of glacial till. 6 Selecting Plants for Pollinators The South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands includes: Halifax Dartmouth South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands 7 Meet the Pollinators Who are the Sweat bees (family Halictidae) are medium to small-sized, slender bees pollinators? that commonly nest underground. Bees Various species are solitary while Bees are the best documented others form loose colonies, nesting pollinators in the natural and side-by-side. Other common solitary agricultural landscapes of the bees include mining bees (Andrena ecoregion. A wide range of wild spp.), which nest underground and and crop plants, including plants in are common in the spring; leaf-cutter the Aster and Rose Families, canola, bees (Megachile spp.), which prefer specialty crops, and some forage dead trees or branches for their nest crops benefit from bee pollinators. sites; and mason bees (Osmia spp.), which utilize cavities they find in stems Most of us are familiar with the and dead wood that they fill with mud. colonies of honey bees that have been the workhorses of agricultural Butterfl ies pollination for years in Canada. Butterflies prefer open and sunny They were imported from Europe areas such as meadows and along almost 400 years ago and continue woodland edges that provide bright to be managed for honey production flowers, water sources, and specific and pollination services. There are host plants for their caterpillars. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a over 800 species of native ground Gardeners have been attracting summer species in the South-Central and twig nesting bees in Canada. butterflies to their gardens for some Nova Scotia Uplands. Most of these bee species live a time. To encourage butterflies place solitary life; a minority are social and flowering plants where they have form colonies or nest in aggregations. full sun and are protected from the Native bees visit and pollinate wind. They usually look for flowers many crops; in many cases they that provide a good landing platform. are better at transferring pollen Butterflies need open areas (e.g., bare than honey bees. Our native bees earth, large stones) where they can White Admiral Butterfly. can be encouraged to do more to bask, and moist soil from which they support agricultural endeavours if wick needed minerals. Butterflies their needs for nesting habitat are eat rotten fruit and even dung, so met and if suitable sources of nectar, don’t clean up all the messes in your pollen, and water are provided. Bees garden! By providing a safe place come in a variety of body shapes to eat and nest, gardeners can also and sizes, and even have tongues support the pollination role that of different lengths. Native bees butterflies play in the landscape. visit the widest range of flowers and In the South-Central Nova Scotia crops of any pollinator group.