Selecting Plants for Pollinators A Guide for Gardeners, Farmers, and Land Managers In the St. Lawrence Lowlands Ecoregion Quebec City, Montreal, Trois-Rivières, Saint-Hyacinthe, Cornwall, Brockville, Ottawa, Gatineau, and Pembroke Table of CONTENTS Why Support Pollinators? 4 Getting Started 5 St. Lawrence Lowlands 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 S.H.A.R.E. 22 Checklist 22 This is one of several guides for different regions of North America. Resources and Feedback 23 We welcome your feedback to assist us in making the future guides useful. Please contact us at [email protected] 2 Selecting Plants for Pollinators Selecting Plants for Pollinators A Guide for Gardeners, Farmers, and Land Managers In the St. Lawrence Lowlands Ecoregion Quebec City, Montreal, Trois-Rivières, Saint-Hyacinthe, Cornwall, Brockville, Ottawa, Gatineau, and Pembroke A NAPPC and Pollinator Partnership Canada™ Publication Funding for this ecoregional guide was provided by The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust St. Lawrence Lowlands 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 fl owering 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. Apples, melons, raspberries, strawberries, peas, pumpkins, and tomatoes are some of the crop types grown in the St. actually feed the Lawrence Lowlands ecoregion that rely on honey bees and native bees for pollination. Honey bees pollinate more than $1 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 pollinators and inappropriate use of pesticides. As a result research and conservation actions supporting native pollinators are increasingly active. Honey bee colony losses have signifi cantly impacted beekeepers. Parasites, disease, are the great pesticide use, insuffi cient 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 & 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 St. Lawrence Lowlands tools designed to provide you with is a system created as a management ecoregion, 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 a wide palette of plants to use including food, water, shelter, and is known as the St. Lawrence in the landscape. In choosing enough space to raise their young. Lowlands ecoregion. 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 classifi cation 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. St. Lawrence Lowlands 5 Understanding the St. Lawrence Lowlands n The St. Lawrence Lowlands ecoregion makes up the eastern portion of the Mixed Wood Plains ecozone, and includes the following ecoregions: Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe, Frontenac Axis, and the Lake Erie Lowlands. The geographic location, watershed, and combination of gentle topography, fertile soils, warm growing seasons and abundant rainfall have made this area intensely farmed and populated. n Not sure about which region you live or work in? Go to www. pollinator.org and click on Ecoregion Locator for help. n 46,000 square kilometres in Québec. n The topography includes till plains, lake plain, and rock landscapes. n Elevations ranging from 15 to 150 meters above sea level. n The mean summer temperature is 16.5°C and the mean winter temperature is -7°C. n The mean annual precipitation ranges 800-1000 mm. n Favourable climate patterns in the region support a strong Photo courtesy of Balalaika agricultural economy. More than 60% of the ecoregion is classifi ed as dependable agricultural land. Characteristics n Dominant land cover is agriculture with signifi cant areas of mixed forest and large urban centers. n One of the highest areas of biodiversity found in Canada. n Dissected by population centres, farms, and roads. 6 Selecting Plants for Pollinators St. Lawrence Lowlands includes: Quebec City, Montreal, Trois-Rivières, Saint-Hyacinthe, Cornwall, Brockville, Ottawa, Gatineau, and Pembroke St. Lawrence Lowlands 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 agricultural landscapes of the St. solitary bees include carpenter Lawrence Lowlands ecoregion. A bees (Xylocopa virginica), which wide range of plants in the Aster and nest by chewing into wood; alkali Rose Families, apples, strawberries bees (Andrena spp.), which nest and raspberries are just a few plants underground and are common in the that benefi t from bee pollinators. spring; leaf-cutter bees (Megachile spp.), which prefer dead trees or Most of us are familiar with the branches for their nest sites; and colonies of honey bees that have mason bees (Osmia spp.), which been the workhorses of agricultural utilize cavities they fi nd in stems and pollination for years in Canada. dead wood that they fi ll with mud. They were imported from Europe almost 400 years ago and continue Butterfl ies to be managed for honey production Butterfl ies prefer open and sunny and pollination services. There are areas such as meadows and along over 800 species of native ground woodland edges that provide bright and twig nesting bees in Canada. fl owers, water sources, and specifi c Most of these bee species live a Photo courtesy of Tim Dunne Photo courtesy of Tim host plants for their caterpillars. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a solitary life; a minority are social and Gardeners have been attracting summer species in the St. Lawrence form colonies or nest in aggregations. butterfl ies to their gardens for some Lowlands ecoregion. Native bees visit and pollinate time. To encourage butterfl ies place many crops; in many cases they fl owering plants where they have are better at transferring pollen full sun and are protected from the than honey bees. Our native bees wind. They usually look for fl owers can be encouraged to do more to that provide a good landing platform. support agricultural endeavours if Butterfl ies need open areas (e.g., their needs for nesting habitat are bare earth, large stones) where met and if suitable sources of nectar, they can bask, and moist soil from pollen, and water are provided. Bees which they wick needed minerals. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. come in a variety of body shapes Butterfl ies eat rotten fruit and even and sizes, and even have tongues dung, so don’t clean up all the messes of different lengths. Native bees in your garden! By providing a safe visit the widest range of fl owers and place to eat and nest, gardeners can crops of any pollinator group.