Selecting Plants for Pollinators A Guide for Gardeners, Farmers, and Land Managers In the Algonquin- Lake Nipissing Ecoregion SAULT STE. MARIE, ELLIOT LAKE, SUDBURY, NORTH BAY, PARRY SOUND, HUNTSVILLE, AND OTTAWA RIVER VALLEY AREA Table of CONTENTS Why Support Pollinators? 4 Getting Started 5 Algonquin-Lake Nipissing 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 Algonquin-Lake nipissing Ecoregion SAULT STE. MARIE, ELLIOT LAKE, SUDBURY, NORTH BAY, PARRY SOUND, HUNTSVILLE, AND OTTAWA RIVER VALLEY AREA A NAPPC and Pollinator Partnership Canada™ Publication Funding for this ecoregional guide was provided by Growing Forward 2 Algonquin-Lake Nipissing 3 Why support pollinators? IN THEIR 1996 BOOK, THE FORGOttEN POLLINATORS, Buchmann and Nabhan estimated that animal pollinators are needed for the reproduction “Flowering plants 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 with the wide range of foods we eat. In addition, pollinators are part of the across wild, 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 production per hectare. In the wild, biodiversity increases and wildlife urban landscapes food sources increase. Many wild plant species such as lowbush blueberry and red raspberry in addition to field crops such as alfalfa, clover, and actually feed the soybeans are grown in the Algonquin-Lake Nipissing 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 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.” – Roger Lang, Chairman, Val Dolcini 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 ONE in a series of plant selection Ecological Framework for Canada and farms in the Algonquin-Lake tools designed to provide you with is a system created as a management Nipissing ecoregion, natural information on how to plant local tool and is used to predict responses vegetation provided essential native plants for pollinators. Each to land management practices opportunities for wildlife, including of us can have a positive impact throughout large areas. This guide pollinators. Farmers, land managers, by providing the essential habitat addresses pollinator-friendly land and 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 Algonquin-Lake in the landscape. In choosing enough space to raise their young. Nipissing 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 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. Algonquin-Lake Nipissing 5 Understanding the Algonquin-Lake Nipissing n The Algonquin-Lake Nipissing ecoregion is part of the Boreal Shield ecozone which includes the following ecoregions; Lac Seul Upland, Big Trout Lake, Lake of the Woods, Thunder Bay- Quetico, Lake Nipigon, Abitibi Plains, and Lake Temiskaming Lowland. This ecoregion is situated at the southern extant of the boreal shield ecozone between Sault Ste. Marie and the Ottawa River valley in southern Ontario. The characteristic mixed forests of this ecoregion are distinct from the predominately deciduous forests to the south and the coniferous forests to the north. Significant land uses include forestry, mining, and tourism. Low-intensity farming, primarily grazing operations are also scattered throughout much of the ecoregion. n Not sure about which region you live or work in? Go to www. pollinator.org and click on Ecoregion Locator for help. n 74,479 square kilometres in Ontario. n The topography is mostly forested and exposed bedrock is common particularly north and west of Lake Nipissing. n Elevations ranging from 81 to 579 metres. n The mean summer temperature is 15.5°C and the mean winter temperature is -8.5°C. Photo courtesy of Balalaika n Annual year round precipitation is between 900-1000 mm. Characteristics n Dominated by mixed, deciduous and coniferous forest types (77% of the total landcover for the ecoregion). n Fewer flowering species due to less nutrient rich soil types and dense forest canopies, and colder mean annual and minimum winter temperatures.. n Dissected by forestry activities, settlements, and summer homes. 6 Selecting Plants for Pollinators Algonquin-Lake Nipissing includes: Sault Ste. Marie, Elliot Lake, Sudbury, North Bay, Mattawa,Parry Sound, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst Huntsville, Deep River, Minden, Bancroft, and Barry’s Bay. Algonquin-Lake Nipissing 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 others form loose colonies, nesting Bees are the best documented side-by-side. Other common solitary pollinators in the natural and bees include mining bees (Andrena agricultural landscapes of the spp.), which nest underground and Algonquin-Lake Nipissingt. A wide are common in the spring; leaf- range of plants in the Aster and Rose cutter bees (Megachile spp.), which families, blueberry, raspberry and prefer dead trees or branches for strawberry crops are just a few plants their nest sites; and mason bees that benefit from bee pollinators. (Osmia spp.), which utilize cavities Most of us are familiar with the they find in stems and dead wood colonies of honey bees that have that they fill with mud. been the workhorses of agricultural pollination for years in Canada. Butterfl ies They were imported from Europe Butterflies prefer open and sunny almost 400 years ago and continue areas such as meadows and along to be managed for honey production woodland edges that provide bright and pollination services. There are flowers, water sources, and specific over 800 species of native ground host plants for their caterpillars. and twig nesting bees in Canada. Gardeners have been attracting Photo courtesy of Tim Dunne Photo courtesy of Tim Most of these bee species live a butterflies to their gardens for some Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a solitary life; a minority are social and time. To encourage butterflies place summer species in the Algonquin- form colonies or nest in aggregations. flowering plants where they have Lake Nipissing ecoregion. Native bees visit and pollinate full sun and are protected from the many crops; in many cases they wind. They usually look for flowers are better at transferring pollen that provide a good landing platform. than honey bees. Our native bees Butterflies need open areas (e.g., can be encouraged to do more to bare earth, large stones) where support agricultural endeavours if they can bask, and moist soil from their needs for nesting habitat are which they wick needed minerals. met and if suitable sources of nectar, Butterflies eat rotten fruit and even dung, so don’t clean up all the messes Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. pollen, and water are provided.