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As we learn more about the critical relationships between plants, insects, and birds, the best advice we are getting about fall leaf clean-up is … don’t! In the old days, suburbanites taking care of their lawns raked (yes, raked!) fall leaves into giant piles to be burned. The familiar scent of burning leaves was everywhere – and we released tons of carbon sequestered in those leaves into the atmosphere. So anti-burning ordinances were passed, and we started using gas leaf blowers to form the leaf piles, or bagging leaves for municipal workers to collect – all at taxpayer expense. Municipalities started spending millions to ship leaves out of the county. Enterprising souls then turned our leaves into compost to sell back to us. Not a good deal for us. Since that routine makes neither economic nor ecological sense, we started hearing campaigns urging us to use mulching mowers. The idea was to chop leaves into tiny pieces and leave them on the lawn to enrich the soil. That method is a big improvement, and it definitely works — it’s great for lawn health and municipal budgets. But we have learned that chopping up leaves has an unanticipated cost. Native bees burrow into the ground under leaf litter to survive the winter. Eggs and larvae of butterflies, moths, fireflies, and many other insects hang on to leaves, or hide under them, until warm weather returns. If we chop up or remove leaves to clear the ground in our yards, we are unintentionally destroying insects that baby birds need for food in the spring, as well as insects we need and enjoy. The best use of fall leaves – and the best place for them – is under the trees that dropped them. Trees and all other forest plants evolved growing with a thick layer of leaves in the winter. Dead leaves nourish the soil and everything that lives in it. Leaf litter on your shrub and flower beds protects the roots of your plants and protects early buds from freezing and loss of moisture. Of course, you’ll want to blow (or better, rake!) leaves off of driveways and paths, and either mulch or clear leaves that fall on lawn. But the best place to put them is in your shrub and flower beds and under your trees. A loose, 6-inch deep layer of leaves will not hurt your shrubs and perennials – quite the opposite. If there are still too many leaves, create a leaf pile in an out-of-the-way area, or add leaves to a compost bin. In spring, once the weather is warm and insects have had a chance to emerge, you can mulch the remaining leaves and return them to the lawn or flower beds, or even put them out for removal with spring clean-up. Pro tip: Less lawn and more garden makes leaf clean-up a cinch! If your trees are surrounded by garden beds rather than lawn, nature does the work for you! Cathy Ludden is a local expert and advocate for native plants; and Board Member, Greenburgh Nature Center.

Help pass the NY Birds & Bees Protection Act in 2022! Spread the word by signing, downloading, and sharing this petition. If you are tabling, use this QR code or print out this sheet to collect signatures the old fashioned way. Here is a fact sheet on the bill. Also join an in-person lobby day in Albany on Wednesday, April 27 in support of the Birds and Bees Protection Act.

By Mary Gaudet-Wilson Recently a Pollinator Pathway member asked the Steering Committee about the safety of an “organic” herbicide called Eco-Might, which seemed too good to be true. A bit of research revealed that to be the case, and it made us aware of a specific issue which serves to heighten concerns about the approval process for pesticides in this country. All ingredients as listed on the Eco-Might label, peppermint oil, potassium sorbate and sodium chloride, are indeed on the list of organic compounds. However, testing results as confirmed by the USEPA Region 9, found this product to contain hazardous chemicals including glyphosate, bifenthrin and permethrin. Although EPA issued an Advisory Letter informing the company of possible liability for non-compliance, this letter never went to other regional EPA offices so our Connecticut DEEP had no knowledge of this violation until we informed them. Other loopholes in the system: 1) Products composed solely of organic compounds do not have to be approved before being put on the market. This greatly increases the risk that adulterated products can easily be distributed to the marketplace. 2) All new products are evaluated by data submitted by the manufacturer. Without an independent assessment, how can the consumer know that health and safety concerns have been adequately addressed? 3) Inert ingredients (things like stabilizers, surfactants, fragrances, etc.) do not have to be listed on the label. Studies have shown that at least one inert ingredient kills bumblebees. EPA’s operations have come under scrutiny from various environmental organizations and the news media with recent reports of undue influence from the pesticide industry and an agency which does incomplete or inaccurate risk assessments of new products before approval. Although some court decisions and a few state legislative actions have put appropriate controls or bans on some products, this is a lengthy and expensive process. In addition to the protection of human health, pesticides represent a risk to pollinators, beneficial insects, wildlife, soil bacteria, native plants, our pets, and especially our children. Contamination of water resources is also a huge concern. Infiltration and run-off threaten wells and streams, some of which eventually find their way to Long Island Sound. In summary, the Eco-Might situation demonstrates a break down in systems designed to protect the environment and us. If we cannot trust the labels on pesticides, we can refrain from buying them! We can learn about other ways to control pests in our yards and gardens which are safer and promote sustainability. There is much information on the Protect Our Pollinators website (Propollinators.com), the Pollinator Pathways website (Pollinator-pathways.org), and Protect Our Pollinators’ book “Earth-Friendly Gardening.” ,,breakdown

By Elizabeth Craig, Wilton, CT Pollinator Pathway Goldenrods (Solidago spp.) and asters (Symphyotrichum spp.) are the two most important late-season sources of pollen and nectar for bees that are provisioning their nests for winter and for monarch butterflies fueling up along the fall migration. Goldenrod supports specialist bees and attracts butterflies, moths, beetles, and solitary (non-stinging) wasps. Solidago seeds are a good winter food source for birds. Every pollinator garden should have a major section planted in goldenrod. There are some 26 species of goldenrod in the Northeast, and it can be difficult to distinguish between them. Different species have adapted to a wide variety of sites, from sunny fields and meadows to shady woodland edges, to bogs and salty coastal areas. When choosing goldenrods for your garden, choose those adapted to conditions at your site. Easy to grow, goldenrod is deer resistant, tolerant of drought and poor soils, has few diseases and ‘insect problems,’ and is widely used for cut flower arrangements. Goldenrods do not cause hay fever, common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia, which often grows in the wild near goldenrod, is the source of fall hay fever. Goldenrods have sometimes been considered too wild, aggressive, and unruly to use in the garden due to their effective spreading by root and seed. Consider the clump-forming types of solidago, which will not spread as readily, for more managed garden beds and borders. Full-sun to part shade, clump-forming species: Showy goldenrod, Solidago speciosa Seaside goldenrod, Solidago sempervirens Anise-scented goldenrod, Solidago odora Gray goldenrod, Solidago nemoralis In wilder areas and large fields use Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis or tall goldenrod S. altissimo. Larger, taller plants that spread readily can provide more floral resources, more pollen, and nectar for pollinators. Full-sun, rhizomatous (spreads by roots) species: Rough-stem goldenrod, Solidago rugosa Tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis Goldenrods are the perfect plant to use in a lawn-to-meadow conversion, they flourish in areas that are occasionally mowed. For the best pollinator show in your late-summer-to-fall garden, with a great abundance and diversity of pollinators and brilliant color, plant the glorious perennial wildflower, goldenrod.

Mary Wilson Pollinator Pathway Steering Committee Protect Our Pollinators founding member Bayer (Monsanto) recently announced that it will withdraw Roundup (active ingredient glyphosate) from the U.S. market for residential usage beginning in 2023. While this is hailed as a step in the right direction, it is important to know that this move comes only after significant and costly lawsuits from individuals who have claimed (decisions have been upheld by the Supreme Court) to have been harmed by this noxious weed killer. In fact, Bayer said that “this move is being made exclusively to manage litigation risk and not because of any safety concerns.” And it should be noted that the EPA has continued to uphold the registration of Roundup despite scientific evidence that shows it to be a probable carcinogen as well being a contaminant in our food supply and waterways. This leaves us with several questions and concerns: 1) Other uses not covered by this new policy include golf courses (both private and municipal) and all other state and municipal properties, as well as agricultural uses. 2) While Roundup by name is being withdrawn, Bayer has other products which contain glyphosate, e.g. Rodeo. The fate of this product is unclear. 3) There is still the issue of inerts in any possible new formulations. As we know, an unnamed inert ingredient in Roundup has shown to be toxic to bumblebees. Since companies are not required to list inerts by name, we can imagine this “secret” chemical showing up in any new formulations. 4) The biggest user of Roundup is agriculture which will still be allowed to spread glyphosate on crops (mostly genetically engineered) like corn, soybeans, and cotton. 5) Significant risks still exist for farm workers who handle glyphosate and for anyone who eats food that is grown by our chemical-intensive agriculture system. So what are the take-home messages from this announcement? a) We cannot expect the federal government to protect the safety and health of the public from harmful pesticides. EPA does not take a precautionary or preventative stance, instead, it waits for a bad outcome before modifying any regulations. We cannot assume that if something is approved, it must be “okay”. b) The courts have usually ruled in favor of the public, but it is a long and arduous process to prove a pesticide is harmful. Although this route may be indicated, it is unfortunate that we should have to target one noxious chemical after another. c) A more effective approach would be to eliminate pre-emption (the government’s right to restrict municipalities from enforcing more stringent limitations on pesticides than the state does). d) The real solution to this problem is moving our communities to organic land management. This is what will sustain the soil (the earth) and provide for long-term healthy ecosystems and associated wildlife populations. Pesticides have failed us. Let’s get off that merry-go-round! Mary Wilson Pollinator Pathway Steering Committee Protect Our Pollinators founding member

Tracy Zarrillo, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven You may not have heard of iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/), the crowd-sourcing citizen science biodiversity portal launched in 2008, but researchers interested in learning more about species distribution and status check this database regularly for new and important field observations. Just recently, three people in three different counties in Connecticut uploaded photos to iNaturalist of unusual bumble bees they had never seen before. Little did they realize that they were witnessing a species of bumble bee first-hand that had not been seen in Connecticut since 1919, Bombus auricomus, the Black and Gold Bumble Bee! This species had been extremely rare in Connecticut, with only three historical female records (two from 1919 and one from 1905), but now with three photos on i-Naturalist in 2021. The 1905 specimen was netted from Lilac (Syringa sp.), but the 2021 observations were all visiting Beebalm (Monarda spp.). The most recent photos were from Milford, in a pollinator garden at the Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point; Portland, in a suburban flower garden largely composed of various Monarda spp. and Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum); and Vernon, in a wildflower meadow at the Belding Wildlife Management Area. This species is also rare throughout the Northeast and tends to be very localized. There are a few possible reasons for this species’ rarity. The first is that their colonies are very small, with only about 35 workers typically produced throughout the entire season (McFarland et al. 2015). The low numbers of individuals reduce the probability of detection. Another is that it may prefer large, open hayfields with minimal management (they nest on the surface of the ground). Although Connecticut is home to many farms and fields, farming practices may disrupt nest development, and abandoned fields from early in the 20th century have grown into forests. Another theory is that it is a “boom or bust” species, which is a natural pattern that happens in the insect world. Some years are good years for certain insects for unknown reasons, and their populations skyrocket. The Black and Gold Bumble Bee prefers flowers such as Bee balm (Monarda), Nightshades (Solanum), Clover (Trifolium), St. John’s Wort (Hypericum), and Boneset (Eupatorium) (McFarland et al. 2015). Queens, workers, and males may be on the wing until October in Connecticut, so be on the lookout in your pollinator habitats! If seen, please take a photo and upload it to iNaturalist (please join the Pollinator Pathway iNaturalist project—go to projects and type in Pollinator Pathway) that way we can further document its presence in Connecticut. If this is a “boom year” let’s try to get as many records as possible! More eyes on the ground….or on the flowers! Watch Tracy Zarrillo's interview on WSHU Public Radio - Rare Bumblebee Spotted In Connecticut For The First Time In 100 Years

Sandra Diamond Fox Aug. 1, 2021 Sandi is editor of The Litchfield County Times and The New Milford Spectrum. KENT — Every other Friday afternoon throughout the summer, Kent Land Trust intern Whitney Troy has been standing at a table at the Kent Farmers Market, educating people against using chemicals on their property and on the importance of native plants. Troy, 30, said she hopes to encourage residents to establish pollinator pathways — pesticide-free corridors of native plants that provide nutrition and habitat for pollinators. Residents can become part of this initiative by taking several steps, including planting pollinator-friendly trees, providing a source of clean water, mowing higher and less often, and leaving dead wood and dirt patches for nesting bees. To date, through Troy’s efforts and in partnership with the Kent Garden Club and Kent Conservation Commission, 14 residents have gotten on board. “They have registered their properties to get on the map of New England showing where landowners have made pollinator-friendly habitat,” said Connie Manes, executive director of the Kent Land Trust. “The vision of the pollinator pathway is to promote linkages all across new England.” “The biggest motto is trying your best,” said Troy, a student at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. “Even just using less pesticides is good.” A pollinator pathway creates a continuous landscape for pollinators to migrate. “The way we landscape now, land is so fragmented for pollinators,” she said. “If one person doesn’t use any chemicals on his or her lawn and you have a nice native garden for pollinators or a meadow, but if that person’s neighbor is using a bunch of pesticides, those pollinators are going to be stuck in that one area — that one landscape. That’s not good because it decreases the diversity — not only of the plants that are also in the habitat, but that will lead to the decrease of diversity of pollinators.” Upon hearing the word “bees,” Troy said many people get anxious about the possibility of being stung. To that concern, Troy said not to worry. “There are 4,000 different types of native bees in the United States,” she said. “A lot of these bees are solitary and don’t have social nests, so they’re not likely to sting you because they aren’t really worried about protecting their nest.” And pollinators are not just bees. They can also include beetles, butterflies, hummingbirds and some mammals such as bats. Humans need pollinators in order to survive, according to Troy. “Most of our food is from flowering plants that rely on pollinators to survive, and they are declining at a vast rate due to our use of pesticides, herbicides and chemicals,” she said. Additionally, invasive plants, which take over many gardens, don’t provide bees with the nutritional benefits they need. They are also really aggressive and take away the diversity of the environment, according to Troy. Establishing pollinator pathways The Pollinator Pathway NE Project began in 2017 in Wilton. Pathways have since been created in more than 200 towns throughout the United States. Troy has been busy in town establishing pollinator pathways on her own and with help from others. The Kent Land Trust has a pollinator garden, for which Troy said she’s hoping to add more plants. Additionally, at the Kent Community Garden, which is run by the Kent Center School, Troy made a perennial bed against a shed and is placing plants in there as well. At the East Kent Hamlet Nature Preserve, a former Girl Scout camp that’s now owned by the Kent Land Trust, Troy is helping restore a pollinator meadow. She has placed black plastic to smother invasive plants and open up an area for native species, which are plants that are nourishing to native insects and birds. For more information on establishing a pollinator pathway, visit pollinator-pathway.org. sfox@milfordmirror.com. This article is from the August, 1, 2021 NewsTimes.

By Mary Wilson Neonicotinoids (neonics) are in the news again as area states inch forward to pass regulations to control this class of neurotoxic pesticides. In addition to causing dramatic decreases in bee populations, these pesticides have been shown to be responsible for far-reaching damage to other plant and animal life forms (including birds and people), as well as to soil and water resources. This Cornell University report looks at over 1000 studies of neonics’ effects on the environment. The NRDC has released this summary of the report and is working with Pollinator Pathway towns to promote state laws restricting these widely used pesticides. Right now, New York residents, your state has a bill pending to restrict use! Call your state representative and urge passage. Here is an update on New York's bill, what is happening in other states.

By Karalyn Lamb Fun and practical information about bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators for everyone - from families to teachers and budding citizen scientists! All resources available in Spanish Did you know that bumblebees have smelly feet? Or that Monarch butterflies taste yucky to birds? Find these and more fun facts about pollinators on the Westchester Land Trust Pollinator Pop-Up page! The Pollinator Pop-Up offers fun and practical information about bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators for families, gardeners, teachers, and budding citizen scientists.#pollinatorpopup You can find: Simple ways to attract bees and butterflies to your yard or window box. Fun facts, bookmarks, and ID guides for kids of all ages. Guide to iNaturalist and SEEK, free nature apps to help you explore the outside world. ¿Sabía que los abejones huelen con las patas? ¿O que las mariposas Monarcas no son apetitosas para los pájaros? Encuentre estos y otros datos divertidos sobre los polinizadores en la página de internet ¡Westchester Land Trust Pollinator Pop-Up! El Pollinator Pop-Up proporciona información divertida y práctica sobre abejas, mariposas, colibrís y otros polonizadores, para familias, jardineros, maestros y ciudadanos colaboradores. #pollinatorpopup Puedes encontrar: Pasos sencillos de atraer abejas y mariposas a su jardin o jardinera. Datos divertidos, marcadores y guias de identificacion para todas las edades. Guia de iNaturalist y SEEK, aplicaciones libres de costo para asistirlo a explorar la naturaleza que le rodea.

by Mary Wilson Pollinator-friendly gardening and lawn practices are the focus of the newly published 40-page booklet entitled “Earth-Friendly Gardening – One Yard at a Time.” It's yours free to download by clicking on the image at right. This guide came about when its authors realized the dilemma faced by homeowners who want to maintain their yards without using pesticides but are faced with some difficult choices. The book offers some alternative solutions to common problems as well as background information on subjects relating to pollinators and their habitats. Guide topics include managing soil health, caring for fruit trees, conifers, and roses, rethinking lawn care and fall clean-up, maintaining an organic vegetable garden, selecting deer resistant plants, choosing native perennials, and removing invasive species. Full-color photographs accompanying each article will help readers identify the various plants, flowers, shrubs, trees, beneficial insects and garden pests as they are discussed. This informative and readable guide was written by members of Protect Our Pollinators (POP), a Newtown-based group that advocates for sustainable practices to benefit native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Any organization or group who wishes to use the full pdf on line is welcome to do so. Anyone who would like a hard copy of the guide can order one for a suggested donation of $20 each. The guide will be mailed to your home, postage paid. Checks can be mailed to Mary Wilson, 12 Whippoorwill Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470. A reduced rate is available to any group that wishes to sell these guides at an event. Proceeds from the guides will be used for future educational and advocacy purposes to benefit pollinators.

By Donna Merrill Not everyone irrigates their lawn, and many avoid using dangerous pesticides and fertilizers, but everyone mows. It’s a fact of life in suburbia. It’s noisy, pollutes our air and water and creates yard waste. Yet we want to keep our lawn, which we see as an extension of our home, neat and tidy. Besides, many of us don’t have the time, the money, or the inclination to replace our lawns with wildflower meadows or butterfly gardens. So US Forest Service Research Ecologist Susannah Lerman has a suggestion: Make your lawn “less bad” by mowing once every two weeks instead of every week. We learned from No Mow May that a lawn left alone becomes a patch of flowers. In these patches is a diversity of wildflowers that support wildlife, including our native bees responsible for pollinating 87% of our flowering plants. Dr. Lerman conducted a research experiment in New England over a 2-year period and found that a lawn mowed every 3 weeks has 70% more flowering plants than one mowed every one or two weeks, but that lawns mowed every two weeks had the most bees. This higher abundance of bees contradicts the reasoning that more flowers equals more bees so for now scientists can only hypothesize. One thought takes into consideration that many of our native bees are about the size of a grain of rice, so perhaps these smaller bees cannot navigate through the taller grass to forage on the flowers in a lawn mowed every three weeks. More research on this issue is needed. The Pollinator Pathway promotes rethinking your lawn to combat these monocultural deserts, useless to birds and bees. Mowing less frequently is one immediate step a homeowner can take to lessen the impact of their lawn. It also gives permission to the neighbors that they, too, don’t need to be so fussy. Just like NO MOW MAY, it’s OK to be lazy. Mow every two weeks for the rest of the summer. It’s economical, simple, saves time and pollutes less.

"What is a seed? Seeds are our past, our present, and our future. Seeds are our ancestors and our future generations. We are humbled by the seed." As Pollinator Pathway makers and native plant lovers, we understand the importance of native plant seeds. Locally, the Ecotype Project was founded as a way to capture and cultivate Connecticut’s own wild plant seeds for service in habitat restoration. From home gardeners to nursery growers, the collection, protection, and promotion of local ecotypes will be central to the success of pollinator habitat restoration projects moving forward. But Native Americans have been harvesting and saving seed for centuries. You can learn more about indigenous seeds and our evolving relationship with corn, one of our most important seed relatives, when you tune in for Seeds for Seven Generations with gardener and writer Diane Wilson. Diane, a Native American (Dakota) and award-winning author, will discuss exciting work being done today by Native organizations to reclaim indigenous seeds as food for our communities and she'll explore the relationship between seed and writing her recently published novel, The Seed Keeper. Thursday, June 17th 12 noon - 1:30 pm REGISTER HERE! One attendee will be randomly selected at the beginning of Diane's talk to receive a free copy of The Seed Keeper. So make sure to join us! Diane is the Executive Director for the The Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA), a national coalition of tribes and organizations working to create sovereign food systems for Native people. Wilson is a Mdewakanton descendent, enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation. Seeds for Seven Generations is part of the Nature-Friendly Gardening Series of webinars sponsored by the Norwalk Public Library and the Norwalk River Watershed Association.