Pollinator Pathway
Cape Cod
Welcome to Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod, a regional initiative to increase pollinator-friendly habitats and food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinating insects and wildlife across Cape Cod.
Our goal is to create corridors of native trees, shrubs, and flowers that birds, bees, butterflies, and other insects can rely on as they travel throughout Cape Cod. We are working to EDUCATE towns, businesses, organizations, and home gardeners on the importance of creating pollinator friendly landscapes, ENGAGE them in the project, and DEMONSTRATE the beauty of such gardens through highly visible demonstration gardens such as those pictured below.
Please view A RESOLUTION Declaring the Town of Orleans, Massachusetts a Pollinator-Friendly Community here.
Public Pollinator Gardens
Meadow on Main - Chatham, MA
Meadow on Main – Mayo House, Chatham Conservation Foundation Office in Chatham, MA showcasing Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Thompson's Field - Harwich, MA
Thompsons’s Field, a Town of Harwich property with a wildflower garden built and maintained by the Garden Club of Harwich features Golden Yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Tickseed (Coreopsis) and Beardtongue ‘Husker Red’ (Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’).
Association to Preserve Cape Cod - Dennis, MA
Pollinator garden at the headquarters of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Dennis MA featuring Monarch butterflies feasting on Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) flanked by Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). The garden also features Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and Goldenrod (Solidago).
Mass Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary - Wellfleet MA
The Mass Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellfleet MA features a pollinator garden with Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis), New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveborecensis), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) supporting wasps, bees and moths.
Theresa's Way - Orleans, MA
A pollinator pathway at Theresa’s Way in Orleans, MA sponsored by the Orleans Improvement Association is under development.
Lyn Peabody Wildflower Gardens - Brewster, MA
Trillium luteum, Podophyllum peltatum and Iris cristata blooming at the Lyn Peabody Wildflower Gardens, maintained by the Nauset Garden Club at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Brewster, MA
JOIN US!
You can be part of the Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod. Simply:
ADD a few more natives--trees, shrubs, and flowers that are adapted to local conditions are the best food sources for native pollinators and often require less water. Find our list of New England Native Plants for Pollinators for examples of commonly available natives and their seasonal bloom times.
SUBTRACT a little lawn -- reduce the size and mow less often.
AVOID chemical fertilizers and pesticides -- they’re not healthy for pollinators or anyone else.
LEAVE the leaves -- go easy on the fall clean-up of beds and borders since many pollinators over winter in leaf matter.
To join the Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod, individuals or organizations can click on the link below to get your pollinator garden added to the Pathway map.
Join the Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod as a "Participating Organization" and be listed below! If your non-profit group, business, or town supports the above four principles of our regional project, and is working to increase pollinator friendly habitats and food sources on Cape Cod, we want to link to your organization's webpage and help you spread the news of your good work. To get started and to learn more, please email us at pollinatorpathwaycapecod@gmail.com. Current participating organizations include: