‘If you plant it, they will come’: Pollinator gardens help butterflies and bees thrive

SOMERVILLE, Mass. — At a park in Somerville, it is easy to see a beautiful butterfly pollinating a flower.

This process is essential for many plants to survive, but in recent years, the population of these pollinating insects has plunged.

There is now a push to create more gardens that will allow bees and butterflies to thrive.

The plants at a small garden at the Morse Kelly Playground now act like magnet for pollinating insects.

“The idea of a pollinator garden is just to get our insects back,” said Tori Antonio, an ecological landscaper.

Creating spaces like this is a priority in Somerville, according to Luisa Oliveira, the city’s Director of Public Space and Urban Forestry.

“This year we are going to write a pollinator action plan,” explained Oliveira.” “Specifically, to understand what pollinators are here and what they need to survive…It’s the first of its kind in a city as densely populated as Somerville.”

This comes at time when pollinators like bees and butterflies are facing a crisis. Their populations have been decimated by loss of habitat, pesticides, and climate change.

Bees pollinate about a third of the world’s food supply.

Without them, we would not have foods such as chocolate, coffee, peaches, and apples.

Earlier this summer, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation ran “Growing Wild for Pollinators” program.

In association with 17 nurseries across, they gave away pollinator garden starter kits.

Eric Seaborn, DCR director of natural resources, says a green thumb is not required to create a pollinators garden.

Because these gardens are made up of native plants, he says “They generally require less maintenance and they’re acclimated to our climate, our conditions for growing here, so you don’t have to be a gardening expert, you just you know follow some simple rules.”

This year visitors to Cold Spring Park in Newton will find a new pollinators garden.

It’s a little oasis that’s already attracting visitors, according to Alan Nogee, President of the Friends of Cold Spring Park. “As soon as the flowers bloomed, we began to see butterflies and bees.”

Nogee believes each park like the one he helped create can add up to make a real difference.

“It’s one garden at a time, one plant at a time,” said Nogee. “You don’t have to convert your garden to all native plants overnight. Each one you add helps more insects and pollinators.”

“If you plant it, they will come. It works like that,” added Antonio. “When you have your bee and butterfly friends back, your heart swells with joy.”

According to state officials, 45% of agricultural commodities in Massachusetts rely on pollinators.

Those pollinators include birds and bats, as well as bees and butterflies.

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