LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 32 On a hot morning in early July, butterflies flit among the bee balm and flowering shrubs bordering the woods surrounding Richelle Colucci-Nunn's yard. Over the past few years, Colucci-Nunn has worked to transform this one-acre space into a wildlife-friendly habitat full of native plants. The mosaic of tall grass, wildflowers, fruit trees, and mowed paths encircling a large vegetable garden now bears little resemblance to the clipped lawn that originally surrounded the house she shares in Thurman with her husband Mike. We walk along a mowed path to one of her most recent projects, a 50 -square-foot patch of wildflowers planted last spring as part of the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District's inaugural Pledge a Plot for Pollinators program. The program provides free wildflower seeds and planting advice to Warren County residents who agree to convert at least 100 square feet of their yard to pollinator habitat. Just a handful of sunny yellow Coreopsis and black- eyed Susans are blooming so far, and the insects are more interested in the common milkweed scattered throughout Colucci-Nunn's yard. But by late last summer, "Oh, it was buzzing," she enthused. "I mean this one patch, like, cause it had so much diversity in it…so it had tons of different pollinators in it…It was fascinating to watch." She has one other plot cur- rently seeded and four more that she's preparing by smothering with tarps to kill the existing vegetation. Then she'll rake up the dead plant material, spread the seed, and water regularly until the plants are established. But after that, the plots require very little work. After her first plot was established last summer, she "didn't do anything…didn't do anything. No water, no nothing," Colucci-Nunn said. "It's really easy, and it's gorgeous. It just is gorgeous and the pollinators… when we get them in a collection, it's like a cacopho- ny...of the buzzing and stuff, it's awesome." Colucci-Nunn's wildflower plot shows how even small habitat patches can help to support native in- sects, whose steeply declining populations have been worrying scientists. Causes include loss of habitat, pesticide use, and a changing climate. A steep drop in native pollinators could have dramatic consequences for native plants and the rest of the food web that depends on them. The Pledge a Plot for Pollinators program aims to bolster local pollinator populations by creating a patchwork of habitats where pollinators can feed and reproduce, and joins other North Country efforts with similar goals. Dramatic die-offs in honey bee populations made headlines in 2006. "Colony collapse disorder," as it was named, focused public attention on the plight of the honey bee, a European species that the USDA says is used to pollinate an annual $15 billion worth of food crops in the U.S. Honey bee populations have stabi- lized since then, but native insect pollinators are in trouble. This lesser-known group includes a dizzying array of species. There are around 450 native species of bees in New York State alone, ranging from small, glitter- ing metallic green bees to the more familiar, fuzzy yellow and black bumble bees buzzing loudly through our gardens. Butterflies, flies, moths, beetles, and wasps all act as pollinators, as well. Around 85% of the world's flowering plants depend on insects or other animals, including bats and birds, for their reproduc- tion, according to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Native insects are often more efficient Adirondack Pollinator Pathways By Erika Schielke Photo credit: Eric Adsit

• Cover