By: Sarah Katan
On May 7, Partners for Climate Action (PCA) launched their new resource: pollinatehv.org. This well thought out website provides much needed information to support the Hudson Valley’s at-risk pollinators.
If you’re anything like me, then you also get overwhelmed sometimes by all the sustainable actions we should be taking. Watching water consumption, driving more fuel efficient cars or carpooling, food scrapping, repairing broken or worn items rather than buying new … and on and on and on. But all the various options lead me to analysis paralysis and I end up doing nothing because I don’t know if it is the right thing to do or if it will have the type of impact I am aiming for.
Luckily for me, pollinatehv.org has taken the guess-work out. This resource was specifically designed to target at-risk pollinators in the Hudson Valley that will have the biggest positive impact on our local ecosystems as their populations recover. Our part in all this is to plant specific native plants, which provide food and shelter to support these pollinators.
And pollinatehv.org has made it super easy to figure out which native plants to plant. The How To Guide provides support from planning and preparing your site to selecting plants to installation. PCA worked with four test sites including urban landscape and reclaimed corn field, so no matter what part of your land or yard you want to make more pollinator friendly, there are examples to work off of.
You can hear all about the process of these test sites and much more in a recording of the webinar PCA held as one of their Morning Coffee sessions on May 7. These monthly morning webinars are excellent. The next Morning Coffee is on Tuesday, June 11. Topic details and registration can be found here.
The most useful tool I found on the website was the Action Guide Plant List. At the bottom of the page are specific lists that are an excellent starting point for gardeners like myself who suffer from that aforementioned analysis paralysis. Instead of wondering if I’m getting a plant that will do well in my extremely shady backyard, I can simply reference the curated list of “Pollinator Plants for Shady Gardens” and then go to the Local Nursery List to find a place to purchase them!
Small actions. Big impacts. That’s what sustainability on a local level is all about.
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