Mother Nature’s messengers need consideration year-round. Here’s what you can do to give them a helping hand.
When we see the first bit of green finally break through the earth or bud form on a tree outside our window, we know spring has indeed sprung. That’s when many of us start to think of our pollinator friends and what we can do to help them as our plants begin to grow and bloom.
But what about the dog days of summer? Although the Texas climate may have gardens looking less than lovely by August, pollinators will still need us. With a little advance planning now, we can support pollinators through the sweltering months and into fall.
Some popular garden plants like roses are usually self-pollinated or pollinated by the wind, but most of the flowers you can buy at a nursery are going to attract and need pollinators. Around 80% of flowering plants need pollinators to reproduce, and over three-quarter of the staple crops that feed people and livestock do too.
Read more at Texas A&M University
Image: Pollinators have preferences when it comes to the plants they choose to pollinate, so splashing different colors is important to supporting them.
(Credit: Courtney Sacco/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)