Cities: Where Pollinator Habitat Happens

I’m taking an assumption leap by stating that when people hear “native bees” or “pollinators” an image of wilderness leaps to mind. This perhaps common response veers fairly from reality in most areas of the United States (and probably most of North America). Let’s begin with some reality. Much of the agriculture in much of the region is industrialized, far from natural or wild. Why this happened is beyond the scope of this post, but this reality creates a huge impact for native bees and other pollinators. Even the industrialized honey bees—honey bees are an introduced species to N. America—struggle in a an ecosystem strictly converted for human consumption.
70% of native bee species nest in soil. Most of these require some percentage of bare soil. In the way much of the land is allocated in farming states avoids bare soil. Farmers plant from fence to fence, leaving no room for the soil native bees need to survive. These lands are often treated with pesticides, a direct threat to native bee survival.
City and landscapes are for more diverse by definition. I doubt there is a cow in your neighborhood if you live in one of these areas. More than likely, there’s a few gardens near you. Most in urban locations live within driving distance of a park. Most of these have a college campus or two. As a macro-photographer in a city, I can assure there are a variety of places to find a variety of pollinators.

[QUOTE FROM BERRI BROSE ARTICLE]

I’ve also taken trips into the countryside. Without getting into too much detail, much of the agricultural areas in Southwest Washington are also planted fence to fence. We hardly saw any flowers, let alone a variety of them. This is part of the food system that sustains our economies. Changing it will take time.

Meanwhile in a Neighborhood Near You…


Many are getting the message. I see more than a few neighborhoods where the traditional grass lawn has turned into a rarity. Looking beyond the agricultural angle, this makes sense in a few ways:
 

  • People learn by example

  • Denser population means more people to learn from

  • Urban dwellers do not experience the many challenges farmers do

  • US food systems draw producers into a closed loop system

  • The cultural draw of the perfect green lawn is fading

  • Pollinator advocacy produces results

As typical in many life areas, many factors add up why we record more pollinators in urban than rural areas.



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