Join passionate managers of pollination system gardens across the SuAsCo to learn about the importance of native plants, gardening to improve habitat, and ecosystem interactions. Feel free to contact Mike Perrin ([email protected]) with any questions.
On February 15, 2023, Dr. Robert Gegear gave a presentation entitled "More than just the buzz: A pPractical guide to restoring native plant-pollinator systems (and why it matters)" at the Stow Community Center. The program was sponsored by the Bumble Bee Project and SVT.
Stow TV recorded the session and posted it to YouTube.
Pollinator Preservation Gardens provide the plants and other habitat features required by our at-risk pollinators. To demonstrate the features of a Pollinator Preservation Garden, the Bumble Bee Project has installed Public Display Gardens in several communities. These gardens provide model habitat and help to educate others about at-risk pollination systems.
We are seeking Volunteer Community Ambassadors to help install additional Public Display Gardens in all 36 towns and cities in the MCA Region. Community Ambassadors will serve a key role in the promotion of the Bumble Bee Project, the creation of habitat for native pollinators, and the restoration of pollination systems.
Read more about becoming a Volunteer Community Ambassador for the Bumble Bee Project.
Not all plants provide nectar, pollen, or habitat for native pollinators or at-risk pollinators.
Choosing native plants over ornamentals helps many different kinds of pollinators including bees, moths, butterflies, and birds. Bees also need nesting and overwintering habitat, not just flowers.
Dr. Gegear has developed a list of plants he recommends for at-risk pollinators. This list provides detailed information about the bloom time, sun and soil needs, and which species of pollinator prefers that plant. This is a great resource and an essential tool for your pollinator gardening journey.
Please note: Some of the plants on Dr. Gegear’s recommended plant list are state listed. They are protected by the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.
It is illegal to collect these plants, their seeds or any other part of the plant from wild populations. However, it is legal to purchase them from a nursery and plant them in your yard or garden.
Dr. Gegear encourages planting the rare plants because he believes it will aid the recovery of the plants and the pollination systems. A group of Massachusetts plant conservationists strongly discourage this practice because they believe that rare plant conservation requires a more thoughtful process that accounts for various biological and ecological factors.
The following plants on Dr. Gegear's list are state-listed (E = endangered; T = threatened):
In 2023, the Bumble Bee Project compiled the following lists of nurseries that sell native plants. We do not have plans to update the lists at this time, so we recommend you call ahead to see if the nurseries carry the plants you wish to purchase.
Pre-recorded workshop (Oct 19, 2024) outlining proper methods for native plant seed collection: watch here
The MCA’s Native Pollinator Task Force has launched the Bumble Bee Project to promote the conservation of at-risk native bumble bees.
The mission of the Bumble Bee Project is to conserve native pollination systems by providing the specific habitats required by at-risk pollinators--and to reduce the threats to those pollinators--in the 36 communities of the Metrowest Conservation Alliance (MCA).
In recent years, many gardeners have been creating pollinator gardens in their backyards and in public spaces. To track the location of these gardens--and to track the increasing number of pollinator gardens over time--we have created an online, interactive map of these pollinator plantings in our region. Learn more and add your garden to the map!
Many species of native pollinators are declining primarily due to habitat loss and also due to the prevalent use of some pesticides and to climate change. This crucial decline warrants action, because over three-quarters of the world’s flowering plants need pollination from of a diversity of animals to reproduce. Native pollinators and plants have co-evolved over time to form interdependent and mutually beneficial relationships known as pollination systems.
The many types of plants and pollinators have many unique, and often specialized, relationships. Bumblebee species visit different flowers depending on the length of the bumblebee’s tongue aligning with the shape of the flower. Bumblebees forage on different plants to fulfill their needs for nectar and pollen.
Preserving the diversity of these relationships keeps the whole pollination system healthy. When we provide the essential habitat features for the at-risk species we are also providing important habitat for many other native pollinators. (Learn how gardening for native pollinators differs from traditional gardening.)
A major public misconception about native pollinator decline is that all species are declining at the same rate. This is not true.
In Metrowest, the populations of two bumble bee species, Bombus fervidus (golden northern bumble bee; shown on a fingertip [no stinger]) and Bombus vagans (half-black bumble bee) have declined dramatically, and Bombus terricola (yellow-banded bumble bee; bottom image), which is found at high elevation in Western MA, is also at risk. In contrast, the populations of Bombus impatiens (common eastern bumblebee) have increased dramatically.
The Bumble Bee Project is focusing on efforts to conserve the most at-risk bumble bees in Metrowest. Our work is based on the research and recommendations of Dr. Robert Gegear, Professor at UMass Dartmouth and founder of The Beecology Project, a citizen science app to study foraging habits of bumble bees. You can find more information about his research on his website: https://gegearlab.weebly.com
Task Force members are Giancarla Kalpas (Chelmsford), Karin Paquin (Marlborough), Mark Hanson (Concord), and Erin Jade (Littleton).
Email [email protected] to contact the Native Pollinator Task Force.