As we were closing on our house, we noticed two dead trees and negotiated to have them removed. (The intense wind storms we now face made that ESSENTIAL).
So, we had a stump. It took two years for a stump-grinder to free up — they’re even expensive to rent!
Finally, the stump was ground. So, we had a hole.
I turned that hole into a pollinator patch.
Last summer I picked up a FREE monarch kit (milkweed, butterfly bush, zinnia seeds) from a great community org, and dedicated a space in my backyard to feeding pollinators.
This year I picked up that kit again but saved some pollinator plants for the FRONT yard.
One of my neighbor’s landscapers shouted to me from across the street one morning that I could pick up a custom small bit of sod if I wanted to cover this patch. Maybe he thought it looked messy.
That was a few weeks ago and the patch is blooming! I am trying to add signs and other info to show that this is INTENTIONAL.
Here it is, my patch in bloom:
I do see it buzzing with bees, especially early in the morning. And sometimes I watch the wild rabbits eat the clover. WHICH IS GREAT! The idea is they’ll get so full on clover that they won’t hop into my raised beds to eat my human crops. Here’s hoping.
Here’s my most recent lesson for kiddos at a community fair: no pollinators, no food!
I made this patch the wallpaper on my phone because it brings me such joy:
Laura Eppinger 