Take action!
Tales have been passed down through generations of queens, telling of how bumblebees from many hives used to gather in fields to get nectar and pollen. Now, I’m lucky to see one of my kind on my daily travels. Pollinators are in decline across the globe. There are many ways that you can help me and the other pollinators. Here are five easy ways to help:1) Plant native plants! If you are from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island, check out the link for feature plants at Stop 4 - Plants. If you live elsewhere, research the plants that are native to where you live. You don’t need a large, dedicated space to create a pollinator garden of your own. Add a native plant to your existing garden or start with a small flower pot on your balcony. Adding any kind of flower is better than a lawn. I’m always looking for the next buzzing pollinator hangout!2) Plant in clumps! Group each plant species in clumps around the garden. This is visually appealing and creates a bigger target for pollinators to spot. The best-tasting nectar is often the one that’s easiest to find.3) Feel good about being lazy with maintenance! Leave some dead plants, dead wood and exposed soil in your garden. Some pollinators nest in dead plants and burrow in the soil. Resist the temptation to rake out your beds in the fall. These habitats are also important for overwintering pollinators. Initiatives like No-Mow-May give pollinators a chance to snack on dandelions while waiting for other plants to bloom. I hear humans can eat dandelions too!4) Turn off your lights at night!Nocturnal insects, like moths, use the moon to navigate. Artificial light at night throws off their internal compass, drawing them into the light instead of performing their nightly pollinating duties. Motion sensor lights and yellow-tinted bulbs help to reduce the number of my nocturnal friends that get bedazzled by outdoor lighting. Personally, I make sure I am tucked into the nest before the sun sets.5) Pesticide-free! Avoid using pesticides and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Avoid treated seeds that embed pesticides into the tissues of the plant. I don’t want my job to be any riskier than it has to be!
Pollinators
Us bees can’t do all the pollinating. Thankfully, there are other types of insect pollinators such as beetles, butterflies, flies, moths, true bugs and wasps. Hummingbirds also pollinate plants. I see many pollinators around the garden. Here are some of their photos.
Plants
Did you know there are over 600 native plant species that can be found throughout Fundy National Park? I love flying around the Park to see them all! I have met many of my fellow pollinator pals while visiting the different types of plants - from a Margined Calligrapher in a Shrubby Cinquefoil flower to a Dark Paper Wasp gathering nectar from Black Chokeberry. All of this diversity makes our ecosystem stronger.
A little garden history
Tales have been passed down through a long line of bumblebee queens, of how some humans have gardened and foraged for a long time. Some people collect and showcase plants from distant regions. Others gather plants provided by their local lands.As I fly around to visit different plants, I’ve come to realize that every garden serves a different purpose. Some humans design their gardens with beauty in mind, where plants are selected based on their appearance. Other gardeners grow plants for animals or humans to eat. Others focus on growing plants for medicinal purposes.
Garden planning
Parks Canada staff and volunteers have turned six non-native flower beds into this one giant pollinator garden. Over time, as the garden took shape, it filled with a diversity of native plants. After a couple of years and many plants, see how great the garden looks today!When making the garden, the Parks Canada team kept my needs in mind, as well as those of my local pollinator pals. Just like humans, we need food, shelter, space and water to survive.
Let's begin!
Hello! My name is Elizabee, I’m a worker yellow-banded bumblebee (Bombus terricola). As I take you through the tour today, you may notice that some of my words appear in bold. All these terms can be found in the glossary on the main menu or in a link at the bottom of each stop.My kind has been given many names by the Wabanaki (waa-buh-naa-kee) peoples. The Mi'gmaq people, know me as amu (a-moo) - a bee. The Wolastoqiyik and the Peskotomuhkati peoples know me as kci-amuwesok (chee-um-wez)- the bumblebee.The Wabanaki peoples were some of the first humans to inhabit Turtle Island, also known today as North America. Wabanaki means “people of the dawn” and includes five Indigenous groups: Mi'gmaq (Mee-g-mahk), Wolastoqiyik (Wool-ah-sto-gway), Peskotomuhkati (Pass-uh-muh-KWAH-dee), Pαnawάhpskewi (pana-wap-ske-wi) and Abenaki (A-be-na-ki). The Mi'gmaq people have inhabited the region where Fundy National Park is located since time immemorial.
Glossary
Clumps (plants) – a group of things bundled or clustered together.Ecosystem – an area where living things, such as plants and animals, interact with non-living things, like the weather and water, to provide life. The area can be big like Fundy National Park or small, such as a tide pool.Worker bee (female) – worker bees are exclusively females that cannot reproduce. Young worker bees care for the hive and the queen, while older worker bees leave to find nectar.Hibernate – spending an extended period of time in a dormant state when food would otherwise be difficult to find – a type of overwintering. Usually, hibernating organisms have a low body temperature, slow breathing, slow heart rate, and low metabolism.Male drone (bee) – a male bee whose primary purpose is to mate with the queen. They don’t have stingers and aren’t capable of collecting nectar or pollen. Their eyes and body size are larger than those of a worker bee.Native (garden, flowers) – occurs naturally or historically existed in a given region. Commonly, was around before humans brought plants from other areas of the world. Adapted to local soil conditions, moisture, weather conditions and co-evolved with native insect species.Nectar – a thick and sweet secretion from plant glands. It’s a watery solution of sucrose, fructose, and glucose with a sugar content of 3-80% depending on the plant. In addition to sugar, there are also traces of proteins and salt.Nocturnal (insects, animals, ….) – active at night.Non-native (garden, flowers) – introduced by humans or other means to an area where they didn’t historically exist. Over time, they may adapt to local environmental conditions.Overwintering – how some organisms spend the winter months when resources are otherwise difficult to find. Examples include hibernation and migration.Pesticides – a substance used to kill, rappel or control various types of plants or animals that are harmful to humans or present a cause for concern.Pollen – is produced in the male structures of the flower and carried through various means (wind, insects, etc.) to the female structures of the flower for fertilization. Although it appears as a dust, each pollen grain is a distinct body of varying shape and structure.Pollinators – bees, butterflies, and other wildlife that transfer pollen from flower to flower, resulting in seeds, fruits, and the next generation of plants.Pollinator Garden – an outdoor space that is carefully planned to be a welcoming habitat for pollinators. The most important element of a pollinator garden is for it to include plants that are native to your region.Queen (bees) – the largest bee in the hive whose one responsibility is to lay eggs.Roadmaps (flower) – a plan showing the location and access points of nectar. Flowers will have UV light roadmaps to show bees and other pollinators how to access the nectar within.Species at Risk – an extirpated, endangered, threatened species, or a species of special concern.Steward – a person whose responsibility is to take care of something.Trail grade – the steepness of the trail over a certain length.Ultraviolet (UV) light – has shorter wavelengths than visible light. They’re invisible to the human eye but still used by some insects to find nectar in flowers.Unceded – not handed over or signed away. This is usually used in the context of land stolen from Indigenous Peoples throughout the colonialization of North America by the Europeans.
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