Pollinator Resources

Much pollinator habitat has been lost to agriculture, resource extraction, and urban and suburban development. Although these land uses can provide floral resources and benefit some pollinators, many butterflies, moths, bees, and other insects are habitat-specific, and the loss of habitat that provides sites for overwintering, foraging for pollen and nectar, or nesting can be detrimental to these species.

Many pollinators are adversely affected when large, intact tracts of habitat are broken up into smaller, isolated patches by road construction, development, or agriculture. These habitat fragments may not be large enough to meet all pollinator needs by themselves. Establishing and maintaining connectivity—safe passage among patches—is key to pollinator persistence in these areas.

Habitat degradation, the decline in habitat quality, is another serious concern. For example, the loose, friable soil required by ground-nesting bees may be trampled by heavy foot traffic or the use of off-road vehicles. In cities, ground-nesting species may be particularly limited due to the large amount of landscape that has been covered with concrete or other impervious surface.

You can increase the number of pollinators in your area by making conscious choices to include plants that provide essential habitat for bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.

Maryland Native Plant Society clickable map of native plant nurseries

POLLINATOR PLOTS ON HOWARD COUNTY OPEN SPACE

Brenda Lee, Natural Resources Division, Department of Recreation and Parks.

Since the late 1990’s, Natural Resource Management plans have been created for all Regional Parks, some neighborhood parks and some of the larger open space parcels. These documents include detailed assessments and inventories of existing natural resource features collected from the use of biological field surveys, vegetative sampling and GIS mapping. They also include management recommendations to enhance wildlife habitat, trail management, and BMPs for forestry, meadow, pond, and soil conservation management.

Where feasible, meadow management recommendations have been made and are implemented by Park Staff and/or contractors. These recommendations benefit a host of ground nesting birds, early successional wildlife species and a variety of pollinator species. Many of these practices have been in place since the 1990’s.

Some meadow sites are mowed annually to keep in early successional species; however, as funding has allowed, some sites have been renovated and planted to meadow plant species mixtures to benefit a variety of pollinators. These sites include:

Western Regional Park – 5.0 acre warm-season grass meadow planted in 2000.

Centennial Park – 5.4-acre meadow planted in 2015 with a plant species mix that was generated in consult with the Howard County Bird Club. The HoCo Bird Club paid for the seed mix in this area. A second 1.5- acre meadow area  near the west entrance by the tennis courts was converted in 2018.

Daisy Meadow – 1.5- acre meadow established in 2016. This parcel of land was purchased after a group of concerned citizens petition the County Council to preserve it.

Schooley Mill Park – This park contains 32.0 acres of early succession habitat. In 2018, a 1.0- acre area was converted to the pollinator seed mix used at Centennial. The HoCo Bird Club paid for the seed mix in this area. An additional 1.0 acre area was converted in 2022. There is currently a total of 3.0 acres.

Belmont Manor – This park contains a 4.5 acre pollinator meadow established in 2021 and a 10 box bluebird nest box trail maintained by Sue Probst.

Rockburn Branch Park – This park contains 3.0 pollinator meadow established in 2021.

Worthington Dog Park – This area contains a 0.5 pollinator meadow established in 2021.

Haviland Mill Park is a recent addition with a 1.5 acre pollinator meadow.

West Friendship  has a total of 16 acres of pollinator meadows.

Woodstock Park  has 6 acres of pollinator meadows.

MPEA (Middle Patuxent Environmental Area) – Clegg’s Meadow is an area of about 8 acres of native warm-season grasses, first planted in 2001, and now well established. An additional 3- acre area nearby was also planted as a native warm-season grass meadow. These areas should serve as nocturnal roosting fields for breeding woodcock and apart of the Woodcock Management Plan for the MPEA. However, these fields also contain a variety of forbs that serve as both nectar and larval host plants for a variety of pollinators.

In addition, the MPEA and all other planted pollinator meadows are registered as official Monarch Butterfly Way-Station through MonarchWatch.org and has participated since 2010 in this effort to provide monarch habitat, tag and recover tags along the monarch migration routes. Signage in these meadows serve as demonstration areas to promote individual environmental stewardship by example. Park users can come and enjoy these areas recreationally, while, perhaps, implementing similar efforts back at home.

All meadows on Department lands are maintained by an annual winter mowing, careful spot spraying of some invasive plants and volunteers that hand pull weeds during organized events.