Insects are in trouble.
A 2019 study found that, worldwide, 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction. Another survey found that up to 60% of the insects that pollinate crops in New York State are at risk of disappearing—the rusty-patched bumble bee already has.
When Woodstock resident Georgia Asher attended a lecture by entomologist E.O. Wilson a few years ago and learned about the threats to insects, she decided to act. With the help of the Woodstock Land Conservancy, she organized a film showing and a series of Zoom presentations on how to save insects by creating pollinator pathways.
That grassroots effort has since flourished. Today, more than 200 gardens are mapped as part of the Woodstock Pollinator Pathway, a local offshoot of the national initiative encouraging gardeners to plant native species that sustain bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. By linking yards and gardens across neighborhoods, the pathway creates continuous habitat where insects can feed and reproduce—offering a lifeline for species in decline.
Insects like bees, butterflies, and moths cannot survive unless they find enough of the plants they depend on for nectar and pollen. The monarch is not the only butterfly whose caterpillars can only eat a specific plant, milkweed. Karner blue butterflies are in decline because they can’t find enough wild lupine for their caterpillars. The fragile mining bee feeds on pollen and nectar from native dogwoods, blueberries and willows, and is now at risk because fewer of these grow in the wild.
Pollinator Pathway, a national nonprofit, encourages gardeners across the country to plant native wildflowers that pollinators need. If several gardens in a neighborhood include the right plants, then bees, butterflies, and moths can move from garden to garden, gathering nectar and pollen, and laying eggs for the next generation.
Today, more than 200 gardens are on the Woodstock map. Gail Albert, Vivienne Hodges, and Marietta Brill are among the gardeners who have helped make the project a success.
Nature photographer Gail Albert started gardening for pollinators even before the project began. In the shade of mature trees—almost 80% of Woodstock is forested—she has added shade-tolerant pollinator plants, including hawthorn, silky dogwood, ferns, and mountain mint. Using an Audubon list, she chose shrubs like serviceberry and American holly, which attract both pollinators and birds. “I have been most excited by two bluebirds this year, a species I have never seen before this summer in my garden.”
Artist Vivienne Hodges, whose garden long featured hydrangeas and rhododendrons, shifted her focus in 2012 after enrolling in an environmental science program. She joined the Pollinator Pathway group and now grows Joe Pye flower, orange coneflower, great blue lobelia, and other native perennials. Butterflies flutter through, and bumble bees buzz around the flowers.
Poet Marietta Brill began planting for pollinators just two years ago, after the pathway was established. Her biggest success is brown-eyed Susan, beloved by both birds and bees. At first it grew slowly, she says, then “started taking over.” She also planted asters, goldenrod, bee balm, and carpenter’s square, a shade-adapted plant with tiny dark red flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Asher believes the Woodstock project succeeded because it gave people something concrete they could do to protect the environment. Early on, the biggest challenge was finding native plants. Local nurseries carried almost none, so volunteers compiled a list of regional nurseries and online suppliers. With help from those nurseries and the Pollinate HV website, which recommends plants for at-risk pollinators in the Hudson Valley, they created a list of native plants suited to Woodstock’s ecology. Both lists are now available on the Woodstock NY Pollinator Pathway website.
Asher’s advice for others hoping to start a pathway in their community: bring interested people together and involve local organizations. “It’s not that hard,” she says. Today, Woodstock gardeners planting for pollinators can register online to be added to the local map. Gardeners elsewhere can join the effort through the national Pollinator Pathway website.
Margaret Tomlinson is a contributing writer. You can send her an email at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.