Lynnhurst Environmental Committee

Spring and Fall Habitat Garden Care for Pollinator Conservation

by Vicki Bonk, Nokomis Naturescape Volunteer Garden Steward

Native Plant Gardens at Lake Nokomis, Minneapolis MN

The Nokomis Naturescape was planted in 1998 with three native plant habitat gardens. This distinct type of gardening partners with nature, striving to provide food and shelter (habitat) to diverse native wildlife. The Naturescape demonstration gardens are maintained by volunteers* - chiefly native plant enthusiasts. We have learned through the years to modify our fall and spring clean-up routines with the goal of minimizing disturbance to beneficial wildlife. Our maintenance role is to enhance their shelter and ability to overwinter successfully. After all, pollinators make the world go round!

In the Fall, Less is More

There are many good reasons to leave things as they stand in the fall. It can be an adjustment to abandon the long-standing garden practice of raking and clipping the garden clean. Tidy zeal eliminates many creatures playing a vital role in a healthy ecosystem. Native bees, butterflies, moths, ladybugs, birds plus many more in the web of life, receive habitat benefits if we simply let the gardens be. People, too, are given the nature connection of a nuanced landscape with a sense of place. For instance, snow-capped dried seed heads add winter interest while providing wildlife food and shelter. Sure, some fall maintance is required, i.e. weeding invasive species, keeping clear edges and debris from streets, but the approach is deliberately gentle.

In the Spring, Tend with Care

When spring finally arrives in Minnesota, the urge to poke around in the garden comes natural. We want to get outside, look for emerging plants and often to “clean-up”. How to garden care-fully with native wildlife habitat in mind first and foremost? In early spring, many beneficial insects are not active yet, some still in hibernation, nesting or in pupae form. How to care for the garden without disturbing the creatures we want to conserve?

* Learn about the Nokomis Naturescape and volunteer opportunities at:

Nokomis East Neighborhood Association nokomiseast.org Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board minneapolisparks.org Wild Ones Twin Cities wildonestwincities.org

Do a Garden Study

Get outside and enjoy an investigative stroll. What plants are showing signs of life? Are blooming? See any early pollinators? Consider what plants to add and wildlife to invite. How has your garden environment changed from last year and what adjustments would improve pollinator habitat? A deliberate study can help you consider habitat priorities before diving into a spring clean-up that could clean-out many beneficial insects with their shelters.

Protect Pollinator Homes

One way to develop a habitat point-of-view, is to consider the following elements on your grounds as potential homes for unseen beings since they very well may be. With this in mind, modify your garden care actions. Step away from the habit of blowing, raking, clipping and bagging all that valuable biomass, that is then hauled away, diminishing important insect populations in the process.

Plant Stems: Many helpful insects including tiny native bees, pest-eating predators like lacewings and syrphid flies, overwinter in hollow plant stems. CARE: 1. Avoid cutting down plant stems too early in spring. 2. When cutting back, leave at least 15” of stem and let that remain up over the growing season for insect cavity dwellings the following year. 3. Cut stems may be strewn on the ground to double as mulch and insect havens. 4. Another solution is to bundle, tie and hang horizontallly, a few dozen of the stems to serve as homes for native cavity dwelling bees.

Leaf Litter: The leaf litter is a wintering nest for many beneficial adult insects, as well, as eggs and pupae. Some adult butterflies, such as mourning cloak, question marks, and commas hibernate in the leafy beds. CARE: 1. Wait until temperatures warm to remove leaves from perennial gardens (to at least a steady string of 50 degree days). 2. Leave at least a layer to act as moisture-retaining mulch while adding soil nutrition and fiber.

Soil: A variety of insects overwinter in soil burrows in either adult, egg or pupae form, including hummingbird clearwing moths and many native bees. CARE: 1. Keep the soil uncovered and do not mulch especially with a thick wood chip layer (or plastic). 2. Wait to mulch until weather warms and soil is drier. 3. Try to maintain some open soil areas in your yard or garden.

Woody Perennials: A variety of butterflies and moths overwinter as cocoons and chrysalises suspended on branches.
CARE: Keep a look out for cocoons and chrysalises as you prune. Leave the occupied branch be or place cut branch in a safe place to emerge.

These simple actions add up from garden to garden, making a significant difference towards healthier pollinator populations.

Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides) is a perennial forb from Eurasia and a member of the Bluebell family that many locals mistake for a native wildflower and allow to grow freely. It often escapes to natural areas where it forms patches that can crowd out native plants. The plants spread by seed as well as underground runners (rhizomes) that form large carrot-like white tubers. While above ground only a few leaves may be visible, below ground are constantly spreading fibrous roots. In Wisconsin this plant is restricted, i.e., illegal to grow or transport. And in Lynnhurst, creeping bellflower has taken over in some areas, displacing native plants. 

The best way to eliminate creeping bellflower is to dig at least 6” deep to locate and remove all rhizomes and perennial roots. Chemicals don't work because of the large root systems. Missed roots will re-sprout, requiring a sustained effort. However, it's well worth the effort to stop this invasive plant from further damaging our beautiful neighborhood gardens and natural areas. 

More information
Visit these websites to learn more:

Campanula rapunculoides (Creeping Bellflower): Minnesota Wildflowers

Is this plant a weed? : Garden : University of Minnesota Extension (umn.edu)

For those who use Facebook, there is an engaging, informative and often funny group called “Creeping Bellflower Battles” that anyone can join. It’s a recommended resource for those who are struggling with this unwanted invasive plant in their gardens.

What is it?
Garlic Mustard is an invasive species from Europe and Asia on the restricted weed list. It’s an herbaceous plant found in woodlands and disturbed areas.

Why is it bad?
Garlic Mustard inhibits the beneficial fungi associated with native plants causing a decline in other vegetation within five to seven years. It takes over an area.

How to identify it?
Garlic Mustard grows 1-6 inches tall in its first year and 1-4 feet tall in its second year. It flowers in the second year with many small white flowers each with four petals. It is often the only plant blooming in wooded areas in May. The leaves are dark green with a scalloped edge that smell like garlic when crushed.

What to do about it?
Garlic Mustard should be pulled out by hand being sure to get most of the white taproot. If it’s flowering or has seeds, the plants need to be disposed of in the trash – not composted – so it does not spread.

Learn More
You can find more information on the UofM Extension website.

Siberian Squill is a little blue bell-shaped flower that sprouts under trees and bushes right after the snow melts. It blooms before most anything has a chance to leaf out. The leaves are five-inch long and grass-like. 

As the name implies, squill is from Siberia and is not native to North America. It spreads easily to natural areas by self-seeding or bulb offshoots. Squill crowds out good spring native plants like bloodroot, wild ginger, trillium, and liverwort. 

Getting rid of squill is a challenge. The flowers can be plucked off before the seeds form to prevent another generation of new plants. Squill has a bulb three to four inches deep into the soil that needs to be dug out to kill the plant. Flowers, seeds, and bulbs should be put in the trash – not composted or put in yard waste – to prevent the spread.

More information
Visit these websites to learn more:
https://extension.umn.edu/identify-invasive-species/squill
https://www.larkspurplantresources.info/2021/05/the-pretty-problem-of-siberian-squill.html

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