Don't Keep Chickens to Save Wild Birds

and other pro tips from recent Washington Post articles

Just dropping into your inboxes to share links to a few recent Washington Post articles that caught my attention. Apologies to non-subscribers who may hit a paywall. I’ll give you the TL;DR here.

In “The Unexpected Downside of Raising Bees in Your Backyard,” Allyson Chiu points to growing research confirming that honeybees, which are indigenous to Europe, Asia and the Middle East, are a threat to our native North American bee populations. Honeybees are essentially imported flying livestock. They can fly longer distances than many of their native cousins. They can also telegraph to all their friends where to find the good nectar and pollen. In other words, they’re super-efficient foragers who outcompete native bees for food sources. It stands to reason that if you introduce thousands of non-native creatures or plants of any kind into an ecosystem, they’re going to disrupt the place. As Gail MacInnis, a former postdoctoral researcher at Concordia University in Montreal says, “You would never start keeping chickens to help save wild bird species.”

Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash

Beekeeping is with us to stay, but let’s stop imagining it’s good for the environment.

PS. The best way to support native bees is to plant the native plants they depend on.

I prefer to focus on creating biodiverse native habitats rather than emphasizing “pollinator gardens.” The latter concept emphasizes only a narrow spectrum of our ecosystems and leaves room for introducing non-native and even invasive plant species (think butterfly bush or Buddleia davidii). That said, Tovah Martin’s “How to Turn Your Garden into a Buffet for Pollinators” makes some excellent points. Specifically: “Beware of altered varieties of preferred plants – changes could flummox pollinators,” she says. Many of the plants you’ll find in the “Native” section of your mainstream garden center are actually “nativars,” meaning they’ve been altered from the original straight species to make them more attractive to us humans. These alterations can include “doubling” flowers to make them more fluffy, getting blooms to point skyward rather than downward, or changing their hues or scent. Yet the shape, orientation, color and smell of flowers is how bees and butterflies identify and access the nectar and pollen. Change those characteristics and you may be taking that dish off the menu altogether for a pollinator whose survival depends on it. Nativars are with us to stay, but let’s stop imagining they’re completely interchangeable with their straight species parents.

PS. The best sources for native plants are nurseries who specialize in them.

Finally, Kate Morgan gives a shout-out to an underrated amphibian in “Toads Are the Garden’s Heroes. Here’s How to Help Them Thrive.” Aside from being cute, toads are voracious insect predators. I don’t think I’ll be installing a backyard pond anytime soon, but maybe I can attract some by creating “toad abodes” with logs, rocks or pieces of wood that have toad-sized spaces between them. “They’re looking for a moist, tight place where they can wedge their body and burrow themselves into the soil,” says Michael Benard, a herpetologist at Case Western Reserve. I can also put shallow clay saucers near those abodes so any residents can take a soak.

PS. Toads have been known to eat mosquitoes. Just sayin.

If you live in the DC vicinity and could use assistance with sustainable landscaping, visit Bees’ Knees Design. I’d be happy to help you.