What’s All the Buzz About?!
You’re Invited: To become part of an ecologically important movement utilizing good gardening practices
By: SAP! Suffolk Alliance of Pollinators
Why: To help support pollinators
Who are the Pollinators? Butterflies, Bees, Birds, Moths, Wasps, Fireflies, Ants, Flies, Beetles and other animals
What You Can Do/Actions to take:
- PLANT NATIVES – Especially pollinator plants.
- REDUCE SIZE OF LAWN – What?! We know you love your tidy manicured grass…but did you know that lawns are considered ecological dead zones? And did you know that there is approximately 40 million acres of lawn in the lower 48 states?[i]
- ELIMINATE USE OF INSECTICIDES & PESTICIDES – Even organic applications will kill non targeted species including pollinators, fireflies, and invertebrates of all kinds which are food for birds, bats, amphibians and reptiles.
Did you know?
-A single oak tree provides food for over 500 different moth and butterfly caterpillars; 96% of birds feed their young insects, especially caterpillars.
-75% of our world’s crops depend, at least in part, on pollinators; and the increased use of pesticides and fungicides has caused a sharp decline in bee populations and other pollinators.
– Suffolk County leads New York State by a huge margin in pesticide and herbicide use, and in 2021 a staggering 6,523,568 pounds of pesticides were applied in Suffolk County; and Westchester County was in second place with 2,859,035 pounds of pesticides used, according to a report released by the NYSDEC. [ii]
– The chemicals that we apply to our lawns leach down into our drinking waters, and have negative effects on life in our bays.
SAP is a coalition of local groups making Suffolk County a greener pollinator corridor through good gardening practices. Created by Cornell Cooperative Extension to compliment the work of Suffolk County legislators’ Pollinator Pathway Task Force, our goal is to amplify the efforts of many groups helping residents, towns and communities become part of the growing regional initiative led by the Pollinator Pathway.
Quogue Wildlife Refuge is enthused to be a part of this growing regional initiative along with many conservation organizations including Bellport Environmental Committee, Change Hampton, Ecological Culture Initiative, Horticultural Alliance of Hamptons, Libraries, Master Gardeners, Moriches Bay Garden Club, Peconic Land Trust, ReWild Long Island, Save the Great South Bay, Westhampton Garden Club and others.
Everyone can participate and make a difference!
by Marisa Nelson
[i] 2005 NASA estimate derived from satellite imaging
[ii] Easthampton Star