Plant.Grow.Fly.
Plant.Grow.Fly. is a conservation initiative to help protect native pollinators, such as bumble bees and monarch butterflies.[1]
Mission[edit]
"To encourage citizens and organizations to become aware of pollinator issues and to take action to preserve them."[2]
Overview[edit]
Plant.Grow.Fly. was created in 2014 at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa as a conservation initiative to protect native pollinators. Pollinators provide economic and practical benefits, as well as have intrinsic value in their own right. No effort is too small to protect the biodiversity in native habitats.[3]
Concerns[edit]
Animal pollinators, including bees, butterflies, bats, hummingbirds, moths, and beetles, pollinate flowering plants and crops. Three-fourths of the world's flowering plants depend on pollinators to survive and thrive. It is estimated that one in every three bites of food would not be possible without the help of animal pollinators. However, many pollinators are becoming endangered due to a variety of environmental and human influenced factors.[4]
Pollinators are in decline due to a variety of reasons. Global climate change, loss of habitat, feeding resources, modern agricultural practices have presented pollinators with formidable challenges. Butterflies require corridors of suitable habitat to travel between nectar sources. According to Monarch Watch, butterflies lose habitat areas at a rate of around 2.2 million acres per year.[5] Pollinators across the globe are experiencing habitat loss due to deforestation and agriculture, exposing pollinators to diseases, parasites, and pesticides.[6]
Butterflies require specific types of plants, called nectar plants and host plants, in order to feed and reproduce, and each species of butterfly has specific sets of needs these plants must meet. The majority of butterflies in Iowa need region-specific grassland plants. However, these plants are just as threatened as the butterflies. Since its settlement, Iowa has lost over 99.9% of its native tallgrass prairie.[7]
Collaborations[edit]
Blank Park Zoo’s Plant.Grow.Fly. is a collaboration of 50 local, regional and national organizations. Together, they are working to increase the amount of habitats for pollinators. To date, almost 900 gardens have been registered with Plant.Grow.Fly.[8]
Other organizations that support Plant.Grow.Fly. and have created their own pollinator gardens include the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Badger Creek Lake Watershed Project, City of Des Moines Parks & Recreation, Des Moines Area Community College, Des Moines Audubon Society, Dorothy Peacut Nature Center, Drake University, Forest Ave Outreach, For Lands Sake!, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Iowa Arboretum, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Native Plant Society, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Iowa Prairie Network, Iowa State University Extension & Outreach Master Gardener Program, Living History Farms, Milkweed Matters, Monarch Joint Venture, Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Pheasants Forever, Plant Iowa Natives, Rainscaping Iowa, Reiman Gardens, Rydell National Wildlife Refuge, Science Center of Iowa, Sierra Club, Tallgrass Prairie, The Hillbilly Gardeners Garden Club, The Nature Conservancy, Trees Forever, University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Education, US Army Corps of Engineers Saylorville Lake, Wickiup Hill Learning Center, Wits End Gardens, and various Iowa Conservation Boards, along with hundreds of personal gardens.[9]
Plant.Grow.Fly. supplies the public with resources and links on how to help pollinators on their website. Resources include lists of host and nectar plants, pollinator friendly trees and shrubs, sources for seeds and plants, tips and tricks for successful pollinator gardens, and much more. Gardens can be registered at plantgrowfly.com.[10]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Plant.Grow.Fly". Blank Park Zoo. Blank Park Zoo. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ↑ "Plant.Grow.Fly. Overview". Blank Park Zoo. Blank Park Zoo. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ↑ "Plant.Grow.Fly. Overview". Blank Park Zoo. Blank Park Zoo. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ↑ Natural Resources Conservation Service (June 2013). Be a Friend to Pollinators (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 19 October 2018. Search this book on
- ↑ "Plant.Grow.Fly. Overview". Blank Park Zoo. Blank Park Zoo. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ↑ Buchmann, Stephen L.; Nabhan, Gary Paul (1996). The Forgotten Pollinators. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Search this book on
- ↑ "Plant.Grow.Fly. Overview". Blank Park Zoo. Blank Park Zoo. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ↑ "Plant.Grow.Fly. to Plant Butterfly Garden on Iowa Capitol Complex Friday". Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Iowa DNR. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ↑ "Resources & Links". Blank Park Zoo. Blank Park Zoo. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ↑ "Create Your Garden". Blank Park Zoo. Blank Park Zoo. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
This article "Plant.Grow.Fly." is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Plant.Grow.Fly.. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
