Lebanon’s Pollinator Champions

When long-time community garden champion, Pat McGovern, chooses a cause to support, she goes all in. Whether it’s promoting the abundance of local foods, raising awareness about harmful chemicals in turf and landscape management, or spearheading a campaign to increase pollinator and native plant habitats, Pat has a unique gift for effecting positive change in her community.

It should come as no surprise that these three initiatives are closely related – pollinators support our local food supply (as much as 90% in some regions of the world) and research has shown that the use of pesticides in food production, gardening, and landscaping can be harmful to pollinators, which in turn can threaten our food supply. Pollinators are also challenged by shrinking habitat from develop-

ment pressure, invasive plant species, and extreme weather events.

Recently, Pat’s efforts in pollinator conservation were recognized by the VT Center for Ecostudies with their Community Scientist of the Year Award. Pat explains, “The VT Center for Ecostudies had an iNaturalist focus on pollinators at the Canillas Community Garden and on the Mascoma River Greenway. It was valuable for me because I started to learn more about the vast varieties of pollinators and it enhanced my enjoyment of this work.”

For Pat and her fellow pollinator and native plant enthusiasts, creating new pollinator habitats in Lebanon has become a high priority. More than 15 new pollinator gardens have been created since 2009, when Pat began designing and planting one pesticide-free pollinator garden after another. Many of the gardens are along the Mascoma River Greenway (MRG), and are designated with a ‘Pollinator Pathway’ sign. Pat notes that the goal of the project is multi-faceted. “We want the gardens to be attractive to both people and pollinators. Our goal is not just aesthetics but a life-sustaining system.”  Indeed, in the height of summer, users of the Greenway can be treated to beautiful blooms of bee balm, milkweed, aster, goldenrod, black-eyed susan, coneflower, and other pollinator-friendly plants. For those who stop to look closely and listen carefully, the all-important pollinators will soon appear.

Canillas pollinator garden in Lebanon

Many of the plants in the pollinator gardens are native to the Northeast, and that’s important because of a concept known as co-evolution, in which two different species evolve together for their mutual survival. A good example is the monarch butterfly and the native milkweed plant, the only plant the monarch caterpillar eats because it has evolved over billions of years to become tolerant of the toxic nature of the plant.

What’s involved in creating an ideal pollinator habitat? According to UNH Extension, pollinators are species that move pollen from one flower to another, fertilizing plants and allowing them to reproduce. Wild bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats, wasps, and beetles all play a role in ecosystem health. These species require a variety of native plants for optimal nutrition, a water source, and shelter for breeding and rest from their pollinating journeys. Three season bloom is also important for pollinators, varying the shapes and colors of the flowers to accommodate pollinators who are attracted to specific plants. Pollinators benefit from a plant’s seed heads through the winter, taking shelter in plant stems and leaf litter, so holding off on fall clean up supports their habitat needs.

By all accounts, the pollinators in Lebanon are happy and so is Pat. “I am particularly pleased with the MRG Overpass Garden near APD this year – it is so alive with pollinators! The activity level and the variety of insects has been so satisfying. And, I have had to remove apples from the apple trees – there are too many for these young trees.”

Pat celebrates the partners involved in helping to purchase and plant flowers, shrubs, and trees for the city’s pollinator gardens. In particular, Upper Valley Apple Corps, whose volunteers have planted almost 20 fruit trees and shrubs, and the Robert F. Church Charitable Trust for funding plant purchases. Lebanon Mayor Tim McNamara’s Dartmouth Class of 1989 pollinator project has plantings at the Lebanon airport, recycling facility, and other sites, and Paul Coats of the Recreation, Arts & Parks Department, has provided unwavering support since the beginning of the project and has spearheaded the planting of dozens of trees in West Lebanon’s Westboro Park. The Upper Valley Rugby Club volunteers at the Greenway Pocket Park, and Sustainable Lebanon’s ‘Green the Ground’ initiative supports biodiversity throughout the city.

Paul credits these volunteers and organizations with advancing plant biodiversity in the city. “We try to be supportive of the people dedicated to these projects. When folks like Pat McGovern and Barbara Slaiby (Colburn Park Pollinator Garden) ask to do additional plantings, we want to make that happen. We want to take care of the administrative stuff for them so they can get their hands in the soil.”

Susan Johnson, gardener for the Recreation, Arts & Parks Department, and Lynn Fisher, a volunteer for the MRG Pocket Park, have contributed to the pollinator pathway efforts as well. Lynn is a lifelong student of native plants and animals. “There’s uncalculated value in planting native species – those same plants around which the web of native insects and birds have evolved. My (lofty!) goal is to get 70% of the garden to be native species, so that even the least-adaptable native insects have dining options, to restore a more diverse and resilient ecosystem.” For her part, Susan hopes garden visitors will adapt to the natural pollinator garden look over time. “Pollinator-friendly gardens have a style that people may not be used to. I’m hoping more exposure and education will help expand what people consider beautiful. Seeing insects buzzing all over the plants is a type of beauty.”

Upper Valley Rugby Club volunteers at Lebanon’s Greenway Pocket Park

What does the future hold for Lebanon’s pollinators? With plans moving forward to extend the Mascoma River Greenway toward the Powerhouse Mall, the future is rich with opportunities for new pollinator gardens. Pat McGovern, aka the ‘Queen Bee of Pollinator Pathways’, and her friends are ready!

To learn about Lebanon’s many pollinator gardens, their specific plants, and who maintains them, visit the Google Earth map at tinyurl.com/MRGPollinatorPathway. To join the Pollinator Pathway Project, contact the Lebanon Recreation, Arts & Parks Department, 603-448-5121.