Insect Food Deserts
Throughout the year, I have had the pleasure of working with the various plant species on Squam Lake whilst serving for the Lakes Region Conservation Corps. In 2020, the Director of Conservation at the Squam Lakes Association created a pollinator garden. He spent over $5,000 to plant a hillside and water buffer of native plants. Before I started my service term, I worked as a botanist at a national park, where I studied threatened and endangered plants. I found that out of all the sciences, botany called to me the most. So when the new Director of Education told me about the pollinator garden, I knew I had to take it on as my long-term project. Most of the Lakes Region Conservation Corps members at the Squam Lakes Association take on a long-term project. These can range from volunteer water quality training and carrying out fish assemblage surveys to building bat boxes on campus.
I worked to understand what plants were already in the garden and how I could improve it. Luckily, records were kept, making it easy to review and identify what needed to be done. I found a local plant sale in Belknap County to buy local native plants. We purchased Liatris bulbs, coneflower, butterfly milkweed, woodland sage, and bee balm. Later in the year, we got a grant to buy more plants: blue cardinal flower, cutleaf coneflower, gaybeard liatris, lupines, and joe pye weed. All of these are native New Hampshire plants to which pollinators are very attracted. The Americorps program has granted me the opportunity to execute one of my passion projects.
This garden is significant because insects make up 75-80% of all known animal species and are declining at advanced rates, especially in European countries. Most of the world's plants are pollinated by insects, around 80% of them, and nearly all of our food crops need to be pollinated. Actually, one in every three bites of food we eat was made possible by a pollinator. The garden we have in our backyard is not only beautiful but also incredibly practical, something most people overlook when planting in their own backyards. The non-native horticultural plants may flower longer or have bigger blooms, but we are visitors in insects' habitat and are changing the species composition that they have evolved and adapted to over millions of years. The next time you walk down the street, imagine yourself as a bee and see where you would find food. It's generally about one house with a couple of non-native plants every block. It's an insect food dessert. Studies have shown that no matter the size of the area, having native plants increases insect biodiversity and population size. If you have even a window box, turn it into an insect sanctuary by planting some native plants.
Many people consider all insects pests; some even go so far as dousing their yards and bodies in chemicals to deter and kill them. If you spray your yard to get rid of mosquitoes, you are also getting rid of all of the beneficial insects, pollinators, spiders, moths, butterflies, and everything that crawls or flies.
I am happy that I got to provide a long-term pollinator garden in a public space through the Lakes Region Conservation Corps. This pollinator garden will live for much longer than my time here, and I am happy I could make a lasting impact. For more information on native plants, visit Native Plants – Squam Lakes Association
Emma is an AmeriCorps member serving as an Education and Outreach Assistant with the Squam Lakes Association. She is originally from Lakewood, Ohio, where she got her Associate of Science before moving to Syracuse, NY, and completing her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Biology with a minor in forestry. In her free time, you’ll mostly find her crafting or reading a book outside. Learn more about Emma here.