Help our pollinators!

By Logan Lauvray

Do you enjoy gardening? Do you like being outside during the spring and summer? Are you interested in helping to increase habitat for our local pollinators? Become a Pollinator Plant Steward in Wilsonville and satisfy all of these interests!

Six years ago, Friends of Trees, the City of Wilsonville and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation partnered with the help of volunteers to plant pollinator friendly shrubs and flowers near the Wilsonville Community Garden. During the last five summers, Friends of Trees has maintained this area — and now we are ready for the next phase of this project.

Native long-horned bee on an aster (photo by Matthew Shepherd of the Xerces Society)

The City of Wilsonville and Friends of Trees are seeking five volunteers to adopt a portion of the pollinator hedgerow that we planted adjacent to the Wilsonville Community Garden. The hedgerow has a number of established native shrubs and flowers and we need volunteers to help with weeding and caring for the hedgerow during the spring and summer.

Pollinators play a vital role in the food we eat, the beverages we drink and many other products we use. The numbers of pollinators are declining, but we can help by providing nectar and pollen sources from native plants, flowers and trees and by cultivating pesticide-free landscapes.

Volunteers will be asked to attend a brief orientation, attend a volunteer planting event in the winter,and then commit to a minimum of three visits during the spring and summer to help with watering and weed removal.