Minnesota is home to thousands of pollinators. However, they face challenges like habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. Now, a new first-of-its-kind pollinator garden has been launched to help pollinators thrive.
Outside the Hanifl Nature Center at the Minnesota Zoo, there is a garden full of plants that serve a specific purpose. According to Susie Bachman West, CEO of Bachman’s, a bumblebee really likes liatris, while a monarch butterfly is more likely to be attracted to black-eyed Susan.
Bachman’s has partnered with the zoo to raise awareness of the important role of the state’s native pollinators. Last week, they opened the Buzz & Bloom Garden, just in time for the start of National Pollinator Awareness Month. “This was a perfect way for us to bring our conservation team together with our horticulture team and Bachman’s to really bring an experience that is going to have a lasting impact to our guests,” said Jamie Flaws, executive director of the Minnesota Zoo Foundation.
Bachman West said it will be a four-year partnership. “We’ll keep adding on to it, so as people come and visit, they’ll learn more about pollinators, what they can do, and how the garden evolves,” she added.
It is important to note that bees are not the only pollinators. “It goes way beyond just the bumblebees. It’s the butterflies and the moths and really animals that will go in between plant material as well,” said Bachman West. Some of these pollinator populations are declining. “We actually have some here on site at the zoo, the rusty patch bumblebee among them,” said Flaws.
In addition to the garden at the zoo, Bachman’s is offering the Buzz & Bloom Collection, available for purchase at all Bachman’s retail stores. It includes many of the same native plants in the garden that will thrive in Minnesota yards. Gardeners can also start from scratch, as the business is giving away 20,000 native seed packets at its stores and the zoo as part of its 140th birthday celebration. “We love to be able to give back to the community. They have given us so much,” said Bachman West.
The mission remains to increase the number of Minnesota’s native plants and bring back the buzzing bees, fluttering butterflies, and bumbling beetles. “Our pollinators are in danger, and it takes just small steps to make the difference in their lives and ultimately ours,” said Flaws.
This Saturday, Bachman’s is hosting its 140th celebration at all locations. The Minnesota Zoo will be at the main store on Lyndale with zoo educators and hands-on activities.
