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Pollinator Habitat

Pollinator Habitat

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Blog Posts

Brighten up your fall landscape with Tithonia. Tithonia plants blooming next to a house.
Read article: Brighten up your fall landscape with Tithonia
Brighten up your fall landscape with Tithonia
As summer transitions to fall, our landscapes also transition. The bright-colored flowers of summer begin to fade, and many plants begin to look...
Living on the edge: White-line Sphinx Moth, moth feeding from purple tubular flowers
Read article: Living on the edge: White-lined sphinx moth
Living on the edge: White-lined sphinx moth
As the day lengths shorten, our family has been spending the last fading moments of sunlight on our patio, trying desperately to hang on to summer...
For the love of wasps: Good bugs that get a bad name. Katydid wasp, Sphex nudus, feeding on rattlesnake master flower.
Read article: For the love of wasps: Good bugs that get a bad name
For the love of wasps: Good bugs that get a bad name
Mention wasps to someone, and you’ll likely get a negative reaction. Wasps are often seen as scary, angry insects that are dangerous and likely to...

News Releases

Yellow rake sitting against large tree with fall leaves on the ground
Consider pollinators during fall garden cleanup
URBANA, Ill. — Pollinators are important to the global food supply and local ecosystems. About 35% of food crops rely on pollinators for production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Meaning without pollinators, there would be no food. If you have enjoyed an apple this fall or a...
Monarch caterpillars crawling around milkweed plants.
Butterflies can eat to live, live to eat in a balanced garden
URBANA, Ill. — A favorite thing about visiting gardens in the summer is catching sight of a butterfly enjoying nectar from a brightly colored zinnia or a monarch caterpillar munching on a milkweed leaf. When designing a butterfly garden, expand and balance plant selection to provide more than...
A variety of pollinator-friendly perennial flowers of various colors, sizes, and shapes.
Care for perennial gardens with 3 proven pruning methods
URBANA, Ill. — Pruning perennial flowers takes a garden from looking fair to well-kept. Deadheading, cutting back, and pinching are all pruning techniques that can keep perennial plants looking well cared for and healthy.  Pruning perennials is a complex topic because different plants...

Videos

Tricky Pollinator Questions and Answers

Are my annual plants “junk food” for bees? Can I help pollinators by not mowing my lawn? How can I help pollinators thrive if I don’t have a garden? This presentation explorespollinator questions that have nuanced, uncertain, or controversial answers. 

Illinois Native Pollinators

 

When it comes to pollination, honey bees get a majority of the attention. However, many insects play a role in pollination. listen to University of Illinois Extension Educator Ken Johnson as he discusses native pollinators. Ken will discuss different native pollinators and how to make...