Local Pollinator Plants - Featured in NWF Newsletter

Local Volunteer Naturalist Chris Southwick's Photo is featured in the National Wildlife Federation newsletter on Native Plant Pollinators. 

“My favorite native plant is the snowberry. In late spring and early summer, both Anna’s and rufous hummingbirds entertain while drinking nectar from its dainty pinkish flowers and vying for dominance. The round leaves are visually pleasing, and other birds often dart out from under its shelter. In the winter, the small white orbs for which the plant is named gleam in the sun, accent cloudy days and even look pretty in the rain. Since snowberry is a Northwest native, it requires almost nothing from me—nature takes care of its needs.”—Christine Southwick of Shoreline, Washington

Chris is a frequent contributor to Shoreline Area News with excellent articles on birdwatching. She is a board member of the Puget Sound Bird Observatory and has done extensive work on bird banding studies for the Shoreline Community Backyard Wildlife Project.

Chris banding a chickadee

Pollinators include many species such as Honey Bees, Butterflies and Moths, Hummingbirds and even bats.

Snowberry is a NW Native and can grow into large patches. It like sun, and wetlands. It is also known as a beautiful winter plant because of it's distinctive white berries that are attractive to birds in winter.

Snowberries
ph credit - Greg Rayborn
KC Native Plant Guide
http://green.kingcounty.gov/gonative/Plant.aspx?Act=view&PlantID=36

The newsletter is featuring Plant Pollinators for this week. It is National Pollinator Week.

Plants for Pollinators: A Collection of Favorites

Wildlife gardeners across the country share photos and descriptions of prized native plants that attract pollinators to their yards (Updated 6/3/2011)

06-07-2010 // Edited by Kelly Senser

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Gardening/Archives/2010/Native-Plants-for-Pollinators.aspx

The fifth annual National Pollinator Week takes place June 20-26, 2011. To celebrate, we asked gardeners across the country who’ve created wildlife-friendly habitats to talk about some of their favorite native plants for attracting bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinating species. Following are the descriptions and images they shared.

Boni Biery, Local Steward of the Environment

Boni Biery accepted a Certification for Shoreline's Community Backyard Wildlife Project 
achievement last Monday at the Shoreline City Council meeting. She also made a speech commemorating Earth Week.

Boni Biery, Shoreline Environmental Steward

Boni is Director of the Shoreline Community Backyard Wildlife Habitat Project and serves on Shoreline's Parks and Recreation Board.

Here is her speech commemorating Earth Week:

April 22, 2011 - Earth Day

Earth Day was created by Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 after several years of thinking about it.  It was established as a celebration to put the environment in the “lime-light.”  It was long overdue. 

Today, Earth Day is about taking a little time to think about the earth and what it means for us.  It is a closed system.  Just like a ship at sea, our planet courses through the galaxy and we must rely upon its’ resources to sustain us.  What was here when the planet was formed is all that we have to provide life; and nothing else.  We can choose to keep our waters clean by avoiding pesticides, chemical fertilizers and other pollutants.  We can choose to help the air to be clear by protecting the trees, which are the very “lungs of the earth.”  On spaceship earth we are all crew.  As each of us move toward more thoughtful practices, like reusing our shopping bags, reducing the size of lawns and encouraging the increased use of native plants, we collectively make our planetary ship called earth a healthier place for all living things.

I’d like to thank the City for their role in celebrating our wonderful planet and taking part in helping to better care for it.


Also, click HERE for the History of Earthday.