Pollinator Gardens

"Life, as we know it, depends on pollinators"

In 2015, President Obama issued a memorandum calling for the establishment of a National Pollinator Health Strategy to expand federal efforts and help reverse pollinator losses. The strategy established a Pollinator Health Task Force, which includes designated representatives from 15 government branches, to take immediate measures to increase and improve pollinator habitats.

 

Pollinator Garden Graphic

Preserving the Past and Protecting the Future

The Blackstone River Valley has a long history of innovation, industry, and unfortunately, pollution. Industrial waste made the Blackstone River one of the most polluted rivers in America. Some of that pollution remains buried in the riverbed. During floods, the rushing water stirs up sediment, which releases some of the pollution. The rising waters then carry the pollution to new areas where it settles.

In the summer of 2019 at the Kelly House Transportation Museum in Lincoln, Rhode Island, a pollinator garden replaced a contaminated vegetable garden that fell in the river’s floodplain. The pollinator garden offsets the environmental damage caused by industrial pollutants that remain in the Blackstone River. It also serves to protect the rich history of the Blackstone River Valley, while also providing a much-needed resource to pollinators and helping a struggling ecosystem.

 

Pollinator Garden at Kelly House

 

List of Plants in the Kelly House Pollinator Garden

BOTANICAL NAME	COMMON NAME	HEIGHT	BLOOMTIME	# of butterfly & moth species supported	ADDITIONAL NOTES
Perennials
Eupatorium perfoliatum	Boneset	4 ft	Jul - Sept	29	Provides pollen for bumblebees
Lobelia siphilitica	Great Blue Lobelia	3 ft	Jul - Oct		Provides nectar for bumblebees
Pycnanthemum muticum	Broad-leaved Mountain Mint	3 ft	Jun - Sept	4
Solidago caesia	Blue-stemmed Goldenrod	2 to 3 ft	Aug- Oct	112	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Verbena hastata	Blue Vervain	5 ft	Jul - Sept	10
Asclepias tuberosa	Butterfly Weed	18 to 24 in	Jun - Aug	12	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Lobelia cardinalis	Cardinal Flower	2 to 4 ft	Jul -Sept		Supports hummingbirds
Lonicera sempervirens	Coral Honeysuckle	8 to 15 ft	May - Jun	31	Supports hummingbirds
Eutrochium dubium	Coastal Joe Pye	3 to 4 ft	Jul -Sept	2	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Corydalis sempervirens	Pale corydalis	3 ft	May - Sept	n/a
Sisyrinchium atlanticum	Eastern Blue-eyed Grass	6 in	May - Jun
Opuntia humifusa	Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus
Antennaria plantinagifolia	Pussytoes	12 in	Apr - Jun	2
Cirsium discolor	Field Thistle	6 ft	Aug Oct	n/a	Provides nectar for bumblebees
Zizia aurea	Golden Alexander	3 ft	May -Jun	3
Packera aurea	Golden Groundsel	1 to 2 ft	May - Jun	1
Solidago nemoralis	Gray Goldenrod	12 to 18 in	Aug -Sept	112	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Eutrochium fistulosum	Hollow Joe Pye Weed	6 ft	Jul - sept	2	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Eupatorium hyssopiflorium	Hyssop-leaved Boneset	1 to 3 ft	Aug - Sept	29	Provides pollen for bumblebees
Solidago odora	Licorice Goldenrod	3 ft	Aug -Sept	112	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Lupine perennis	Lupine	2 ft	May -Jul	25
Monarda fistulosa	Wild Bergamot	4 ft	Jul- Sept	9	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Chrysopsis mariana	Maryland Golden-aster	18 to 24 in		n/a
Monarda punctata	Spotted Beebalm	2 ft	Jul -Sept	9	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Liatris novae-angliae	Northern Blazing Star	2 ft	Aug - Sept	3	Monarch magnet
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae	New England Aster			3	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium	Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint	2 ft	Jun - Sept	4
Symphyotrichum novi-belgi	NY Aster	1 to 3 ft	Aug -Sept	8	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Rudbeckia hirta	Black-eyed Susan	2 ft	Jun - Oct	16
Asclepias incarnata	Swamp Milkweed	4 ft	Jun - Aug?	12	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Symphyotrichum laeve	Smooth Blue Aster	2 to 4 ft	Aug - Oct	8	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Solidago sempervirens	Seaside Goldenrod	2 to 6 ft	Aug - Oct	112	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Pychnanthemum virginiana	Virginia Mountain Mint	3 ft	Jul - Sept	4
Aquilegia canadensis	Wild Columbine	2 ft	Apr - Jun	16
Solidago bicolor	White Goldenrod	2 to 3 ft		112	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Fragaria virginiana	Wild Strawberry	6 in	Apr - Jun	74	Also, berries for birds & mammals
Baptisia tinctoria	Wild Yello Indigo	2 ft	Jun - Aug	16	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Achillea millefolium	Yarrow	12 to 18 in	Jun - Sept	15
Grasses
Sorghastrum nutans	Indian Grass	3 to 6 ft	Aug - Sept
Schizachyrium scoparium	Little Bluestem			5
Sporobolus heterolepsis	Prairie Dropseed			1
Panicum virginiana	Switch Grass	4 ft	Jul - Sept
Andropogon gerardii	Tall Blue Stem	4 to 8 ft	Jun - Sept	12
Deschampsia flexuosa	Wavy-haired Grass	6 to 18 in	May - Jun
Shrubs
Aronia ssp.	Chokeberry				Berries for birds & mammals
Rosa Carolina	Carolina Rose	2 ft	Jun - Aug		Provides pollen for bumblebees
Rubus odora	Flowering raspberry			146	Provides pollen for bumblebees
Vaccinium angustifolium	Blueberry, low-bush	1 to 2 ft		258	Also provides nectar for bumblebees
Ceanothus americanus	New Jersey Tea	3 ft	Jun - Aug
Cornus serviceae	Red Osier Dogwood	7 to 9 ft	Jun -Sept	113
Morella caroliniensis	Small Bayberry	2 to 6 ft		71
Hypericum punctata	Dotted St. John's Wort	2 ft	Jun -Sept		Pollen for bumblebees
Rosa virginiana	Virginia Rose		Jun - Aug		Provides pollen for bumblebees
Ilex verticillata	Winterberry (Jim Dandy)	3 to 6 ft		40
Spiraea alba	White Meadowsweet	4 ft	Jul - Sept	31	Provides pollen for bumblebees
Ilex verticillata	Winterberry (Red Sprite)	2 to 3 ft		40	Also, berries for birds & mammals

 

Our Partners in the Effort to Protect Pollinators:

1. The Blackstone Heritage Corridor
2. The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society
3. Rhode Island State Parks and the Division of Environmental Management

 

Learn more about the efforts being made and how you can get involved!

Get involved!:

1. Pollinators (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

2. Pollinator Research in National Parks - Pollinators (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

3. Helping in Your Backyard - Pollinators (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

4. Get Involved - Pollinators (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

• Northeast Card - Pollinators (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Articles:

1. Operation Pollination Helping to Improve Habitats and Landscapes Throughout the National Heritage Areas (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

2. National Heritage Areas and Partners Embrace “Operation Pollination” (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

3. Pollinators and Climate Change (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

4. I Didn't Know That!: Planting for Pollinators (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)