The Good Life – July-August 2023

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POLLINATORS AT HOME IN YOUR YARD WRITTEN BY: JEFFREY MILLER Everyone can help provide habitat and food for pollinators, no matter how large or small! IIt’s no secret that pollinating insects have been struggling. Our environment has become less appealing to them, with monoculture lawns, clean farming practices and a dearth of native flowering plants. All is not lost, however, as there are many ways that homeowners can help provide food and habitat for these important organisms. Perennial Woody Plants Woody plants are great pollinators that can also provide fruit for the table. Before planting any shrub or tree, first determine the mature size of the plant. While a bare-root seedling may look small, placing it too close to a house, garage or street will lead to problems as it grows. Black chokeberry, also known as aronia, are compact fruiting shrubs that burst forth with white flowers in the late spring. Growing to six feet high by six feet wide, these native shrubs are as beautiful as they are productive. In the early fall, the fruit ripens in bunches, ready for the picking. While they are astringent fresh, aronia berries make great smoothies, juice and pies. Another wonderful native shrub that aids in providing pollinator habitat is the highbush cranberry. While it’s a viburnum and not a true cranberry, this shrub, which can reach up to ten feet tall, produces copious amounts of bright red berries in the fall. During the summer, the flowers attract a diverse group of pollinators. The flowers are unique in that they have both sterile and fertile blooms on each flower. The fruit sweetens after a few frosts, making it among the last to be harvested in the fall. Made into jelly, it is quite delicious. If they aren’t harvested by humans, the berries provide important food for birds in the dead of winter. The only drawback to highbush cranberry fruit is that, during cooking, the odor is not unlike that of sweaty gym socks. Hold your nose and enjoy the jelly! Perennial Forbs Non-native and cultivars of forbs and grasses appeal to human eyes but offer little for pollinating insects. 8 | THE GOOD LIFE
In fact, some can harm certain species, as they attract insects but offer no food value. It would be the same as if a human ate nothing but potato chips for their diet. Happily, there are a myriad of native forbs (also known as flowers) that are not only beautiful but productive as well. In order to provide three seasons of food, select forbs and grasses that bloom in spring, summer and fall. Spring Blooming: These are the first flowers of the year and the most important. After the long overwintering period, insects are hungry. Species like Dry Ragwort, Golden Alexander, Large Flowered Beardtongue, Prairie Phlox and Spiderwort provide crucial forage as well as urbantoadmedia.com | 9
Page 2 and 3: DAD LIFE Helicopter Parents : Groun
Page 4 and 5: CONTENTS JULY-AUGUST 2023 VOLUME 11
Page 6 and 7: OUR WRITERS Thank you to our amazin
Page 10 and 11: Purple Coneflower breathtaking beau
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Page 14 and 15: CASS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE USES B
Page 16 and 17: (ATVs), and snowmobiles are among t
Page 18 and 19: ON THE COVER | A LOOK BACK AT 10 YE
Page 24 and 25: SAVING A LIFE, WILL CHANGE YOURS! F
Page 26 and 27: CONGRATS ON 10 YEARS OF THE GOOD LI
Page 28 and 29: HAVING A BEER WITH | URBAN TOAD MED
Page 30 and 31: HAVING A BEER WITH | URBAN TOAD MED
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Page 34 and 35: LOCAL HERO | SUGGESTIONS Do you kno

The Good Life – July-August 2023

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