Why Pollinators Matter: Caring for What We Experience at The Wilds

"No one will protect what they don't care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced." — Sir David Attenborough.

Do you ever stop to think about what you care about and how you contribute to what you love? The next time you go for a walk outside, think about the trees that provide life to every living creature, the flowers that provide food for pollinators, the beautiful wildlife, the pollinators that pollinate plants for the survival of our ecosystems, the warmth of the sunshine on your skin, the breeze that brushes your face, and the night's starry skies.

One thing we're passionate about at The Wilds is restoring prairies, which support a variety of wildlife, including pollinators. The Wilds received two grants in 2024:

A seed grant from Ohio's Winding Road and the Muskingum County Community Foundation
A SparkGood Community grant from Walmart store 3581 to expand the pollinator habitat at our Carnivore Center.

Pollinators help plants reproduce, which is essential to the survival of our ecosystems. As Albert Einstein once said, "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."

Bees are just one of the many pollinators, and other pollinators include beetles, flies, butterflies, moths, bats, and hummingbirds. Here at The Wilds,

We plant prairies with a diverse mix of native forbs that feed our pollinators.
We eradicate invasive species that encroach into these prairies with burning, mowing, and herbicide treatments. Invasive species in the landscape are problematic because they push out our native plants and create monocultures.

We to provide each pollinator species with the diverse flower species it needs to feed.

pollinator field at The Wilds — *Pollinator field at The Wilds in Cumberland, OH*

How You Can Help

Within your landscape or community, you can focus on helping all pollinators or target listed species that are declining (check out the Ohio Division of Wildlife website for a list of animals and Division of Natural Areas and Preserves website for a list of plants). You can help them in a variety of ways, including:

Planting a diverse native pollinator garden in your backyard
Taking part in a citizen science project
Reduce the use of insecticides within your garden or on fruiting trees
Spread the word to neighbors and include the family
Donate to organizations that are active in pollinator research, plantings, or education
Adjust your mowing practices based on flowering periods
Offer watering sources
Leave plant stems, stalks, leaves, etc., to provide nesting structures through the winter.

We should all want to protect Earth's natural wonders. If you have never experienced the beauty that surrounds us, go outside, take a deep breath, and enjoy the natural wonders of the world. Consider caring for and protecting our natural resources...not just for you, but for the future.

We would like to thank Ohio’s Winding Road, Muskingum County Community Foundation, and Walmart Store 3581 in Zanesville, OH, for supporting this project. Our native forb seeds, collected on-site and sold in The Wilds' gift shop, offer a simple way for you to help spread native plants in your garden and support pollinators.