Pollinator Paradise

Joyfully advocating for Nature in beautiful Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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September 20 is National Tree Day. Today we celebr

September 20 is National Tree Day. Today we celebrate trees and the benefits they provide to our environment! We often miss talking about trees and shrubs when we think of a native plant garden. Yet they are an important part of local ecosystems, with some species providing pollinators with their earliest source of food.
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Benefits of native trees:
- Bugs and birds have co-evolved with native plants and trees, and depend on them throughout the year.
- The earliest bloomers, such as native willows, provide essential food for early emerging pollinators. Specialist bees such as the willow miner bee rely on pollen from willows.
- Butterfly and moth caterpillar larvae feast on the leaves and then become food for nestling songbirds.
- Leafcutter bees use leaves from green ash and other species to construct their nests.
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Trees and shrubs that support pollinators: willow, dogwood, green ash, aspens and poplars, choke and pin cherries, Manitoba maple, wild roses, snowberry, silver buffalo berry, and Saskatoon berry.
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Pollinator Paradise YXE is a project of Wild About Saskatoon, joyfully advocating for nature in Saskatoon, SK
#PollinatorParadiseYXE #saskatoon #yxe

What's blooming in September? Check out these flow

What's blooming in September? Check out these flowering native plants from three different Pollinator Paradise gardens in Saskatoon.
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Pictured here are mountain goldenrod, gaillardia with many-flowered aster, harebell, yarrow, black-eyed susan, hyssop with prairie coneflower, sunflower, hairy golden aster, many-flowered aster with smooth blue aster, and Western Canada violet.
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Pollinator Paradise YXE is a project of Wild About Saskatoon, joyfully advocating for nature in Saskatoon, SK
#pollinatorparadiseyxe #grownativeplants #saskatoon #yxe

Fall is just around the corner, and birds are begi

Fall is just around the corner, and birds are beginning to head south to their wintering grounds. How can we support birds on their big journey? Consider adding native plant species to your yard that birds like eat!
Fall migrants rely on berries and seeds as a food source. When planning your native garden consider adding a diversity of plant species that provide these excellent sources of nutrition for birds.
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Native plant recommendations:
- Shrubs and trees: red elderberry, Saskatoon berry, buffaloberry, and chokecherry.
- Flowering plants and grasses: sunflowers, giant hyssop, black-eyed susan, prairie coneflower, asters, goldenrods, little bluestem, and blue grama grass.
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Pollinator Paradise YXE is a project of Wild About Saskatoon, joyfully advocating for nature in Saskatoon, SK
#PollinatorParadiseYXE #saskatoon #yxe

Plant Feature Friday! Stiff Goldenrod: Solidago r

Plant Feature Friday!
Stiff Goldenrod: Solidago rigida
While goldenrod is often blamed for hay fever, that myth has been busted! Hay fever is caused by wind-borne pollen, while goldenrod pollen is moved from flower to flower by pollinators, not by the wind. As one of the most important grassland species, this late summer bloomer is an important and beautiful addition to any native plant garden. They're nothing to sneeze at!
- Grows in full sun and part shade, in dry to moist conditions.
- This variety of goldenrod is very well behaved, growing in clumps with gray-green soft leaves on stiff upright stalks.
- Grows from 10-40cm tall.
- Yellow flowers are clustered at the top of stalks.
- Blooms later in the season from August to October, providing a late-season source of food for pollinators.
- Easy to grow from seed, and readily self-seeds in the garden.
- Attracts a large variety of pollinators, from bees to flies, butterflies to wasps. Is a host plant for some species of moths, and it also provides camouflage for ambush bugs preying on pollinators. Seeds may be eaten by birds and small mammals.
Pollinator Paradise YXE is a project of Wild About Saskatoon, joyfully advocating for nature in Saskatoon, SK
#PollinatorParadiseYXE #saskatoon #yxe

Upcoming event at the Northeast Swale! For those

Upcoming event at the Northeast Swale!
For those of you who are looking for a local action in solidarity with the international climate strikes and rallies this month, we have an offering for you. Wild About Saskatoon, @climatejusticeyxe and @swalewatchers are hosting a Climate Walk & Talk on Sept 16th (next weekend!).
The purpose of the Walk is to bring together like-minded people to experience and appreciate a beautiful piece of land, the Northeast Swale, and to consider our relationship to nature in a time of climate urgency. We will draw attention to the land as a provider of solace and to the ways the land is a part of climate solutions.
The Walk & Talk will be focused on two themes: Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change, with Branimir Gjetvaj, and Climate Grief and Mental Health, with Aditi Garg.
Before we begin the walk that day, everyone is invited to participate in an optional art activity: "We are not in this Alone". The making and painting of cardboard creature cutouts (which we will carry like flags along our walk) will help us to name and celebrate creatures with whom we feel a connection, as a means of sharing knowledge, acknowledging loss and expressing appreciation for beings who give us so much joy.
Event Details:
10am - 12pm: Making of Cardboard Creatures. Rusty Macdonald Public Library, 225 Primrose Drive, art materials will be provided.
2pm-3pm: Walk & Talk at the Northeast Swale.
Driving Directions: We will meet at the entrance to the Swale on Lowe Road. To get there: Take Central Avenue north to Fedoruk Drive. Turn right. Follow Fedoruk to Lowe Road. Turn left and drive to the barricade. Park along the edge of the road or in the lot on the left.
Weather: if smoke or rain prevents an outdoor gathering that day, we will pivot to an indoor location for a "less walk, more talk" version of events.
Please note: there will be photographs taken at this event. If you'd like to not be photographed, please let us know by emailing hello@wildaboutsaskatoon.org

You may have seen a recent CBC story about a Saska

You may have seen a recent CBC story about a Saskatoon resident who was told to remove plants from the pollinator-friendly garden in her front yard. We are not sure exactly what happened in this case, but we want to make it clear that the City does not discourage growing native plants. In fact, the City bylaw on “Property Maintenance & Nuisance Abatement” makes special provision for wildflower gardens, exempting any “natural garden that has been deliberately planted” from height restrictions that apply to other plantings.
One thing we do have to be careful about is invasive plants, especially those that are classified as “prohibited, noxious and nuisance weeds.” Native plants cannot outcompete these aggressive invaders. That’s why it is important when establishing a garden to mulch and weed around our plants as they grow and begin to fill in. Unsure of what weeds to pull? Check out the Saskatchewan Invasive Species Council's webpage for images and a fact sheets -> link in our bio.
Or if you need additional help identifying plants or are looking for other advice join the fantastic Facebook page Landscaping with Native Plants (Saskatchewan). You will also find many helpful resources on our website!
Picture 1 - first year garden with mulch and regular weeding
Picture 2 - Unknown planting with mulch and little to no weeding - invasive canada thistle taking over

Contact

hello@wildaboutsaskatoon.org