conservation landscaping

Community Partnerships for Pollinators

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When we talk about pollinators and how to help them, we have often focused on what plants can support them, who the pollinators are and some traits of their natural histories, or how to create habitat for them. However, besides individual actions that people can take to help them, other options that are very impactful also exist. In today’s post, I want to present one that involves a combination of community and institutional collaboration: the Bee City and Bee Campus USA certification.

What are Bee City and Bee Campus USA?

The certifications called Bee City and Bee Campus USA are labels that cities and campuses, respectively, can receive from the Xerces Society if they commit and act to protect pollinators and their habitats.

For those who have never heard of it, the Xerces Society is an organization interested in the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. Over the years, it has not only become recognized as an important conservation organization but also has developed impactful and meaningful ways to support research on the topic and engage the population and institutions (and many other stakeholders!) in conservation actions that are within their reach. The Bee City and Bee Campus certification is one of those initiatives.

How does it work?

Once cities and campuses decide to receive the certification, they need to submit an application and pay an annual fee. By doing this, they commit to taking specific actions that will lead to the conservation of the thousands of species of bees and other pollinators that exist in the USA, as well as their habitats. The certification is revised every year, and if the institution or city is not performing following the set standards, the certification is not renewed. Today, many institutions and cities across the USA have joined the initiative and are actively following their commitments. If you are interested in knowing if your community is a part of the initiative, an online database exists where it is very easy to search for participating members using addresses or names.

The Bee City and Bee Campus USA website has a neat tool to search for current members across the USA.

The commitments that institutions and cities make when they join the initiative involve the establishment and promotion of specific actions. These actions combine institutional and community involvement, which requires the creation of an active committee that will be responsible for running programs that will help the institution reach its goals. Once this committee is created, the group is responsible for proposing and running actions within the reach of the institution. The actions need to be oriented towards promoting the protection of pollinators and their habitats through what can be generally categorized under education, direct action, community involvement, and potential revision of standard operating procedures or policies.

The Xerces Society doesn’t just provide a certification. In fact, it has over the years produced a massive number of tools that help cities or institutions understand how to run the programs. Regular webinars are organized, fact sheets distributed, general manuals and other documentation shared, and a network of participating cities established, allowing for a “hive mind” to develop.

What can some of these actions be?

Education programs involve the distribution of information among the population (for cities) or members of the campus (for campuses). This information can take many different forms but generally educates about the diversity of pollinators, the importance of promoting habitat, the key contributions of pollinators to the well-being of the community and the environment, ways to protect them through individual or joint actions, creating information guides and fact sheets, and more.

Direct actions often require involvement of the institution in establishing habitat for pollinators, distributing resources that will allow the community to protect pollinators (e.g., distributing plants, seeds, other habitat resources), actively reducing the use of pesticides, etc.

Community involvement is promoted by any program that the institution could build to allow its members to come together and engage in projects larger than any individual would be able to take on by themselves. There are many ways this can be done, but some examples are the creation of student-faculty groups that could run research projects that can then be used to inform policies and conservation actions. Others could be the establishment and promotion of institution-wide actions, such as the promotion of months with no or reduced mowing (e.g., “No-Mow Month” initiatives), the running of citizen science projects (e.g., through iNaturalist), establishing days centered around the celebration and recognition of pollinators and their services to humans and the environment (e.g., coordinating Pollinator Week activities), and others.

Finally, one of the unique reaches of this initiative is its ability to promote changes of policies and procedures regularly used by the institution/city. Under this program, the committee should propose and the city or campus implement at least some adjustments in the way the institution in question is run. For example, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plans should be created and used if they are not already in practice, Code can be adjusted to facilitate the planting of native plants, monetary or other incentives can be offered for the creation of pollinator habitat, and more.

I would like to have my city/campus join; what do I do?

If you’re interested in having your campus or city join the initiative, first go to the Bee City/Campus website and check out the requirements and some of the how-to webinars. Along with this, for cities, you may want to get in touch with representatives and present this as a request. If you’re on a campus, get a diverse group of members together and propose this to leadership. If you still feel overwhelmed by this and feel you still have a lot of questions, reach out to Bee Cities or Bee Campuses in your area and ask them for help! They will be more than happy to explain what their path was and how they came to be, so you can also become part of the national initiative.

By Anahí Espíndola, Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park. See more posts by Anahí.

Anahí also writes an Extension Blog in Spanish! Check it out here, extensionesp.umd.edu, and please share and spread the word to your Spanish-speaking friends and colleagues in Maryland. ¡Bienvenidos a Extensión en Español!

How to Make a Rain Barrel System for Your Yard and Garden

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rain barrels are tucked into landscape shrubs next to a building
An example of a home rain barrel system. Photo: Adobe Stock

The extreme heat and lack of precipitation this season have forced many people to get creative with finding a way to water their gardens. Rain barrels are a great addition to your outdoor space!

Rain barrels can be sophisticated with features like valves, hoses, etc., or they can be any type of container that holds water. Please remember that the container should be food-grade so that nothing toxic will leach out of the container and there should be a mesh screen/net over the top so that mosquitoes cannot enter to lay their eggs. 

green rain barrels
Example of a rain barrel system with a screened lid.

Stormwater runoff

Anytime precipitation flows across the land, it becomes runoff. Precipitation may infiltrate into the soil or run off into streams, bodies of water, drains, or evaporate back into the atmosphere. In nature, most precipitation is absorbed by trees and other plants, or it may permeate or “soak” into the ground, which results in recharging groundwater supplies and bodies of water. However, when there are impervious surfaces (pavement, buildings/roofs, and other structures and materials covering the soil), this precipitation can no longer soak into the soil and has to go somewhere else. When stormwater is not managed correctly, it can result in catastrophic consequences such as stream bank erosion, flooding, pollution, threats to human health, and tainted water supplies. The University of Maryland Extension provides more information on stormwater management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. 

Environmental Site Design practices from the Maryland Department of the Environment have changed the way residential stormwater is managed and recommend that homeowners address stormwater discharge at the individual level. Individuals can make a difference by reducing the quantity and improving the quality of any stormwater that is leaving their specific property. It is important to realize that activities on your property can adversely affect neighboring landscapes, as water does not follow property boundaries. Penn State’s Homeowners Guide to Stormwater Management is an awesome resource to help you investigate your property and see what changes you can make. With stormwater, you want to slow it down and let it soak into the soil and one of the ways that you can do this is by utilizing a container for rainwater collection. 

a row of green rain barrels
A rain barrel distribution in Garrett County was sponsored by Deep Creek Watershed Foundation in 2024. It has shared 190 free rain barrels with the community! 

Rainwater harvesting is when a device such as a barrel or cistern is used to catch natural precipitation. These containers are often positioned at the edge of a building drainage system, above or below the ground, and are examples of micro-scale stormwater management techniques to slow down a small amount of water and use it later when there is no precipitation. This allows the capture and re-use of rainwater to promote water conservation, reduce runoff volumes, and the discharge of pollutants downstream. 

Using stored rainwater can decrease municipal water usage (allowing this potable water for vital drinking) and provide a source of water that is free from chlorine, fluoride, etc. Water that is caught in a rain barrel is considered non-potable and not safe for human consumption— no bathing, no drinking, and no cooking. It can be used for watering plants and lawns, rinsing tools, adding to a compost pile, filling ornamental ponds and bird baths, washing vehicles, or even flushing toilets during a power outage. Please note that there is some special guidance for using rain barrel water to water a vegetable garden. The Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station has a great fact sheet that outlines some of the cautions and best practices and recommendations that include using bleach to reduce contaminants, using the water on the soil only, and not harvesting vegetables at the same time that you are watering. 

Preparing your site for rain barrel installation

Identify where you will be placing your rain barrel. Be sure to think about how you will use your rainwater and if you need to raise the barrel to get a watering can, bucket, etc., under the nozzle to empty the barrel. The site should be clean of debris and level. If it’s not level, build a platform out of rocks, pavers, stones, blocks, or even wood. You do not want the water barrel to tip over or fill up unevenly. Remember that a standard-size rain barrel is 55 gallons, which means it weighs more than 400 pounds when full of water! 

a rain barrel raised on wood blocks
a rain barrel raised on bricks
Examples of how to raise the barrel up higher to make the lower spigot more accessible for a watering can or bucket.

Installing the rain barrel

Most 55-gallon rain barrels will get full in a matter of minutes if a roof downspout is routed to fill the container, so it is very important to plan for the overflow once the barrel is full. Rain barrel or downspout diverters can be installed so that once the barrel is full, the water will then go back to following the original drainage path. There must be a plan in place to capture the excess water so that no damage is done to building foundations. Also, know that until the barrel catches water for the first time, it can be caught and blown by the wind, so it’s important to have something to weigh it down, either a brick, rock, or block. Do not add rain barrels or disconnect downspouts near septic systems or drinking wells or springs and be sure to avoid utilities such as electric, cable, internet, sewer, or gas lines. Always call Miss Utility before any digging or construction of any kind. 

Internet search results for rain barrel diverter
Search results for “rain barrel diverter.” These allow for cutting the downspout one time and installing a diverter. Once the rain barrel is filled from natural rainfall, the diverter routes the excess water back into the original drainage system. Photo: A. Bodkins

Maintaining your rain barrel 

You want to be sure that you are emptying and using the water that is stored in your rain barrel as soon as possible (at least every 5-7 days) to ensure that the water stays as fresh as possible. If you have extra water in the barrel and rain is in the forecast, just let it trickle into a nearby flowerbed or hook up a drip irrigation hose so that the stored water can slowly soak into the ground. Again, one benefit of the rain barrel is to slow down water during a precipitation event and allow it to sink into the soil later on. Having a darker-colored rain barrel can help slow algae growth; however, you might need to occasionally clean your barrel with a mild bleach solution. It is also very important to keep the screen free of debris/leaves/etc. and in good condition and the lid securely in place. In climates where snow and freezing temperatures occur, rain barrels will have to be drained, and downspouts reconnected to original drainage pathways in late fall. Barrels should be stored in an outbuilding/garage or simply turned upside down so that the barrel does not freeze solid and bust.   In Spring, barrels can then be reconnected and used again. 

a rain barrel with a bird painted on it
Example of a painted rain barrel.
a rain barrel with a hose draining into a watering can
A rain barrel raised on stone blocks. Photo: Adobe Stock

Resources for building a rain barrel

Rain Barrels: How to Build Your Own, Part 1 | Rutgers New Jersey Extension

Rain Barrels:  Why, When, & How| University of Maryland Extension, Garrett County, archived webinar

Consider adding a rain barrel to your landscape today!

By Ashley Bodkins, Senior Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Garrett County, Maryland. Read more posts by Ashley.

All photos in this article, unless otherwise noted, were shared by participants in the rain barrel program supported by the Deep Creek Watershed Foundation.  


Floral Supplements Support Ecosystem Services in Our Green Spaces

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Winter is a good season to plan for spring. In today’s post, we want to tell you a bit about a type of planting that one can consider. This planting will boost the stability of our green spaces, turning them into havens of biodiversity. Let’s talk about floral supplementation and floral supplements.

a row of yellow flowers
Example of a floral supplementation in the form of a flower strip (e.g., “pollinator strip”) in a Mid-Atlantic agroecosystem. Photo: K. Evans.

What are floral supplements?

Floral supplements are semi-natural habitats that are added to green spaces and are designed to concentrate a large amount of plant resources into a small area. By including a mixture of herbaceous or woody flowering plant species, floral supplements provide food and habitat to local wildlife. This increase in floral resources correlates to local increases in the number of insect and other animal species and their abundance, which results in the improvement of ecosystem services in the area. Common examples include pollination, pest suppression, nutrient (re)cycling, soil conservation, and improvements in water provision and quality.

skipper on a flower
inside of a stem looking at a leaf-cutter bee nest
ground nesting bee
Hairstreak butterfly collecting nectar (left); a leafcutter bee using yellow bits of partridge pea flowers to line the interior of their nest (center); early spring andrenid bee returning to her underground nest in May. Photos: K. Evans.

While supplements formed of mainly herbaceous flowering plants offer great nectar, pollen, and nesting resources to insects that act as pollinators and pest control agents, other plants can also be used to create floral supplements. In particular, woody plants and shrubs can provide valuable food and cover for various songbirds and small mammals. The benefits of floral supplementation go beyond supporting insects, birds, and mammals. In fact, these plant additions also have been shown to assist with weed suppression and to reduce soil erosion, while permanent woody plantings (e.g., hedgerows) can also serve as windbreaks.

hedgerow along a road
Hedgerows are coming into leaf along a road in the spring. Photo: McEnnerney/Alamy.

Nowadays, floral supplements can be found nearly everywhere, from home gardens to roadsides, and croplands to city greenspaces, and are commonly referred to as “pollinator strips” or “conservation strips”. Generally, floral supplements are primarily implemented as a conservation initiative to support wildlife and arthropod biodiversity, particularly in floristically impoverished areas such as agricultural monocultures and urban environments. 

The origin of floral supplementation

The concept of floral supplementation has roots in agriculture. For example, the use of companion plantings and flowering margins in and around crops has been long known to enhance biological control by boosting natural enemies of crop pests, such as predatory bugs and beetles, and parasitic wasps. In this respect, the addition of these plants to the agroecosystem has been recognized as a strategy to improve pest control with lower pesticide inputs.

spider on a flower
samurai wasp parasitizing brown marmorated stink bug eggs
Spiders (left) are important natural enemies of pests, such as this crab spider lurking on a black-eyed Susan. Floral supplementation also supports the presence of other pest control agents, such as this samurai wasp, Trissolcus japonicus, parasitizing brown marmorated stink bug eggs. Photos: K. Evans; S. Athanas.

Today, the concept has expanded in conjunction with aesthetic and conservation initiatives. For example, the Beautification Act of 1965 encouraged roadside wildflower plantings, and actions such as establishing pollinator gardens and defining no-mow months increase floral resources for pollinators. The USDA also offers conservation programs for monarchs and other pollinators by encouraging farmers and ranchers to plant pollinator-friendly wildflowers, shrubs, and trees (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/).

No Mow April
No Mow initiatives promote not mowing the lawn to allow early spring flowers to grow and bloom, thus providing food for early spring insects.

How to start with floral supplements?

Although there is not a hard definition for what constitutes a floral supplement, guidelines have been proposed by government and conservation societies including the Xerces Society and the USDA. What species to plant ultimately depends on the location and purpose of the supplement. For example, recommended species to plant for upland or grassland habitats will be different than those for wetter habitats. Generally, however, regionally native or naturalized species are often recommended to sustain more native animal diversity than exotic species. In fact, because most ornamental plants used for aesthetic purposes are often non-native, they tend to offer unsuitable or no resources to the local animal communities. Further, even among native species, regional varieties (i.e., local ecotypes) are often preferred because they are better adapted to the local climates, growing conditions, and living communities.

milkweed in a field
Monarch City signs
Flower plantings can sometimes support specific pollinators, such as monarch butterflies. Examples of this are roadside and field margin milkweed plantings (left) and the participation of cities in the Monarch City Certification Program. Photo: Bill Hubick, Maryland Biodiversity Project. 

Another aspect to consider when starting or creating floral supplements is the diversity of plants used. In fact, diversity is a common theme for floral supplements: one seeks to obtain a high diversity in flower color, flower shape, and bloom times. For example, the best supplements contain a mixture of annuals, perennials, and woody plants that bloom at different times throughout the growing season to ensure that floral resources will be sustained over time. Further, including flowers with diverse shapes, colors, and sizes facilitates access to nectar and pollen for arthropods with different mouth and body shapes.

Although one can try to do it by oneself, designing a floral supplement can be tedious and sometimes overwhelming. Luckily, federal agencies, seed companies, and local nurseries have mixes available for certain habitat types and regions, that one can order directly.

To learn more visit: 

USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service

Xerces Society in the Northeast

Pollinator Partnership

Site preparation guidelines for pollinator gardens (PDF)

By Katy Ciola Evans, Ph.D. student in the Espíndola Lab, University of Maryland Department of Entomology. View her website to learn more about her research.