Habitat assessment by Nita Sierke

Nita Sierke's picture
Assessment results
Answer givenOur advice
Are there bee nesting blocks?: 
No
Supplement your habitats with nest blocks. Learn how to build them here.
What is the main type of vegetation in the area you are evaluating (park, garden, yard, farm...)?: 
Mix of native and non-native plants
Increase the amount of native plants in your yard.
How much of the whole yard, park, farm or green space is garden space or wild/natural vegetation?: 
A lot. More than 40%.
You are doing a great job managing for pollinators!
How much of the garden is planted with flowering annual or perennial plants (including shrubs, vegetables and trees)?: 
Some (25-50%)
Consider supplementing your garden with some native, pollinator friendly plants and converting some lawn!
How many flowers in your garden bloom in spring?: 
7-9
Add 2 or 3 more kinds of spring flowers.
How many flowers in your garden bloom in fall?: 
1-3
Add 4-6 more fall flowers to support fall bees.
How many flowers in your garden bloom in summer?: 
4-6
Add 2-3 more types of summer flowers to support summer bees.
How many different pollinator counts will your contribute this year?: 
Five or more.
We'd love to see pollinator counts from any of the plants in your garden as many times as you can contribute. Thanks!

Score: 174 (out of a possible 210)

Three acres on a southwest facing slope. Planted long ago with boxwoods along the long drive. Privets occur singly and as hedges near the house. Some of the lawns are being returned to native grasses, the dressage ring is being allowed to revert to grass cover -- it doesn't have any flowers yet, they will come as the soil improves. There's a fenced in area behind the house that amounts to about 1/3 of an acre, where I have echium, bottle brush, citrus bushes, birds of paradise, sedum, etc.; as well two Hugel Culture beds planted with a combination of flowers (pollinator favorites) and vegetables, a third larger Hugel bed is still seasoning this year, so it is planted with pollinator flower mixes. We have native fescue coming back beautifully. Raspberry vines and blueberry bushes, a number of salvias, achillea and a few exotics.

Which garden or space are you describing?: 
Garden: Nita Sierke (Woodside)
How large is your yard?: 
3.00
acres
Are there areas with bare ground and very few plants?: 
Yes
Are there areas with sandy loamy soil?: 
Yes
Are there low traffic areas where the soil is not turned over, tilled or plowed?: 
Yes
Are there areas dead wood, brush piles or snags present?: 
Yes
Are there areas with pithy twigs (elderberry, cane fruit, sumac, etc…)?: 
Yes
Do you have native bunchgrasses?: 
Several areas or one large area.
Are the flowering plants that you have pollinator friendly?: 
Most (more than 75%)
Are flowers planted in clumps?: 
Yes.
How much mulch is on the ground?: 
Some.
Is there fresh, clean water always available with a perch that bees could stand on and drink?: 
Yes
Does the garden use herbicides?: 
No.
Are pesticides used in the garden?: 
No