Habitat assessment by treselujan | The Great Sunflower Project

Assessment results

Answer given	Our advice
Are there areas with sandy loamy soil?: No	Consider increasing the amount of sandy loamy soil. Ground nesting bees often prefer sandy loamy soil as it is easier to dig and drains well. Sandy loam is made up of 10-50% silt or organic matter, 50-75% sand, and less than 20% clay. So if you have 15% sand in your existing soil, you will need to add enough sand to make it at least 50%. If you have 30% clay, you will need to add enough of the sand or compost to bring that percentage down to less than 20%.
Are there areas dead wood, brush piles or snags present?: No	Leave some dead wood, brush or snags in your habitat. Cavity nesting bees spend their winters in the holes found in these items.
Are there areas with pithy twigs (elderberry, cane fruit, sumac, etc…)?: No	Add some plants that have pithy stems to your habitat. Cavity nesting bees spend their winters in the center of the stems of these plants.
Do you have native bunchgrasses?: None.	Increase the amount of bunch grass in your yard. Many bees nest and overwinter at the base of these grasses.
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...)?: Mostly grass	Increase the number of flowering plants in your habitat. Think about using native plants.
How much of the whole yard, park, farm or green space is garden space or wild/natural vegetation?: Not much. Less than 5%.	Add a flower garden to your habitat or let some part of it go wild.
How much of the garden is planted with flowering annual or perennial plants (including shrubs, vegetables and trees)?: Not much (1-25%)	Consider supplementing your garden with some native, pollinator friendly plants and converting some lawn!
Are the flowering plants that you have pollinator friendly?: Some (25-50%)	Considering adding more pollinator friendly plants.
How many flowers in your garden bloom in spring?: 4-6	Add 4-6 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?: 1-3	Add 4-6 more types of summer flowers to support summer bees.
Is there fresh, clean water always available with a perch that bees could stand on and drink?: No	Consider adding a water element. This can be as simple as a bowl with some rocks thrown in for bees to stand on while drinking.
Does the garden use herbicides?: Yes.	Consider reducing your herbicide use and be sure it is an herbice that is not toxic to pollinators.
How many different pollinator counts will your contribute this year?: Ten 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 for contributing!

Score: 96 (out of a possible 210)

I have answered the questions considering the entire area of a high school site. On the topic of pesticide and herbicide use, I am researching more detailed information that I can use to update answers when they are received from the maintenance department of my school district.

Which garden or space are you describing?:

Channel Islands High School

How large is your yard?:

7.60

acres

Are there areas with bare ground and very few plants?:

Yes

Are there low traffic areas where the soil is not turned over, tilled or plowed?:

Yes

Are flowers planted in clumps?:

Yes.

How much mulch is on the ground?: