Habitat assessment by plclark

plclark's picture
Assessment results
Answer givenOur advice
Do you have native bunchgrasses?: 
One smaller area.
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...)?: 
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?: 
Some. Between 21-40%.
Consider expanding your gardens and wild spaces and reducing your lawn.
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: 186 (out of a possible 210)

Our backyard is kept free of pesticides and almost entirely free of herbicides. (Occasional—as in 1-2x/yr at most—careful, rare spot use.) The natural garden area completely free of (human) chemical use. Natural garden divided into spruce/oak understory and open, relatively moist meadow area. Adjacent is a small organic vegetable garden and a small pond with waterfall “feature”; pond contains freely reproducing goldfish, occasional frog, snails—dunno what species, but certainly freely reproduce—and hosts frequent toad reproduction and occasional dragonfly/damselfly larvae. Native garden area includes broad variety of flowering species, incl. coneflower, rudbeckia, Joe Pye weed, monarda (native and cultivar), big bluestem, switchgrass, smaller bunchgrass, false sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, Salix discolor, Aronia, blueberry (cultivar), and more. Adjacent areas include elderberry, pawpaw, native cherry, hackberry, native ninebark, wild (native) hydrangea, white pine, eastern red cedar, and lots and lots of violets, some white clover, and creeping charlie, as well as some lawn grass (mostly remnant fescue).

Which garden or space are you describing?: 
plc backyard
How large is your yard?: 
400.00
square yards
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
How much of the garden is planted with flowering annual or perennial plants (including shrubs, vegetables and trees)?: 
Most (more than 75%)
Are the flowering plants that you have pollinator friendly?: 
Most (more than 75%)
How many flowers in your garden bloom in spring?: 
10 or more
How many flowers in your garden bloom in fall?: 
10 or more
How many flowers in your garden bloom in summer?: 
10 or more
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