Paradise for Pollinators at Princess Point

In June 2022, a special project was underway at Princess Point. The Rotary Club of Hamilton approached RBG with the hopes of building a pollinator garden and RBG ecologists enthusiastically agreed to help. Princess Point was the desired location, as it is already a grassland bustling with pollinators. The primary goal of the pollinator garden was to act as a pollinator’s oasis, and secondarily as a demonstration garden for visitors who might be interested in building their own haven for pollinators.

The most common misconception that people have about native plants is that they look “unkept”. That’s why when RBG’s ecologists were planning the design of the pollinator garden, the placement of each plant was carefully thought out. The key to an eye-catching and aesthetically-pleasing native pollinator gardens are the same as the basic principles of non-native gardening – it’s all about getting to know the plant! Some characteristics to consider when planting a pollinator garden are the plant’s bloom period and colour, along with the plant’s maximum height. Other factors to consider are the amount of light in the proposed garden site, soil type, and water conditions. By learning a little about native plants, a beautiful pollinator-friendly garden can be achieved.

It goes without saying that our native pollinators are lacking habitat, but planting native plant species can make a large difference. After a year of growth, the pollinator garden at Princess Point was absolutely bustling with pollinators in 2023. A sense of fulfillment swept over RBG ecologists and volunteers as they saw many pollinators utilizing the garden this summer.

But how can one tell if their pollinator habitat is truly ecologically successful?

To measure the ecological success of the pollinator garden, and other restored grassland sites like Princess Point, RBG conducts annual Butterfly Counts across its property. RBG staff and volunteers spend a few hot, sunny days in July surveying grassland sites for butterflies. The presence or, in some cases, absence of certain butterflies can indicate how the ecosystem is functioning.

2023 was the 22^nd year of the long-standing monitoring program, which uses the total number of butterfly species and individuals present as an indicator of a functioning ecosystem. Butterflies have short life cycles and are sensitive to changes in their environment, such as habitat fragmentation and availability of native plants. Therefore, their presence, or absence, can be used as an early detection system that indicates the status of the ecosystem.