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Inspiring our community, raising awareness, and increasing habitat through garden certification |
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What is it?
Our Native Pollinator Garden Certification program allows anyone in Western North Carolina to certify their garden as pollinator habitat—certified gardens receive a certificate, and an optional habitat sign. The goals of this program are to educate community members on the crucial elements of beneficial pollinator habitat, help beginning gardeners get their feet off the ground, and bring recognition to those who are already helping our most needed pollinators. Our program has four tiers, or rankings, of habitat quality. This does not mean it's a competition. We're all in this together—us and the pollinators. We want even small-scale gardens to be recognized because every bit of habitat helps, and not everyone has the ability to create a massive, widely-diverse habitat. However, we would also like to recognize the extraordinary amount of time and effort put in by some, and want to encourage others to aspire to that level! How does it work? If you already have a garden you would like to certify, take a look at our tier requirements and decide which level your garden fits into and whether you meet all those requirements. If your garden isn't quite there, please check out the resources provided below that can help you meet all the criteria! If you don't have a garden, you have one but it doesn't align well with our criteria, or you feel overwhelmed by this whole process, check out our Starter Lists below. These are succinct lists of plants that are fairly easy to find at local nurseries, aren't too hard to grow, and once in the ground (or planter) will meet all first tier plant requirements on the application. Once you feel your garden is certifiable, please fill out the application and we will review it and get back to you as soon as possible. What do I get? You get an official Asheville GreenWorks / Bee City USA - Asheville pollinator habitat certificate with your name on it. You have the option of purchasing a sign to put in your garden - these spread awareness, help drive the paradigm shift away from grass lawns...and look awesome. You also, perhaps most importantly, get the satisfaction of knowing that you are providing the staple elements of pollinator habitat correctly and effectively for our pollinators. What does it cost? This process does involve an application fee. As a nonprofit organization, these fees keep this program up and running. The application fee is $10, and the cost of the (optional) sign is $35. |
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Habitat Sign and Certificate
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The signs are 11" x 8.5" composite aluminum. Your purchase includes a post and fasteners for display in your garden. Each sign will have a special adornment (encircled butterfly in the top left) depending on your garden tier.
Habitat Elements
A full-fledged pollinator habitat has many elements—below are the elements we've deemed integral to each habitat and why.
Native Plants - To most effectively support native pollinators, we need native plants. Native plants are species that existed here prior to European colonization, and thus co-evolved with the animals that pollinate them. By using native plant species, we are creating habitat that native pollinators are most likely to thrive in.
Avoiding Pesticide Use - Pesticide use is one of the leading causes of pollinator decline. Pesticide is an umbrella term that includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. Round-Up, for example, is a pesticide. A pollinator garden should not be exposed to these types of chemicals.
Nectar Sources - Nectar is the primary energy source for the vast majority of adult pollinators and is therefor one of the most significant elements of pollinator habitat. For habitat to effectively support pollinators throughout the year, there must be nectar available in all parts of the growing season (March - October).
Trees and/or Shrubs - In addition to providing nectar and pollen, woody plants can also offer crucial shelter and wind-break, and can be important larval hosts.
Larval Hosts - Many Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths) depend on specific native plants as food sources for their offspring. Plants that act as hosts for these eggs and subsequent caterpillars are known as host plants. Larval hosts not only support insect life-cycles, the larva they help rear are an integral food source for native birds. These plants can fulfill requirements in other categories as well.
Water - All animals need water—pollinators are no exception!
Shelter - Spaces such as bare, unmulched earth; dead tree snags; leaf litter left where it fell under trees; or a patch of native grass can provide a place for many pollinators to nest and overwinter. While bee hotels can be quite effective when employed and maintained properly, they also can harbor infectious disease when not employed and maintained properly. Due to these potential downsides, they alone do not constitute viable shelter for this program.
Removing Invasives - Invasive species can out-compete native plants and are a huge threat to our natural ecosystem. Guarding your habitat against invasives promotes its longevity as a healthy refuge for pollinators and reduces the spread of these noxious species.
Native Plants - To most effectively support native pollinators, we need native plants. Native plants are species that existed here prior to European colonization, and thus co-evolved with the animals that pollinate them. By using native plant species, we are creating habitat that native pollinators are most likely to thrive in.
Avoiding Pesticide Use - Pesticide use is one of the leading causes of pollinator decline. Pesticide is an umbrella term that includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. Round-Up, for example, is a pesticide. A pollinator garden should not be exposed to these types of chemicals.
Nectar Sources - Nectar is the primary energy source for the vast majority of adult pollinators and is therefor one of the most significant elements of pollinator habitat. For habitat to effectively support pollinators throughout the year, there must be nectar available in all parts of the growing season (March - October).
Trees and/or Shrubs - In addition to providing nectar and pollen, woody plants can also offer crucial shelter and wind-break, and can be important larval hosts.
Larval Hosts - Many Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths) depend on specific native plants as food sources for their offspring. Plants that act as hosts for these eggs and subsequent caterpillars are known as host plants. Larval hosts not only support insect life-cycles, the larva they help rear are an integral food source for native birds. These plants can fulfill requirements in other categories as well.
Water - All animals need water—pollinators are no exception!
Shelter - Spaces such as bare, unmulched earth; dead tree snags; leaf litter left where it fell under trees; or a patch of native grass can provide a place for many pollinators to nest and overwinter. While bee hotels can be quite effective when employed and maintained properly, they also can harbor infectious disease when not employed and maintained properly. Due to these potential downsides, they alone do not constitute viable shelter for this program.
Removing Invasives - Invasive species can out-compete native plants and are a huge threat to our natural ecosystem. Guarding your habitat against invasives promotes its longevity as a healthy refuge for pollinators and reduces the spread of these noxious species.
Garden Certification Tiers
Gardens will qualify for various 'tiers' of habitat quality and diversity based on the requirements listed in the following section. As your garden continues to improve you can move up in the ranks. Once again, this is not a competition—every single bit of a habitat is helpful!
Egg - for the beginner gardener and/or those with spacial constraints. This level is feasible for an apartment balcony. See "Starter Lists" (in Resources section below) for plant ideas.
Caterpillar - an attainable level for a beginning gardener or an easy certification for a seasoned pro. Don't be discouraged by the tree/shrub requirements - there are plenty of smaller, affordable native shrubs to choose from. See "Starter Lists" for plant ideas.
Chrysalis - if you're shooting for this level, ideally you already have a successful pollinator garden and might just need to add a few elements to become certified.
Butterfly - pollinators all around our community are buzzing about your garden. You've put in a lot of time and energy.
Egg - for the beginner gardener and/or those with spacial constraints. This level is feasible for an apartment balcony. See "Starter Lists" (in Resources section below) for plant ideas.
Caterpillar - an attainable level for a beginning gardener or an easy certification for a seasoned pro. Don't be discouraged by the tree/shrub requirements - there are plenty of smaller, affordable native shrubs to choose from. See "Starter Lists" for plant ideas.
Chrysalis - if you're shooting for this level, ideally you already have a successful pollinator garden and might just need to add a few elements to become certified.
Butterfly - pollinators all around our community are buzzing about your garden. You've put in a lot of time and energy.
Tier Requirements
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1 - Egg
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2 - Caterpillar
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3 - Chrysalis
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4 - Butterfly
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Application and Payment
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Please review the following application and complete all sections. Once you have completed the application, use the payment link below or submit a check by mail. The application fee is required, but purchasing a sign is optional. When your payment is received we will review your application and contact you as soon as possible. Applications are reviewed on a monthly basis. There is a downloadable PDF application below intended to help you through the application process and give you a better idea of what it entails, however, we do not accept physical applications.
Pay by Mail Instructions With intention noted on check, send $10 application fee and/or $35 sign payment to: Asheville GreenWorks 2 Sulphur Springs Rd Asheville, NC 28806 |
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Resources
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Starter Lists - These lists are comprised of native, pollinator-friendly plants that are relatively easy to grow and find at local nurseries. They also fulfill all the plant requirements for the respective tier they're associated with. If you're starting from scratch, using one of these to guide your planting choices is the fastest way to create an effective pollinator garden and get your certification.
'Egg' Starter Lists:
'Caterpillar' Starter Lists:
Recommended Pollinator-Friendly Plant Lists: Lists compiled with help from local plant experts and nursery owners to provide extensive (but not exhaustive) references for planting with pollinators in mind. They are PACKED with a lot of valuable information - if you find these overwhelming, check out the starter lists above. There are separate lists for perennials, and trees/shrubs.
View/Download lists here Local nurseries: A list of local nurseries that carry native plants. Support local pollinators and local businesses in one fell swoop! Call first to see if they have what you're looking for.
Bloom Time List: A list of recommended perennials organized by when they start blooming. This is helpful for picking plants from each part of the growing season, as required for some levels of certification.
North Carolina Pollinator Toolkit: An in-depth guide on all facets of creating pollinator habitat in North Carolina. It includes everything from site selection to long-term maintenance. You can find another detailed plant list at the end of this document.
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Certifying Your Pollinator Garden Webinar
Ruth Gonzalez of Reems Creek Nursery and the Bee City USA - Asheville Leadership Committee delves into certifying your garden in the video below! 
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Invasive Plant Species of WNC: An extensive list of WNC's most problematic non-native plant species
http://nc-ipc.weebly.com/mountain-invasive-plants.html
http://nc-ipc.weebly.com/mountain-invasive-plants.html
Certified Habitats Map
This map shows the location and tiers (represented by color) of many of the gardens we have certified. Help us fill up this map by certifying your garden and creating connected habitat corridors to sustain pollinators!
Not all certified gardens are shown—only garden owners who have agreed to be on the map are displayed.
Not all certified gardens are shown—only garden owners who have agreed to be on the map are displayed.