Bonus Pollinator Week Post! Want to know how to attract pollinators to your farm or yard? Here are 5 useful tips! 🌼Plant Native Flowers: Choose a variety of native plants like yarrow, rabbitbrush, and black-eyed Susan They provide the best nectar and pollen for local pollinators. 🌿Plant in Clusters: Grouping the same plants together makes it easier for pollinators to find and access food. 💧Provide Water Sources: Set up shallow dishes with stones for bees and butterflies to safely drink and cool off. 🏡Create Shelter and Nesting Sites: Leave some areas of bare soil, and keep brush piles for pollinators to nest and hide. 🚫Reduce Pesticide Use: Go natural with pest control to keep your garden safe and welcoming for pollinators. For more resources, visit our website at: www.osstewardship.ca/pollinators Or our farms-targeted resources at www.farmstewards.ca (fb)

Pollinator Week Day 7 : Birds Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes and are not exclusive to insects. Birds can be pollinators alongside insects. Ornithophily is when birds are the ones pollinating the flowers. While hummingbirds are usually the bird that comes to mind when thinking of pollinators there are others species that fill that role, one of which are orioles. Orioles are more well known as an insect eating bird, but they will also consume fruit and nectar. Orioles have bigger beaks which is different than most nectar eating bird that usually have long, thin beaks that will fit in tubular shaped flowers. Orioles instead need bigger flowers and are messier in their eating habits. They are known to get pollen all over their beaks while feasting which is beneficial when it comes to pollinating flowers. The most common oriole you might see around the Okanagan and Similkameen is the Bullock's orioles. Hopefully this pollinator week you were able to learn a little bit more about the many amazing pollinators that could visit your garden this summer. For more tips about what plants are best suited for our native pollinators, check out our website: https://www.osstewardship.ca/pollinators (fb)