{"id":336,"date":"2026-06-04T14:51:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T20:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/?post_type=garden-cpt&p=336"},"modified":"2026-06-04T15:37:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T21:37:54","slug":"lima-plaza-pollinator-garden","status":"publish","type":"garden-cpt","link":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/garden\/arapahoe-gardens\/lima-plaza-pollinator-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Lima Plaza Pollinator Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Installation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 2500 square feet of turf was removed from the site. Volunteers planted over 60 different species of shrubs, perennials and ornamental grasses at the site during the fall of 2019. Soil amendments were not used, except in the case of adding squeegee to improve drainage in some locations. The beds were not tilled. Drip irrigation was added to two of the beds. Two beds have no irrigation. Plants in the un-irrigated beds were hand-watered monthly through establishment. To preserve soil moisture, rock mulch (using two sizes of rock) at 1 \u00bd\u201d thick was installed in the southeast, near west and far west beds. Wood mulch at 1 \u00bd\u201d thick was installed in the east bed. A dry streambed was installed to accommodate drainage. The site is very windy, common with locations in the eastern half of Arapahoe County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pollinators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 75% of 240,000 plant species world-wide rely on insects for reproduction. Over 80 food crops including fruits, vegetables, and nuts require insects for pollination. Important agricultural forage crops including alfalfa and clover need pollinators. In addition to food crops, we receive other commodities from pollinators such as fibers, oils, medicines, and other products. Butterflies, bees and other insects need a connected pathway for food and shelter during the summer season. Migratory species such as the monarch butterfly also benefit from connected pathways. Across the United States, rapid growth and development have significantly increased areas of hardscape and reduced habitat. While you stroll the garden, look for hummingbirds, native bees, honey bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Native bees and honey bees<\/strong>\u00a0are among the most efficient pollinators because they have hairs on their body that easily catch and hold pollen. Approximately 20,000 bee species exist worldwide. In Colorado, we have over 900 bee species. With the exception of the honey bee, all wild bees nest underground or in cavity tunnels. Wild bees are at risk for population decline. Honey bees are a non-native but a critical pollinator for agricultural crops. They are a managed species similar to livestock. Since they are managed, they are not at risk of going extinct for declining in population. The population of honey bees depends on the number of beekeepers in your area. Honey bees do face a variety of challenges including the varroa mite, a parasite the decreases hive health quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Butterflies\u00a0<\/strong>are a welcome visitor to gardens. Colorado has approximately 250 species of butterflies. Some species are migratory like the painted lady (Vanessa cardui<\/em>) and the monarch (Danaus plexippus<\/em>). The best way to attract butterflies to your garden is providing the caterpillar host plant for a specific species. Each species has a different caterpillar host plant. For instance, black swallowtail caterpillars (Papilio polyxenes<\/em>) feed on dill and fennel. Two-tailed swallowtail caterpillars (Papilio multicaudata<\/em>) feed on green ash trees and chokecherry. Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus<\/em>) feed on milkweed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hummingbirds<\/strong>\u00a0are another common flower visitor. In Colorado, four species of hummingbirds are likely to visit your gardens. These birds are migratory and return to Colorado in mid-April. While hummingbird feeders are popular, the best ways to attract hummingbirds are to plant flowers that are red, long, and tubular. Hyssop and scarlet gilia are great examples. Hummingbirds also feed on insects. Flowers that have nectar to attract other insects can also provide a food source for hummingbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colorado also has other pollinators that include flower-visiting flies, moths, beetles, and some species of wasps. Bats are an important pollinator in many parts of the world. In Colorado, bats primarily feed on insects which provides valuable pest control services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Habitat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Two native bee houses are located on the north end of the east bed. Those are restocked in the fall with new tubes for the season\u2019s inhabitants. Three trees \u2013 a \u2018Tannenbaum\u2019 mugo pine, Pinus mugo<\/em>, a \u2018Fat Albert\u2019 blue spruce, Picea pungens<\/em> and a chokecherry, Prunus virginiana<\/em> were added to provide wildlife habitat. Both birds and bees can drink and clean in a shallow bowl with rock perches filled with water. In your garden, consider adding a variety of diverse food sources for the animals you want to attract \u2013 flowers for nectar provides carbohydrates and pollen provides protein. Adding shelter in the form of nesting boxes or bushy trees and shrubs and water in the form of a bird bath, stream, or pond makes your garden an attractive destination for pollinators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintenance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During each growing season, April through October, Master Gardener volunteers visit the garden twice a month to provide supplemental water as needed and to perform weeding chores. Winter watering is done once a month, when needed. In order to protect the pollinators, no herbicides or pesticides are used in the garden. The plants are deadheaded as appropriate during the season to promote repeat bloom but are left to go to seed and self-sow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The garden was conceived, designed and installed in 2019 by a group of Master Gardener volunteers. The purpose of the garden is to educate visitors on using low-water, native and pollinator-friendly plants in a home landscape setting. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":345,"parent":346,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"county_tax":[70],"garden-type_tax":[490],"class_list":["post-336","garden-cpt","type-garden-cpt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","pp_post_mime_type":"","acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/garden-cpt\/336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/garden-cpt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/garden-cpt"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/garden-cpt\/336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":344,"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/garden-cpt\/336\/revisions\/344"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/garden-cpt\/346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"county_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/county_tax?post=336"},{"taxonomy":"garden-type_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/arapahoe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/garden-type_tax?post=336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}