GRAND RAPIDS. MICH. — John Ball Zoo is sharing tips for gardeners to participate in conservation. This month is Gardening for Wildlife Month.
The zoo is encouraging gardeners to choose native trees, shrubs, and pollinator plants for their garden, which can provide wildlife food and shelter.
John Ball Zoo has a Habitat Heroes program, which engages with Grand Rapids neighborhoods in planting native plants through education and plant giveaways. The program hopes to distribute 2,000 plants this year at the zoo and community events. The zoo also has a horticulture staff, which plants a variety of native and non-native plants throughout the zoo.
The zoo also encourages gardeners to have a mix of native and non-native plants for species like caterpillars and bug larvae.
“Bugs and pollinator species are oftentimes animals we don’t think about, but they are incredibly important to the overall health of the ecosystems around us,” said Travis Kurtz, community science coordinator at John Ball Zoo. “Helping them isn’t just about seeing more butterflies and honeybees, it’s about having healthy and clean water, forests, air and agricultural systems, too.”
Gardeners are also recommended to limit the use of pesticides in their garden, which can be harmful to many insect species and remain in soil. The zoo also recommends gardeners to leave fallen leaves in their garden beds, so that insects can use them for nesting spaces.
Once plants are in the ground, gardeners are recommended to add bird baths and bird feeders.
On Mother’s Day, the John Ball Zoo will pass out wildflower seed packets.
“As humans, we impact the planet, and being aware of the impacts we’re having and ways we can make positive changes is a great and simple thing we can do to protect biodiversity in our own backyards,” said Kurtz.
More information on John Ball Zoo’s Habitat Heroes program and native plant species can be found on the zoo’s website.
