Charleston Parks Conservancy Promoting Pollinators During National Pollinator Week
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Across the globe, about 1,000 plants have to be pollinated by animals and insects to produce food, beverages, fibers, spices and even medicines. So anyone who loves apples, chocolate, coffee, potatoes, almonds or tequila should be concerned about the pollinator crisis.
Many pollinators are disappearing due to loss of habitat, chemical misuse, invasive plants, diseases and parasites. The United States alone has lost more than half its managed honeybee colonies over the last decade, according to Pollinator Partnership.
Locally, the Charleston Parks Conservancy has pollinators in mind as it creates new gardens in Charleston’s parks. In more than a dozen city parks, you’ll find a variety of plants species aimed at boosting the pollinator population.
The Conservancy recently supported a project spearheaded by Charleston Audubon and Natural History Society and Audubon South Carolina to add more native plants and pollinator habitats to Elliotborough Park and Community Garden, which is managed by the Conservancy.
Audubon planted native species such as ilex glabra, cardinal flower, oak leaf hydrangea, stoke’s aster, swamp hibiscus and passionflower to both attract pollinators and provide seeds and berries for native bird species as way to lure them back into urban areas. Audubon also built a chimney swift tower and a bat box to provide shelter for these important animal species. Signage helps educate the public about the project and its mission.
The Conservancy is also hosting a presentation on pollinators with Miriam ‘Mimi’ Jenkins, a researcher at Clemson University Coastal Research and Education Center, as part of National Pollinator Week June 19-25. The presentation is 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 24 at Medway Park and Community Garden, 2101 Medway Road on James Island.
Learn about the lives of native pollinators and what you can do to protect them. Get an up close look at pollinating insects common to this area and receive information and free seed packets to attract pollinators to your own garden. Stick around after the presentation to help plant a pollinator garden with native seeds and plants donated by Ernst Conservation Seed Co.
During the month of June, visit some of Charleston’s local parks to see which plants are blooming to attract pollinators:
– Allan Park: Lantana, Abelia, Crinum Lily, Hydrangea
– Cannon Park: Lantana, Crinum Lily, Beauty Berry
– Chapel Street Fountain Park: Gomphrena, Gloriosa Daisy, Beauty Berry, Hydrangea
– Colonial Lake: Turk’s Cap, Firebush, Swamp Hibiscus, Rudbeckia, Echinacea
– Corrine Jones Park: Plumbago, Ruellia, Russelia, Canna, Beach Primrose, Beauty Berry, Butterfly Vine, Hydrangea
– Elliotborough Community Garden: Abelia, Hydrangea, Cardinal Flower, Stoke’s Aster, Turk’s Cap, Carrot, Elderberry
– Hazel Parker Playground: Ruellia, Beauty Berry
– Logan Street Triangle Park: Lantana, Plumbago, Beauty Berry
– Magnolia Park and Community Garden: Abelia, Oregano, Parsley, Carrot, Zinnia, Celosia, Salvia, Sunflower, Coreopsis, Tithonia, Thunbergia, Crinum Lily, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Rose Balsam and several vegetables (tomatoes, squash, cukes, beans, okra)
– Marion Square:Plumbago, Abelia, Hydrangea
– McMahon Playground: Hydrangea
– Medway Park and Community Garden: Echinacea, Oregano, Zinnia, Celosia, Thunbergia, Parsley, Borage, Petunia
– Tiedemann Park & Nature Center: Hydrangea, Swamp Hibiscus, Turk’s Cap
– Wragg Square: Abelia, Butterfly Vine
About the Charleston Parks Conservancy
The Charleston Parks Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring the people of Charleston to connect with their parks and together create stunning public places and a strong community. The Conservancy opens doors to individuals and organizations in Charleston wanting to engage with their parks and green spaces in a kaleidoscope of positive ways. With the help of its Park Angels, the Conservancy improves, enhances, and invigorates these spaces, making Charleston even better, stronger, and more successful. For more information about or to support the Charleston Parks Conservancy, please visit www.charlestonparksconservancy.org.
###
Charleston Parks Conservancy on social media:
Twitter / Instagram @charlestonparks
Facebook www.facebook.com/CharlestonParksConservancy