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Dane County Extension educator urges Verona residents to plant and protect pollinator gardens
Summary
At a Verona community event, Dane County Extension horticulture educator Lisa Johnson outlined design steps for butterfly and pollinator gardens, recommended native host plants and trees, and answered residents' questions about pesticides, small-space planting and managing pests.
Lisa Johnson, a horticulture educator with the Dane County Extension, told a Verona audience that homeowners can make meaningful contributions to insect conservation by planning gardens that support all life stages of butterflies and other pollinators.
"In order to really, truly support these insects, [your garden] needs to support all the different life stages," Johnson said, urging attendees to include both nectar plants for adults and larval host plants for caterpillars. She described how many species—such as monarchs—are specialists in their larval stage and need particular plants to reproduce.
Johnson highlighted regional context to explain the urgency. "The rusty patched bumble bee ... has dropped by 87%," she said, using the example to illustrate broader declines driven by habitat loss, pesticide use, disease and fragmentation.
The presentati…
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