Tag | Xerces Society

From the Field

Several people, both women and men, each carrying butterfly nets, gather together to look excitedly at a bee identification guide. Two are holding bees in plastic containers, comparing them to the guide.

From the Field: Searching for Pollinators in an Iowa Prairie

Sarah Nizzi takes us out to a hands-on training about pollinator conservation.

A view of the 2 hedgerows in springtime. The native plant line short on the left is hugged by burlap strips and the taller Siberian pea-shrub is tall against the red wooden fence on the right.

Living Snow Fence Helps Both Crops and Pollinators in the Semi-Arid West

Not only do hedgerows help block damaging winds, but they can create pollinator habitat, increase carbon capture, and bolster crop production!

A grove of young chestnut trees, about 8ft tall, planted in neat rows within a large forest clearing. Two people are knelt by one tree, inspecting it.

Working With Land Trusts To Create and Conserve Habitat Across New England

Erin Cocca shares her experience helping Maine’s Orono Land Trust with their conservation efforts.

Several cows grazing in a field. Instead of introduced grasses, this field is full of native prairie plants

Planting Native Prairies Makes for Grazing Pastures that Support Both Cows and Pollinators

Micah Kloppenburg shares his ruminations from a small farm in Wisconsin experimenting with conservation-forward practices

U School garden in front of the school, which is painted in murals

High School Students Depave a Parking Lot to Plant a Garden

With support from USDA NRCS, Xerces, and the local community, a Philadelphia high school parking lot became a space for gardening and pollinator habitat.

prairie violets that sprouted in restored prairie pocket

The Rewards of Prairie Management: Bountiful Evidence of Recovery

Pocket prairies at a somber site in Iowa are bursting with hope thanks to years of care in the form of techniques like prescribed burns and brush removal.

Searching for Rare Butterflies on the Oregon and California Coasts

In the hopeful early summer, Xerces conservation biologists set out on a journey down the coast, under forests, through marshes, and across sand dunes to find rare butterfly species in the wild.

Volunteers weeding in a People's Garden in the Bronx

Planting for Bees, Butterflies, and Beauty in the Bronx

Two urban farms in the Bronx demonstrate a symbiotic relationship between people and pollinators. Communities at the Garden of Happiness and Tawqua Community Farm restore quality pollinator habitat and pollinators keep the gardens thriving and producing.

Penstemon flowers at the Hood River NRCS field office demonstration garden ( Emily Huth/ NRCS).

Saving Seeds Can Be an Easy Way to Grow Pollinator Habitat

Rae Powers shares her no-fuss, low-stress approach to seed saving and Corin Pease tells how pollinator demonstration gardens can spark inspiration.

Year 3 hedgerow with fruiting Toyon (aka Christmas Holly) (Heteromeles arbutifolia) and flowering Coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis) in Colusa, CA, November 2021. Credit: Anna Murray/ Xerces Society

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest - December 2021

Update on projects undertaken by Xerces' team of restoration ecologists, entomologists, plant ecologists, and researchers. Sarah Nizzi shares the lessons she learned from private landowners restoring habitat with native seed in Iowa, and Anna Murray recounts progress on farm habitat installations on the west coast.

An area of grassland has been set on fire on purpose. Brown smoke rises into the blue sky from the orange flames that mark the division between the burned and unburned grassland. The burned area to the left is black, the unburned are to the right is green with tall brown stems. A fire manager wearing yellow cloths and a blue helmet is walking along the line of fire.

Burning the Land

Fire has been used to manage prairies for centuries, and remains an important tool for grassland managers to reduce woody plant encroachment and increase flower production of key nectar and pollen sources. However, burning entire landscapes is problematic for pollinators, and fire must be used carefully.

A front garden in which flowers have been planted. Small circles of recently dug soil surround each small, green plant. The garden is edged by a wooden fence made of two horizontal rails and widely spaced posts. In the foreground, attached to the fence is a sign. The sign is green, with colorful flowers and an orange butterfly and brown lettering that says “pollinator habitat”.

Santa Fe Pollinator Habitat Kit Program Connects Pollinators and People

In Santa Fe, NM, Xerces is working with local partners to develop a city-wide Pollinator Trail focused on creating connected habitat through neighborhoods that lack greenspaces. In September, after months of planning and preparation, 350 habitat kits were distributed to residents and organizations. When many people come together around a common goal, small efforts can quickly add up to large-scale conservation.

An underwater photo showing the bottom of a river and above it in the hazy water small brown fish. The river bottom is made of dark, rounded rocks, some large, some small, surrounded by pale brown sand. In the sand can be seen dozens of freshwater mussels. The mussels are oval shaped and very dark, almost black. The two halves of their shells are slightly open, showing the paler, soft flesh of the animal.

The Merit of Mussels

Freshwater mussels share our rivers and enrich our natural and cultural connections. They keep streams clean, provide habitat for other invertebrates, and support fish populations. Despite their importance, they are among the most threatened groups of wildlife and eight species were recently declared extinct.

Two women stand beside a farm field. One has a black shirt and pale brown pant. The other black pants and a pale brown shirt and is wearing a broad-brimmed hat and carries an orange bag. A strip of brown grass stretches down the edge of the field. Beside the field is an orchard of trees with white trunks and green leaves. In the distance is a green barn and houses with red roofs, and beyond them hills rising toward the blue sky.

The Value of Conservation Planning

Land owners and managers across the state of California have taken up the call to get more habitat in the ground for monarchs. But there’s one important process that comes into play prior to on-the-ground restoration: before we can plant, we plan.

A women wearing a shite shite and a straw hat stands in a meadow, with plants and yellow flowers up to her waist. Behind her a line of tall trees with green leaves stretches into the distance.

Coming Home: A Woman Landowner’s Conservation Calling

The next generation is something Ruth Rabinowitz spends a lot of time thinking about. As an Iowa farmer with a deep commitment to conservation, she feels it’s important for her to remember to look beyond her own lifetime.

A photo of a desert landscape. In the background, brown hills dotted with green shrbs rise toward the blue sky. In the foreground, flowers are in bloom. A row of low shrubs coverd in white flowers stretches away from the viewer toward a clump of short trees.

Climate News: Nature-Based Climate Solutions Address Climate Change and Support Pollinators

Habitat restoration can contribute to countering climate change. Native trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses increase carbon sequestration, while also providing habitat for butterflies and bees.

A photo that shows a cross section of soil on the side of a pit. The soil is dark brown and crumbling into lumps. The upper part of the photo shows the pale brown straw of the crop growing in the field, and the scuffed brown boots of a farmer.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – August 2021

In this month's Pollinator Team Digest, Jessa Kay Cruz recounts the hard work needed to track down sources of native plant seeds in the hills of California’s East Bay region and Stephanie Frischie describes the work done on our Soil Life initiative.

A view inside a large cage made of very fine, white-colored netting. The netting is held up by wooden posts and sags between the supports. Through the center of the photo is a black band, where two sheets of netting are being stitched together. The netting is protecting blueberry bushes, which have green leaves.

Local Pest Challenges Spur Local Solutions in New Hampshire

Farmers in New Hampshire face challenges with pest management, made worse for berry growers by the arrival of a non-native fruit fly. Xerces' Alina Harris is working with growers, agencies, and university extension staff to find solutions that minimize pesticide use.

In the middle of the photo is the purple flower of a tiny wild pansy. The pansy is growing the decaying stems of bushes that were cut down.

The Return of Wild Pansies at Polk City Cemetery

In Iowa, volunteers are working hard to restore an area of old prairie. They are seeing signs that the grassland is recovering, including the regrowth of pale coneflowers and wild pansies.

A flower bed beside a street in a downtown. The flowers include purple asters and yellow coneflowers. Behind are large mirrored glass windows of a store, which reflect the buildings opposite.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – July 2021

In July's Pollinator Team Digest, Sarah Hamilton Buxton describes a multi-organization collaboration bringing pollinator plantings to the heart of Bismarck, ND, and Jennifer Hopwood introduces the amazing life beneath our feet that is at the center of a new conservation initiative focused on soil life.

Four people stand behind a table laden with trays of small plants. They are holding plants and "pollinator habitat" signs ready for a day of hard work.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – June 2021

In this month's update from our pollinator conservation team, Kelly Gill reports on the successful distribution of habitat kits across a nine-state region of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and Sarah Foltz Jordan describes a multi-farm project to expand pollinator habitat in Wisconsin.

This mix of wildflower seeds are many different shapes and shades of brown and gray, and some have tuts of pale hair

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – April 2021

In this edition, Hannah Mullally describes a project to create a pollinator habitat demonstration site in the unique conditions of northern Maine, Karin Jokela shares her experience and suggestions for designing conservation seed mixes in Minnesota, and Anna Murray gives a glimpse into habitat planning and monitoring in California.

A group of men and women stand in the middle of an old hayfield discussing plans for restoring wildflowers.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – March 2021

In our March 2021 Pollinator Team Digest, Alina Harris describes a community-based habitat project in New Hampshire to help monarch butterflies and other pollinators and Kaitlyn Haase shows the varied audiences and range of topics covered in recent webinars in the Southwest.

A brown butterfly hangs upside down with its wings closed as it sips nectar from a white flower.

In Search of the Elusive Johnson’s Hairstreak

Old-growth forests are not exactly the habitat that comes to mind when you think of butterflies, but Johnson’s hairstreak calls these habitats home. It lives in the treetops, its larvae munching away at sprigs of mistletoe.

Well wrapped against the winter weather, two people walk across a snow-covered field of stubble scattering wildflower seed

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – February 2021

Our pollinator team members provide regular digests on their work. In this bumper edition, three of our staff provide updates. Stephanie Frischie discusses planting seeds, Nancy Lee Adamson highlights monarch conservation in the Southeast, and Emily May introduces a newly released video.

Children cluster around a tabletop display as the author talks with families about pollinators and conservation.

Arrancando la Primera Iniciativa de Conservación de Polinizadores para el Centro de México

Héctor Ávila Villegas is working to promote pollinator conservation in Central Mexico. He has planned and implemented habitat projects and is engaged in public outreach. This blog is part two of his story.

Plant trays containing thousands of seedlings are laid out on the ground.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – December 2020

This edition focuses on work done across the country to support monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Jessa Kay Cruz describes how Xerces supports groups in California undertaking habitat creation projects, and Jennifer Hopwood presents a series of fact sheets about milkweeds, part of a nationwide project to provide information to roadside managers.

A man and a woman carrying an insect net walk through grass looking for bumble bees

The Power of The Pinery: Six Years of Bumble Bee Community Science at Ontario’s Pinery Provincial Park

Pinery Provincial Park, near the southern tip of Lake Huron in Ontario, has been the site of Wildlife Preservation Canada’s Native Pollinator Initiative since 2015. Volunteers participating in this community science survey program have created a robust long-term dataset by contributing nearly two thousand species-specific bumble bee observations to Bumble Bee Watch.

The author, Héctor Ávila Villegas, stands beside a pollinator habitat strip full of pink, white, and yellow flowers

Conservación de Polinizadores en Aguascalientes, México

Over the last couple of years, Xerces Society staff have had the pleasure of supporting Héctor Ávila Villegas with his efforts to promote naturalized spaces that function as pollinator habitat and outreach in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico.

A pale brown bee with very long antennae forages on a sunflower

Pollinators Take Priority as Xerces Expands Work in New Mexico

New Mexico boasts an impressive diversity of pollinators, driven by the variety of landscapes and plant communities within the state. Fortunately for pollinators, the Xerces Society expanded their pollinator conservation efforts this year by adding a new regional position, the Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Two women in grey and red shirts stand in front of a colorful mural that shows flowers and insects at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – October 8, 2020

In this pollinator team digest, Sarah Nizzi offers an account of how habitat work has continued on an urban farm in Iowa despite the pandemic, and Nancy Lee Adamson reports on events held last year in Georgia that supported both gardeners and farmers.

An orange and black monarch butterfly drinks nectar from the creamy-white flowers of mule fat

Western Monarch Breeding Season Status

The western monarch breeding season is coming to a close for 2020 and we are in the midst of the fall migration—the time when monarch butterflies are making the long journey back to their overwintering grounds. Following two years during which the western monarch butterfly population hit the lowest levels ever recorded, researchers were looking for signs of a successful breeding season.

Three people, with clipboards in hand, inspect a hedgerow of young shrubs growing beside a dusty farm track.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – September 3, 2020

In this edition of our regular updates from the Pollinator Conservation Program, Jessa Kay Cruz gives a view into work being done with vineyards in California, and Nancy Lee Adamson shares her experience of how community science creates connections between people and nature.

A man kneels beside a tray of wildflower seedlings, carefully removing each one in readiness for planting them.

Supporting Community Efforts to Create Monarch and Pollinator Habitat in California

Creating habitat in California is an essential step in recovering the monarch -- as well as to support the many other species of butterflies and bees in that state. Xerces worked with local native plant nurseries to create and distribute monarch and pollinator “habitat kits”, each with more than a thousand climate-smart, locally native plants -- enough to make a lasting impact for monarchs.

A group of farmers stand between a crop field and flowering meadow listening to a presenter speaking about how to plan habitat for insects.

On-farm habitat for beneficial insects provides multiple benefits

To help reverse insect declines, the Xerces Society has been working with farmers across Iowa to create a network of on-farm demonstration sites that showcase a wide variety of pollinator habitat options and installation methods. This project, supported by CIG funding from the Iowa NRCS, seeks to not only boost local insect populations on each individual farm, but also to design projects and test ideas that other farmers in the community and across the Midwest can learn from.

Pink blooms of prairie crocus contrast against the brown grass

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – August 6, 2020

This edition of our Pollinator Conservation Program Digest focuses on work being done by some of our farming partners: Stephanie Frischie reports on habitat projects done by farmers growing crops for Cheerios and Cameron Newell describes ways in which his work has changed due to the coronavirus.

The wild pansy is a tiny flower with pale purple petals

Discovery of a Rare Plant Through Remnant Prairie Restoration

Less than one-tenth of a percent of Iowa's native tallgrass prairie remains. The scraps that survive are valuable refuges for less-common plants and deserve thoughtful management.

With wings spread, a monarch butterfly basks on a milkweed plant among the stems of a tulle marsh.

Western Monarchs: Notes from the Field

Staff from the Xerces Society and our partners have been keeping close eyes on the imperiled western monarch population at study sites in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho as part of a multi-year collaborative research project.

A high country bumble bee (Bombus kirbiellus) looks directly at the camera, wings blurred, as it perches atop the red petals of a paintbrush blossom.

The Source of Hope and Wonder Comes in Small Packages

Rich Hatfield, senior endangered species conservation biologist and bumble bee lead for the Xerces Society, trekked into Washington state’s Pasayten Wilderness to find the elusive high country bumble bee (Bombus kirbiellus).

Rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) in a vial.

Working Together in Iowa to Find the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

Sarah Nizzi, Farm Bill Pollinator Conservation Planner and NRCS Partner Biologist, writes about a recent workshop in Iowa and a sighting of the endangered rusty patched bumble bee.

People are crouched, planting native species in a new beetle bank in Iowa.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – August 2019

August’s featured staff members conducted a successful pollinator habitat workshop in Nebraska, and have been busy building beetle banks in Iowa.

An assortment of colors among a flowering hedgerow add life to an arid landscape.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – June 2019

June’s featured staff share their work with partners in large-scale agriculture in central Washington, family farms in Wisconsin, and a unique urban agriculture fellowship program in Virginia.

A monarch and a goldenrod soldier beetle share a pale purple thistle.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – May 2019

May’s featured staff share stories of building pollinator habitat that will also support monarchs—one project on a farm in Iowa, and the other in a park in Missouri.

A group of people gather around a patch of blooming pollinator plants.

Reflecting on a Multi-Year Conservation Biological Control Project

From 2015–2019, the Xerces Society brought a series of 61 day-long courses on conservation biological control to 49 states and 2,000 participants, with far-reaching results.

A thick bed of bright green clover blooms with red and white flowers amid rows of almond trees.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – April 2019

April’s featured staff—all Farm Bill Pollinator Conservation Planners—are driving the adoption of cover cropping in California, guiding farmers to support pollinators in Maine, and teaching the importance of rangeland to pollinator conservation in North Dakota.

A group of smiling people poses with their shovels and other implements by a flowering hedgerow.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – February 2019

February’s featured staff member has been working on a hedgerow incorporating diverse native species in North Carolina. Here she reports on its progress and the interesting invertebrates sighted on the plantings!

Children tend plantings in a raised bed.

Cedaroak Park Primary School Gardens Offer Learning Opportunities

Jenni Denekas, Xerces' web and communications coordinator, writes, "Being assigned to create an interpretive panel for Cedaroak Park Primary School, where I attended grade school, was a special experience."

A western monarch rests on the side of a tree with furrowed bark.

New Year’s Count of Western Monarchs Confirms Decline, Trends Seen in Previous Years

Overall, the count data revealed an average decrease of 38% between the Thanksgiving and New Year’s counts.

A tractor and some other farm equipment in the background are dwarfed by blooming plants in the foreground of this photo of an arid agricultural area.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – January 2019

January’s featured staff have been working on establishing pollinator habitat in California’s Central Valley and helping farmers both navigate the ins and outs of the Endangered Species Act and provide restored habitat for native bees in Maine.

Prairie grasses and flowers are illuminated beautifully by low, golden sunlight.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – December 2018

December’s featured staff hail from Iowa and Minnesota, and have been making significant impacts in their respective states by educating farmers and other members of the public, helping to restore and build new habitat, and pushing for policies that support pollinators and other beneficial insects.

A fuzzy bee with yellow and black stripes, as well as a rust-colored patch on its back, holds tightly to a pink flower.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – November 2018

November’s featured staff hail from Minnesota, Indiana, and California, and have been conducting training and outreach events, helping General Mills to implement their plan to plant 3,300 acres of pollinator habitat, and monitoring farm habitat plantings in the San Joaquin Valley.

A bright orange monarch with a torn wing perches on some pink milkweed blossoms in a grassy, dry landscape.

Western Monarch Numbers Expected to Be Low this Year

What can you do to help the monarch? Protect habitat, avoid pesticide use, plant gardens, and contribute data to Xerces-led community science efforts.

A butterfly with orange and blue features sits with its wings closed on rocky dirt.

My First Hybrid: Limenitis archippus archippus × Limenitis arthemis astyanax

Photographer Bryan E. Reynolds encountered a rare hybrid of two of his favorite butterfly species—a well-deserved sighting for a passionate lepidopterist!

Closeup of beautiful, layered pink and white petals.

Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – October 2018

October’s featured staff hail from Oklahoma, California, and Nebraska, and have been providing workshops for the public, planning pollinator habitat for arid agricultural areas, and assessing the success of pollinator plantings.

Klickitat Canyon Vineyard - in the foreground are brightly colored blooms of arrowleaf balsamroot and lupine, and in the background are rows of vines.

From the Field: A Visit to Klickitat Canyon Vineyard

Klickitat Canyon Winery is teeming with life of many kinds, from flowers and bees to birds and spiders. The organic vineyard is working towards becoming Bee Better Certified.

A redbud blooms alongside dogwood trees.

From the Field: Trees for Bees

Our Mid-Atlantic Pollinator Conservation Specialist Kelly Gill visited the Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, DE, to tour the gardens and give a talk on the best trees for bees. Kelly shares highlights of this visit and her top picks for spring-blooming trees for bees.