Help Pollinators Thrive

Moth on milkweed at Tidmarsh

Many species of pollinators are experiencing dramatic declines. For example, populations of three bumblebee species in the eastern United States have declined by over 90% in the past 30 years. Populations of native bees and other pollinators are threatened by climate change, pesticide exposure, habitat degradation and agricultural intensification, declining populations of native flowering plants, and introduced pathogens.

Fortunately, there are ways to help—and small changes can make a big difference.

Getting Started

  • Try mowing less of your lawn and converting the rest to a garden, or raise your mower to a higher setting to let violets and other small flowers remain.
  • Minimize the use of pesticides and herbicides, which can kill pollinators and the plants they rely on.
  • Buy or build a bee hotel, a structure for bees to nest in; many garden centers are starting to carry them.
Bumblebee with pollen on legs © Meyer Franklin
Bumblebee © Meyer Franklin

Picture yourself standing in a meadow bursting with wildflowers, seeing the first cherry blossoms after a long winter, or enjoying a ripe, juicy blueberry. These delights and many more wouldn’t exist without a group of animals called pollinators. Meet our native pollinators > 

Pollinators at Mass Audubon

Pollinators at Mass Audubon

Butterfly Garden at Stony Brook © Garden Club of Norfolk
© Garden Club of Norfolk

Experience the beauty of pollinating insects and birds in one of the native plant gardens—or learn more about gardening and pollinators through a program—at one of our wildlife sanctuaries. Find a pollinator garden >