Supporting Native Pollinators
A-B Tech is expanding the locations and sizes of its pollinator gardens. The garden between the Magnolia and Sycamore buildings is now Certified Pollinator Habitat with Asheville GreenWorks and the Sustainability Committee will be applying to be a Bee Campus with the Xerces Society. The College is joining the many pollinator gardens in Asheville and the Bee Campuses across North Carolina.
Healthy ecosystems rely on native bees and other pollinating species (birds, butterflies, moths, and insects). As pollinators visit flowering plants, they move pollen to help plants reproduce. This is critical for farms, orchards, and landscapes so that the plants are able to produce fruit, vegetables, flowers, and more.
All over the world, pollinators face many dangers from loss of habitat to widespread use of pesticides. All of these factors mean there are fewer pollinators to help plants reproduce. This impacts food and plant production everywhere.
Providing more flowers for pollinators to visit and feed from provides more opportunities for these pollinators to reproduce and grow. Community, school, and home gardens as well as large-scale landscaping and organic farms, help populations of pollinators to increase over time.
A-B Tech recognizes that native pollinators need flowers to feed on, sites to nest in, and places to hide their Chrysalis. Therefore, the College is expanding pollinator gardens across campus. By creating these habitats, A-B Tech has created places that are good for pollinators and will allow students places to visit and learn from.
Pollinator Gardens are found:
- Between Sycamore and Magnolia buildings
- Beds on either side of the Simpson building
A-B Tech’s pollinator gardens are supported by the USFWS Pollinator Program and GreenWorks