The vibrant yellow petals of goldenrod are the place to be for Island pollinators, according to a three-year study concluded this fall.
Going back to 2021, Island naturalists from BiodiversityWorks conducted a study of several different plants in order to find what species supported biodiversity on Island farms. Pollinators are integral to the environment and to the success of farms. Bees, wasps and other creatures visit plants and carry its pollen with them, fertilizing other plants of the same species, which allows them to make seeds.
The study tested nine different species at eight farms around the Island to observe which plants best attracted pollinators. The overwhelming favorite among pollinators was two species of goldenrod.
Scientists hope the findings can spur more people to grow the plants, so pollinators can continue to thrive on the Island.
“Goldenrod was definitely the star of the show,” said Matt Pelikan, who works for BiodiversityWorks as the program director for its Martha’s vineyard Atlas of Life Study. He added that 11 per cent of the observed pollinators were on or near flat-topped goldenrod.
Mr. Pelikan led the MV Pollinators Pathway study and said it was inspired by conversations with Island farmers who wanted to find ways to better support the environment.
“All of our fieldwork was done in an agricultural setting,” Mr. Pelikan said. “That was really our starting point, what could farms do? Obviously, farms benefit from pollinators, which is important, but what if farms did something that was beneficial for the environment?”
The study was funded by the Betsy and Jesse Fink Family Foundation, and focused on Beetlebung Farm, North Tabor Farm, Mermaid Farm, Whippoorwill Farm, Island Grown Initiative’s Farm Hub, Morning Glory Farm, Slough Farm and The Farm Institute.
Betsy Fink said the group had been looking for ways to support the biodiversity of pollinators on the Island.
“I’ve always been interested in this and would love to promote pollinators on the Vineyard,” she said. “We thought there was an opening in how to investigate pollination on the Vineyard and how to encourage pollination.”
Mr. Pelikan also highlighted asters (which are related to goldenrod), spotted beebalm, butterfly weed and sunflowers. All of these plants were popular with generalist and specialized species alike. Generalist species are able to feed on a wider variety of plants, while specialized species eat a more limited diet.
A large number of the observed pollinators in the study were bees, although Mr. Pelikan said that more than 20 different taxonomic families of flies were observed during the project. Beetles, butterflies, moths and members of the order hemiptera — commonly called true bugs — were also present.
“We have a list now of what we found that is 300 species long. That’s more specific information than anyone had on the Vineyard,” Mr. Pelikan said.
The majority of the data came from three sources: specimens, written field notes and photographs. Mr. Pelikan noted that photography can skew the data towards pollinators that are easy to catch on camera, whereas field notes and specimen analysis provide a more in-depth analysis.
Eastern common bumblebees and honeybees were frequently observed across the pollinator plots. Three bees that had never been recorded on Martha’s Vineyard before were also seen: the megachile inimica or hostile leaf cutter-bee, andrena bisalicis and protandrena compositarum, a member of the mining bee family, named for their ground nesting habits.
Mr. Pelikan saw the protandrena compositarum bees in late October. In the notes he published through Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life, he stated that he could only find one other record of the species in Massachusetts.
Mr. Pelikan added that there is still much to learn about pollinators that are active in the spring season, as the majority of the plants observed don’t bloom until early summer.
“One thing that became clear is we really don’t know that much about early season pollinators,” Mr. Pelikan said.
The project focused on herbaceous plants, however many of the specialized bees active in late March tend to use the flowers of woody species with hard stems, such as blueberry, huckleberry and beach plum.
Caitlin Jones, one of the founders of Mermaid Farm, was grateful to participate in the study. On her farm, she said bees were a fan of the asters. Ms. Jones said she hopes that people beyond farmers will be able to learn from the project.
“It’s important that as people start landscaping they are aware of this and it is everybody’s responsibility,” Ms. Jones said. “It’s not just Mermaid Farm’s responsibility or the Fink family’s responsibility. We are all benefiting from the gifts of pollinators and nature.”
Mr. Pelikan said that although the project was focused on farms, growing these plants in residential areas could also benefit pollinators on the Island, although the impact might not be the same because the plants will not be surrounded by as much flora and fauna found on farms.
“There’s already so much going on there. Farms are these jazzed up environments,” he said. “But I’ve got goldenrod in my yard and they perform very well.”
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