Claire and Michele Reynolds in the Sims EcoScape Garden

This EcoScape, spread across 5 adjacent lots, is named in honor of Catherine Sims. Catherine, affectionately known as the Plant Lady of Edgewood, who deeded her property to the City of Homewood to be maintained as a community park and outdoor classroom. The Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham-Southern College planted the lower garden with native grasses, plants, and heirloom roses. The upper garden includes a brick patio, moss rock seating wall, bamboo fence, and a tool shed, with a green roof & rainwater collection system.Catherine's former greenhouse has been restored, and is surrounded by compost demonstration lots. A bio-swale captures and slows storm water runoff, while passively watering plants. A massive Sycamore tree propagated by Catherine stands guard over the property and provides shelter for song birds.

In these peaceful surroundings, we started building the pollinator house with natural materials.

Arnold Rutkis Explaining How to Make a Pollinator House

As we worked, Andrew explained that about 75 percent of our food supply and many of the flowers and animals we enjoy could not exist without pollinators like bees and butterflies. I was surprised to learn that honeybees—which most people recognize for their painful stings—originated in Asia and were imported to North America from Europe. Native American bee species, many of which are smaller than a grain of rice don’t sting at all. The bad news is that honey bees are rapidly disappearing. 

The Pollinator House Under Construction

The good news, however, is that our native bees, especially the Mason, and Leafcutter Bees, are extremely efficient pollinators, all they need are nesting sites. Unfortunately, urban sprawl, farming, and pesticides are destroying their nesting sites and reducing the diversity of wildflowers the bees need to survive. There are 4,000 species of native bees in North America, but their populations are in decline because they cannot find enough sites to raise their young. Indeed a compelling reason to build pollinator houses. The pollinator house will provide nesting sites for the native bees, moths, butterflies and other regional pollinators. It’s a small step, which could have a big cumulative result if implemented on a wide scale.
Constructing a pollinator house would make an excellent project for students who are doing research on native bees for Writing Eco an Eco Mystery

If you are interested in learning more here are some links to explore:
How to Build Nests for Native Bees
Native Bee Biology
Pollinator Partnership
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