Parks are for Pollinators 

By Todd Burley

Urban parks are, well, urban. Which means that many wild animals cannot make a home here. However, every summer our parks come alive with species that find these pockets of habitat in our midst and brighten them up with their activity and color.

Pollinators are important ecological actors that we all depend on. They ensure our apple trees produce fruit and enable all flowering plants are able to propagate. From your veggie garden to the salmonberries in our natural areas, these insects and birds play a key part in a thriving environment in our parks.

Some pollinators are here all year, such as ground-nesting native bees that hunker down for the winter and emerge in the spring to begin their work. Others come for the bounty our region provides, such as the Rufous Hummingbi