Pollinator Pathway NW

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

Are you wondering how to tackle a yard that was neglected or simply overgrown? Sometimes pruning isn’t the only answer, though it certainly will be touched on in this presentation. ISA-Certified Arborist and pruning coach Ellie Bender will help you think about your goals and will talk through examples of how you can transform your yard through a combination of different techniques.

Sign up on our website belleveubotanical.org to get the answers you seek about your overgrown yard. This talk takes place Wednesday June 10, 6pm at the Bellevue Botanical Garden.

06/05/2026

The lawn treatment didn't fix the lawn. It replaced the things that were already fixing it.

Ground beetles were eating the slugs. Firefly larvae were eating the snails. Parasitic wasps were suppressing the grubs. The soil fungi were helping the roots absorb nutrients without synthetic fertilizer.

The broad-spectrum application removed all of them along with the pests. Now the lawn needs the next application — because the organisms that were doing the work for free aren't there anymore.

Before the next truck comes, ask what the treatment is actually replacing. The answer is usually the biology that was already in the soil.

06/05/2026

🐝 Nature’s Tiny Giants 🐝

From the mighty Large Earth Bumblebee to the tiny Small Furrow Bee, every bee plays a vital role in keeping our world blooming. 🌼

Size may differ, but their importance never does. Protect pollinators, plant more flowers, and help nature thrive for generations to come. 💛🌿

Which bee surprised you the most? 🐝✨

06/05/2026

🌎🌱 Celebrate World Environment Day in Your Own Backyard! 🌱🌎

You don’t have to lead a global movement to make a difference—sometimes environmental action starts with a single plant, a shovel, and a commitment to care for the world around you.

This World Environment Day, consider taking one small step that can have a lasting impact:

🌿 Plant a native plant to support local wildlife
🐝 Add pollinator-friendly flowers to your garden
💧 Check your irrigation system and reduce water waste
🍂 Mulch garden beds to conserve moisture and improve soil health
🌱 Start composting kitchen and garden waste
🚫 Remove invasive plants that threaten local ecosystems
🦋 Leave a small area of your garden wild for beneficial insects and wildlife

When thousands of gardeners make small changes, those actions add up to healthier soils, cleaner water, increased biodiversity, and more resilient communities.

As gardeners, we have a unique opportunity to be environmental stewards right where we live. Every garden can be part of the solution.

Be a steward of the earth today and everyday🌿

💚 Together, we can make a difference—one garden at a time.🤜🤛

Discover how WSU Extension Master Gardeners are making an impact:
https://mastergardener.wsu.edu/priorities/2025-impact-report/

🌎🌿🐝🌱💧

06/05/2026

That low spot in the yard that stays muddy after rain and never fully dries — most people fight it. They fill it with gravel, pipe it to the street, or just avoid it.

It's the single most productive planting zone you have.

A shallow depression the size of a parking space, planted with the right natives, becomes a rain garden that supports frogs, dragonflies, toads, salamanders, and pollinators all summer. It filters your roof runoff before it reaches the storm drain. And it fills itself for free every time it rains.

🌿 Three zones, three plant lists:

- Center (wettest) — blue flag iris, cardinal flower, marsh marigold, buttonbush. This is where the frogs breed and the dragonfly larvae develop.

- Middle (moist after rain) — Joe-Pye w**d, swamp milkw**d, boneset, turtlehead. Butterfly and bee magnet all summer.

- Edge (dries between rains) — black-eyed Susan, New England aster, switchgrass, bee balm. The transition strip that ties the rain garden into the rest of the yard.

The wet spot was never a problem. It was a habitat waiting for the right plants 🌱

06/05/2026

Be gentle with the quiet lives—
the moth at your window,
the frog beside the pond,
the caterpillar on the leaf,
the tiny bird drying its wings after rain.

The earth was made for them, too.

06/05/2026