Coaching Information

Yes, pollinator plantings can be installed along the fence or around the perimeter of a yard, but try to keep in mind that plantings may spread, and neighbors views on these lawn alternatives will vary. If you have a neighbor that may have hesitations with plantings spreading to their yard, it may be worthwhile to install plantings in a more central location within your residence, or to plant along hard edges that communicate intent and limit the ability of plants to spread into neighbor’s yards.

Interested parties can determine where they fall on the map by visiting BWSR’s priority area map and typing their address into the search bar. The priority map webpage can be found here.

While we are not able to force neighbors to adopt best management practices for pollinator health, sharing information with neighbors may help them realize the potential benefits of using alternative management techniques. Alerting neighbors that harmful insecticides, like neonicotinoids, can have negative lethal and sublethal effects on bees may convince neighbors to refrain from using these products. Also, providing neighbors with resources that show them where they can purchase pesticide-free plantings can be helpful. Wild Ones has a comprehensive list of pesticide-free plant providers here.

For the most part, you are free to install plantings in your yard as you see fit. For boulevard plantings, you may need to consult with your local government unit and request their permission (take a look at local ordinances in your community) to install an alternative planting within the boulevard. For plantings along a fence, or nearby a neighboring property, it may be worthwhile to install edging, or take some measures to ensure that plantings do not spill over into nearby yards. Any exposure the site has to road salt, and the general condition and soil moisture of boulevards and along alleyways should be considered when selecting plants.

Lawns to Legumes plantings must:

• Include Minnesota native species, sourced from 175 miles from one’s location, or closer (with the exception of pollinator lawns).
• Have at least three species blooming per season in the spring, summer, and fall to ensure diversity.
• Be free of treatment by neonicotinoid insecticides.

BWSR and partners collaborating on this project are still determining the best ways to measure the benefits and impacts of this project. For now, we encourage interested individuals to post pictures of bumble bees they observe visiting flowers on bumblebeewatch.org. An expert on the back end will then identify the bee species. This will help us determine if and where the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee is present throughout the state of Minnesota.

At this time, there is not priority for funding for people who can find others in the neighborhood who want to participate. Groups of individuals within a shared geographic range can work with a local government affiliate, tribe, or non-profit entity to apply for funding as a demonstration neighborhood in future grant rounds if funding is secured (the Demonstration Neighborhood Grant application period closed on January 10th, 2020.). That being said, we encourage all participants to spread awareness for the Lawns to Legumes program, including information about best management practices that can be adopted by neighbors.

BWSR has funding available to distribute 700-1200 individual support awards during the 3-year pilot program. We are hoping to receive as many applications for funding as possible to demonstrate the degree to which Minnesotans value pollinator conservation. In doing so, we hope to receive additional funds for this project, and other similar projects, moving forward.

Yes, edging, like rock barriers, will be an eligible expense for reimbursement as long as they are not using up the majority of the funding. Edging helps to communicate the intent of a project and can facilitate maintenance.

Over 50 species of bees have been observed foraging on Dutch white clover. Although we are yet to observe a Rusty Patched Bumble Bee on Dutch White Clover in Minnesota, it is listed as a known plant food source for the Rusty-patched Bumblebee according to the Ontario recovery plan for the RPBB.

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These plantings will be attractive to various species of wasps, including hornets. While some may view these insects as a nuisance, they do provide value to our ecosystems as pollinators and as members of the food web.

Bees are generally not aggressive, unless you disturb them in their nests or while feeding. However, to further avoid getting stung, follow these tips:

• Wear close-toed shoes in areas where you think bees may be present.
• Refrain from interacting with bees when you see them feeding on a flower. Bees may become aggressive if they feel threatened while feeding.
• If you want to lessen the extent to which you cross paths with bees, try to keep your flowering plants in an isolated area of your yard. A raised bed garden is a great example of how to accomplish this.

If you attend a Lawns to Legumes Resilient Yard Workshop, you will be able to work one-on-one with a landscape designer to determine which planting types are best suited for your residence. However, please note we have a small staff responding to a high volume of inquiries, so workshops and your coach are your best resources for advice.

In Lawns to Legumes grant applications, we ask all project participants to agree to maintain their plantings for at least three years to the extent possible. In the event that a resident sells their residence, we ask that the project participant communicates the intent of the landscape with the new resident and let us know they are moving so we can also share information about its importance and how to manage it with the new owner.

The best way to share your yard space with pollinators is to choose a planting option that only takes up part of your yard, rather than the entirety of it. A native pocket planting only requires a small portion of your yard, and still leaves plenty of room for recreation. For the most part, bees are not aggressive and prefer to keep to themselves. They are most active during the warmest parts of the day, between 10 a.m. and 4p.m. Wasps are generally more aggressive than bees, while bees will generally keep to themselves unless you interact with them directly.

Yes, that would be an eligible expense.

While Creeping Charlie is a forb that bees will occasionally visit, the quality of its resources to bees is rather low. Further information on Creeping Charlie and its value to pollinators can be found here. Dandelion is a strong nectar source for pollinators that can be left within plantings if residents do not mind the aesthetics and aggressive nature of the plant.

No, the construction needed to convert an impervious surface into a planting would not be covered under the lawns to legumes program. Costs for obtaining permits that are required for project also would not be covered by the program. The plants purchased after this conversion, however, would qualify as an eligible expense if you are approved for individual support funding.

Work done by contractors may qualify for reimbursement as long as the services fall under the list of eligible expenses outlined in the individual support grant application page. The resident must be approved for the grant before any expenses can be requested for reimbursement.

You can be connected with a designer by attending a Lawns to Legumes individual support workshop. You may also be connected to someone with design experience by contacting your coach, who will be assigned to you after you are awarded a grant. Individuals who do not receive an individual support grant, but are still interested in receiving design help can contact landscape designers by visiting the Blue Thumb Partner Finder.

Fine fescue is sensitive to wear and tear damage especially in the form of abrasion. If a lawn is heavily used by dogs, where abrasion is commonplace, a homeowner may be better off using either Kentucky bluegrass, or a mix of bluegrass and fescue in their bee lawn mix. You could also temporarily fence off a section of yard until the project gets established.

Providing before/after pictures will serve as adequate reporting. In your instance, specifying the new species that have been added to your planting would be beneficial.

If the creek bank is residential property, then it does qualify for Lawns to Legumes funding. Only residential areas are eligible for funding.