Eco-tour: Wildflower Meadows and Pollinator Habitat

Creating and enhancing pollinator habitat is of growing interest to land owners, property managers, farmers, and landscape professionals. As a result, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station scientists have developed a list of the most beneficial wildflowers to plant to support NY and area State’s native wild bees.

“The interest in helping pollinators has been astounding. There are literally hundreds of pollinator gardens and habitats that have been installed in New Hampshire alone in the last few years,” retired experiment station researcher Cathy Neal, PhD said.

Dr. Neal has conducted nearly 10 years of wildflower meadow trials at the experiment station’s Woodman Horticultural Research Farm. She has found that wildflower meadows comprised of a mixture of herbaceous perennials such as golden rod, asters, black-eyed susans, bergamot, coneflowers and potentially many more, are extremely valuable places for bees to forage for food.

Research has found that the more species of wildflowers in seed mixes, the better, with the goal being to have something in bloom for the bees from May through late October.

Maintaining a robust and diverse natural environment requires healthy populations of pollinators. Neal’s research focuses on how we can best provide safe habitat and a healthy food supply for native bees in gardens, fields, and neighborhoods.

Join Dr. Cathy Neal on this tour to learn results from the UNH research on wildflower meadow establishment, helping you to successfully plan, prepare, plant and maintain a beautiful and functional wildflower meadow that blooms all season long.

Dr. Cathy Neal recently completed a twenty-year career as Landscape Horticulture Specialist and Extension Professor emeritus with University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. During her career, she worked closely with commercial horticulture clientele in the state to maintain professionalism in the green industry and to encourage sustainable practices and designs. She is well known for her educational leadership in landscaping for water quality and in planting for pollinators; she has published many fact sheets and articles on related topics. As an active researcher with NH Agricultural Experiment Station, she conducted many trials leading to the development of recommended seed mixes and strategies for creating beautiful and diverse wildflower meadows in New England. Dr. Neal continues to work part time to help private and public landowners establish wildflower meadows and pollinator habitat.