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10 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2022 By Patti Pitts There's something new growing in Four Seasons and I'd love to take you for a walk through this magical space. Let's head over to the Veterans Park area on Four Seasons Circle and head up the path. You might notice a few new trees and plants. Since last fall, the Landscape Committee has been researching and planting a Pollinator Garden. Most of the plants in this new garden are California natives and all of the plants will attract pollinators that we need for our food supply in California. So what is a pollinator? Over the last few years, we've all been aware of the plight of the monarch butterfly and the decline of the bee population, but these are only two of the thousands of species of pollinators that we have in California and they're only a small fraction of the pollinators in our state… California alone has 1,600 species of native bees, (of the 4,000 native species in the United States) from the quarter-inch- long Sweat Bee to the somewhat intimidating one-inch-plus Valley Carpenter Bee. We have 20 native bumblebees and all of our bees are pollinators. Hummingbirds are another easily identifiable pollinator in California. These tiny jewel birds never fail to impress and California is a great place not only for our eight native California hummingbirds but also for those that migrate between Mexico and the rest of the U.S. And then there are all the other insects and reptiles and birds and even some mammals that all help to pollinate plants here. And why are pollinators important? Well, approximately 75 percent of all food crops grown in the United States depend on pollinator animals. From lettuce to fruit trees, the majority of our food needs these helpers (side note - grapes do not require a pollinator, but a diet of table grapes and wine is pretty limited). These tiny, beautiful, and fascinating creatures are responsible for one of every three bites of food that we take and account for nearly $15 billion in crop value each year. Countless fruits, vegetables, and nuts are possible only with pollinators. In fact, more than half of the world's oils, fibers, and raw materials are dependent on pollination. The plants that these pollinators require help to prevent soil erosion and increase carbon sequestration. Farm management changes over the last 80 years have significantly reduced the availability of flowering plants that all these insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals need in order to cross pollinate plants that will thrive and create a healthy ecosystem in which we live. Of course, this is a simplistic statement, but still true; if you are interested in the needs of California's pollinators, it's a very easy internet search for lots of additional information. More than 80 percent of the world's flowering plants require a pollinator to reproduce; the simple truth is that we cannot live without them. Now back to Four Season's Pollinator Garden… Just imagine native plants growing, blooming, and attracting pollinators in the plants' beginning stages. Then, as the summer passes and the new year comes around, more growth occurs and the magic of our garden increases. Residents will be able to sit on a bench at the top of the garden and see the bright orange blooms of the California Poppies and the deep blue of the California Lilac, hear the hum of the bees, catch the flash of the Anna Hummingbird, or enjoy the gentle fluttering as a monarch lays eggs on the California Aesclepias that were planted just for them. Enjoy a moment there and think of the possibilities we are creating in this little space. "I remembered the story of the bumblebee. Aerodynamically it is impossible for the bumblebee to fly. The body is too big for the small size of the wings, but apparently no one told the bumblebee that, so he flies! That's pretty much the story of setting goals. Nothing is impossible unless you believe it is." ~ Chuck Norris Our Po inator Garden

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