Greetings,
“In the United States, the pollinators which we depend on
for the majority of our pollination services are bees, including the non-native
European honeybee and over 4,000 species of native bees. Evidence of population declines of bees, not
only in the United States, but around the world, has prompted scientists to
encourage changes in ecosystem management” (USDA).
As Benedictines we profess a vow of stability; we commit
ourselves to living among members of one community in one place. This promise ties us closely to the tradition
of our monastic ancestors to care for and stewardship of the place where we
live in community. Pope Francis shared this reflection in his encyclical Laudato si’: “We can also look
to the great tradition of monasticism. Originally, it was a kind of flight from
the world, an escape from the decadence of the cities. The monks sought the
desert, convinced that it was the best place for encountering the presence
of God. Later, Saint Benedict of Norcia proposed that his monks live in
community, combining prayer and spiritual reading with manual labour (ora
et labora). Seeing manual labour as spiritually meaningful proved
revolutionary. Personal growth and sanctification came to be sought in the
interplay of recollection and work. This way of experiencing work makes us
more protective and respectful of the environment; it imbues our relationship
to the world with a healthy sobriety” (126).
Last year, Sister Gardener began shifting parts
of our monastic vegetable garden to pollinator habitat. Seeking to support a pollinator population in
distress, she planted this habitat. It is filled with native prairie blooms and grasses which haven’t
been sprayed with any insecticide or
pesticide; in other words, our pollinator habitat is a safe home for the many
little bees, wasps, butterflies, and insects here in the southeast corner of
South Dakota. The habitat includes: prairie
grasses, prairie comb flower, gray comb flower, poppy, flaxes, sedum, prairie
sunflower, red yarrow, black-eye susan, and mexican red-hat .
As the years progress, Sister Gardener plans to continue
this slow shift from garden to habitat.
Encouraging these species that are native to our monastery grounds will
take time. It all begins with the ground
being tilled and raked to break up the earth, and next a mixture of seeds is
broadcast (sown) by hand over the dirt; then, we pray for rain. During the
first year, the habitat looks a bit awful. The weeds grow faster than the newly
sown flowers and grasses. These quick growing weeds
aren’t pulled out or doused with herbicide…the whole plot gets mowed! The mower is placed on its highest setting and
the weeds' leaves are shredded away leaving room for the newly sprouted grasses
and flowers to peek through. Even by the end of the first season, the weeds
seem to have won their rights to the plot of land, but the prairie habitat is a
mix of perennial and self-seeding annual species. 
The second year, the flowers sprout up quickly throughout
the habitat. They break into bloom and
celebrate God’s cathedral of creation! The prairie grasses hidden below the
abundant flowers slowly take deep root, over the next few years the grasses to
spread and thin the flowers. Early each spring, Sister Gardener will mow the pollinator
habitat. Creating an area of land call a 'carbon sink' that will hold the carbon the plants take-in and store in the soil. Soon after, the native plants spring to life in an abundance reflecting God's great blessings in Psalm 65: You crown the year with Your bounty. Abundance flows in your pathways; in pastures of the desert it flows (12-13). The challenge of this beautiful habitat is reminding our sisters that it was planted for the pollinators alone! It is so tempting to pluck a bloom or two for the chapel or refectory, but each flower and grass needs to be left in place for bees and bugs. Left in its beauty, the pollinator habitat is becoming a wonderful place of peace to wonder at all God's creation.
We invite you to consider supporting a pollinator habitat at
your home too.
Here are seven ways to make your garden a haven for native pollinators:
Here are seven ways to make your garden a haven for native pollinators:
1. Use pollinator-friendly plants in your landscape.
Shrubs and trees such as dogwood, blueberry, cherry, willow, and poplar provide
pollen or nectar, or both, early in spring when food is scarce.
2. Choose a mixture of plants for spring,
summer, and fall. Different flower colors, shapes, and scents will attract a
wide variety of pollinators. If you have limited space, you can plant flowers
in containers on a patio, balcony, and even window boxes.
3. Reduce or eliminate pesticide use in
your landscape, or incorporate plants that attract beneficial insects for pest
control. If you use pesticides, use them sparingly and responsibly.
4. Accept some plant damage on plants
meant to provide habitat for butterfly and moth larvae.
5. Provide clean water for pollinators
with a shallow dish, bowl, or birdbath with half-submerged stones for perches.
6. Leave dead tree trunks, also called “snags,”
in your landscape for wood-nesting bees and beetles.
7. Support land conservation in your
community by helping to create and maintain community gardens and green spaces
to ensure that pollinators have appropriate habitat.
Blessings,
