Resources for Planting for Pollinators

On May 17, 2023, Alameda Backyard Growers’ Birgitt Evans held a pollinator plant starting workshop. Participants learned how to start seeds and plant beautiful, butterfly and bee attractive plants, including California Natives, to create a Pollinator Paradise! Bees, butterflies and other pollinators have been struggling because there are not enough food plants for them. The plants started were free of insecticidal neonicotiniods common in nursery plants so participants were confident they would be feeding, rather than poisoning the pollinators they are trying to attract and nourish.

Birgitt Evans has grown her own food on a large scale for the past 35 years and created a successful garden and nursery business. She is passionate about growing and raising food and creating healthy, self-sustaining ecosystems with food and shelter for a variety of wildlife. She gardens in four different Alameda County locations and starts 90% of her plants from seed. She has been an Alameda County Master Gardener since 1999 and has taught classes on a variety of topics for the MGACs for over 20 years now, both to the public and for the master gardener training class. She has also been on the board of Alameda Backyard Growers since 2013 and is currently the Volunteer Coordinator.

Pollinator Paradise! Planting Seeds for Pollinators Resource List (compiled by Birgitt Evan: