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Dear Friend,
It's kind of tricky to offer information that is relevant and helpful for all parts of the US, which covers environments as varied as the tropics and the Arctic, coastal saltmarsh to alpine meadows, desert to temperate forest. However, we all see seasonal changes, and for many of us the shift from summer to fall is a significant one. Plants slow down and go dormant, birds migrate away, insect life becomes less apparent, and we start carving pumpkins.
We're often asked, "where do pollinators go?" There are well-known examples of butterflies that migrate, such as the monarch and painted lady, and also evidence that flower flies make significant seasonal movements, but the answer, for most pollinators, is nowhere. Solitary bees will remain in the nest waiting for the spring. Bumble bee queens will dig into leaf litter or soil to hide from winter. Butterflies may overwinter as egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, or adult, depending on species, and each needs the right place to shelter.
That's why what we do in our gardens at this time of year is so important. Keeping leaves where we can, leaving flower stems standing, not tidying and neatening everywhere. These are simple things that will make your yard a better place for pollinators (and other wildlife) through the whole year.
Thank you for all you do to make our world a better place!
Matthew Shepherd, on behalf of the BBTP team
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![Bryan E. Reynolds; Dan Mooney, Flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0]; Sam Fraser-Smith, Flickr [CC BY 2.0]; John Flannery, Flickr [CC BY-ND 2.0].)](https://files.constantcontact.com/3b5221ec001/4d810a05-6765-4784-b032-36bebbf58d1b.jpg?rdr=true)
