Lawns to Legumes: Protecting Pollinators in Minnesota

A statewide conservation effort is “bee-autifying” lawns and landscapes to create pollinator-friendly habitats abuzz with environmental benefits.

By Tom Oder
Published on May 6, 2021
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by Karen Moon
Karen Moon worked with neighbors to design and install a pollinator-friendly garden at her Minnesota home.

The addition of the rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) to the endangered species list in 2017 did much more than make it the first bumblebee in the United States and the first bee of any kind in the continental U.S. to be declared endangered. The recognition also sparked widespread concern about other pollinator declines; raised awareness about the impact of decreased insect populations on food production and sensitive ecosystems; and inspired Minnesota to launch an innovative statewide pollinator conservation program.

The Minnesota Legislature named the rusty patched bumblebee its state bee in 2019, and in the same session, it approved a cost-share pilot program with the catchy name Lawns to Legumes. Equipped with the slogan “Your Yard Can Bee the Change,” the Lawns to Legumes program encourages residents statewide to use native plants to transform their lawns and landscapes into high-quality pollinator-friendly habitats.

The rusty patched bumblebee was quickly established as the mascot of the Lawns to Legumes program, which heightened interest in gathering data on Minnesota’s 450-plus native bee species, since bumblebees can be indicator species of the health of other bee populations. The status of these populations is key to the program’s long-term goal to decrease the number of at-risk bees and other pollinators and insects losing habitat to climate change, pesticides, plant pathogens, and lack of nutrition.

‘Bee’ the Change

Lawns to Legumes, administered by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), is achieving its conservation goals by offering Minnesota residents a combination of workshops, coaching, planting guides, and Individual Support grants up to $350 to help offset the costs of establishing pollinator habitats. The program also includes “Demonstration Neighborhoods,” which are large-scale conservation sites run by local governments and nonprofits with support from BWSR.

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