Franklin County Pollinator Pathway

Native plants aren’t just pretty.
They’re part of the local food web.
💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

👉Four-leafed milkweed is native and supports pollinators, including being a host plant for the monarch butterfly 🧡
👎Tropical milkweed is a bigger problem in zones that don’t have a harsh winter, but still maybe not the best choice for Ohio monarchs.

👉Firepink is a native plant with nectar value, especially for hummingbirds and some pollinators
👎Red Geraniums our lovely porch, Classics, but they’re more ornamental color than food web support. Firepink’s main pollinator is often the ruby-throated hummingbird❤️❤️❤️

👉Wild Lupine: is the important native species tied to specialist butterfly habitat - The federally endangered Karner Blue butterfly and other native insects strictly depend on Wild Lupine foliage to feed their caterpillars.
👎Large-leafed lupine ⚠️ HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT‼️‼️‼️⚠️
❗️Because Large-leaved Lupine is chemically different, its foliage is poisonous to these caterpillars. Female butterflies often mistake it for native lupine and lay eggs on it, which leads to starvation or poisoning.
❗️Large-leaved Lupine can easily cross-pollinate with native Wild Lupine. The resulting hybrid plants lose their ability to support Karner Blue larvae, permanently ruining the habitat.😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

👉Showy Skullcap gives blue – purple Woodland blooms for native bees
👎Vinca/periwinkle is mostly ground cover filler and can be aggressive

🦋🦋🦋 Not all flowers are equal for wildlife. Some are beautiful decorations, and some are working members of the ecosystem. This series isn’t about shaming anyone’s flowers. It’s about showing simple swaps and additions that help our local pollinators. Keep what you love and plant more of what loves them back🦋💜🦋💜🦋💜

We’d love to hear what you’re up to this summer….as it relates to pollinators, that is! 😂😂

If you are creating - or already created- a pollinator garden(no matter how big or small!), we’d love to see it and share it 😍😍💚💚

DM us or tag us in your pollinator posts: 💜💜

Ps…our signs will be for sale, soon 👏🦋☀️🤗

Our team at the Wickliffe Elementary Bioswale site 💚
We’re committed to improving pollinator habitat throughout Franklin County 🦋🐝

Want to join us? Send us a message and we’ll add you to our volunteer email list 👍💜💜💜

Us, doing what we do! 🦋
Second Baptist Church-
Columbus’ oldest Baptist church🌟

We happily installed a prairie garden at this historic site.
Our very own Craig Toothman, Dan Rath () and volunteers Jill, Jason, Amy and church rep Anetta were on hand.

A prairie garden is a sustainable, low-maintenance landscape that mimics natural North American grassland ecosystems using native grasses and perennials.
After 1-2 years, these gardens need little to no extra water or fertilizer.
Ecological Benefit: They provide food and habitat for bees, butterflies, and birds. 🐝🦋☀️

bethechange

‼️URGENT‼️
Pesticides kill pollinators and other essential insects. Tomorrow is the deadline....please let your voice be heard 🙏 Sign this letter today (very easy)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4kE4PKA6jxDdVLwCL0gkBgysdybqRx03pZ_17Q14F1c4JSA/viewform

Check out this important documentary! 🐛
We’ll be there, ready to answer questions 💚
While you’re at it, check out the other pics of awesome caterpillars!Whether they make it to adulthood (butterfly or moth), or become a songbird baby’s next meal, caterpillars are important creatures 👏👏👏👏👏👏

💫 Have you ever seen a Shooting Star 💫

Tough, cold hardy, shade tolerant a pollinator magnets, these little flowers are a beautiful addition to your pollinator garden!

💫 Bonus: as an early bloomer, they’re an important source of early season pollen.

Native Bee Focus: This plant is a critical, high-value source for native bees looking for food in spring 🐝

Queen bumblebees 👑 and native solitary bees (like miner bees) frequently use shooting star flowers (Dodecatheon meadia) for pollen, utilizing a specialized technique called “buzz pollination” (sonication). The bees vibrate their flight muscles to shake pollen from the stamens, but they do not obtain nectar, as shooting stars provide only pollen


* https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/shooting-star-dodecatheon-meadia/

The first pollinator garden 🐝🦋 at City Hall!! 👏👏🏻👏🏼👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿

As you can see, it takes a village and we were be happy to be a part of it! This project was at the core of our mission: spread pollinator habitats throughout Franklin county and it’s why we go involved 🦋

That’s our very own Craig, Dan () & Michael ( ) in the back row 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Thank you to for his continued leadership and for the opportunity for us (and the rest of the crew!) to help out 🦋🦋🦋

👉 you can create your own pollinator garden in ANY SIZE space! DM us with any questions 💚

Such a cool plant !

Please join us Saturday, March 21, 2026 🌼🦋🐝💚
10:00-11:30
🌼Join us as we share:
🐝How to easily create a pollinator garden
💜Who we are & volunteer opportunities for spreading pollinator habitats throughout
Franklin County!

FRANKLIN COUNTY
SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION
DISTRICT
1404 Goodale Blvd
Columbus, Ohio 43212

We have loads of opportunities of how you can join our HIVE and get Franklin County buzzing with pollinators again and make our city an even more beautiful place to live 💜🐝🌼