Walkers strolling by the ponds in Snow Park at Deer Valley Resort may not know that the garden is actually a benefit to Utah pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths. There are signs to lead the way, but it’s the pollinators themselves that show the effect of hundreds of native plants rooted in the high alpine soil.  It’s all part of a sustainability effort by the resort, and Deer Valley Resort’s slope maintenance crew lead, Katie Shuman, said it’s working. Since initial planting in September 2022, Shuman said she and her crew have seen more pollinators each year.  As Shuman plants milkweed, penstemon, wildrye, wheatgrass, hummingbird trumpet, showy goldeneye and beyond, perceptibly more bees and butterflies surround the crewmembers and volunteers throughout the growing season.  “(It’s) really cool to see. We’d be working in the garden and be surrounded by butterflies and bees … Like, oh, this is working. These pollinators are loving these plants, and we’re seeing it happen in front of our eyes,” Shuman said.  A trail crew of 12 works on the garden throughout the growing season from early spring until late fall. Right now, Shuman is working with her team to pull weeds and ensure the garden is in tip-top shape before blooming begins.  In May, penstemon and globe mallow will begin to blossom. Then, milkweed, wheatgrass, buckwheat and blanket flower will bloom throughout the heat of midsummer. Hummingbird trumpet, Mexican hat and showy goldeneye take the stage come July, August and September.  These are all native plants — species specifically suited to Utah pollinators. Deer Valley Resort collected the seedlings through the Utah Pollinator Habitat Project — a statewide effort that aims to improve pollinator outlook and boost pollinator populations.  Butterflies and bees are facing threat of habitat loss in North America due to development, according to Utah State University. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record The project vision is to put over 90,000 native plants and 18 million native seeds in the ground in Utah over a multi-year period. The project is a response to “drastic” population declines of local pollinators in Utah and nationwide, according to the pollinator habitat project.  And, according to Utah’s watershed restoration initiative, multiple native insect pollinator species are being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act, including three butterfly species and three bumble bee species.  The western bumble bee was originally the most common bumble bee species in the western United States, but its population has decreased by 93% over the last two decades, according to Utah State University. Bee decline can be attributed to everything from climate change to competition, poor nutrition and, critically, habitat loss.  Habitat loss is equally detrimental to the butterfly population in North America. Each fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to central Mexico, but the species is threatened by habitat loss at overwintering zones and in breeding areas. Without plants like milkweed, monarchs are not as able to produce future generations. And, without flower nectar, migratory monarchs are unable to make the journey to their overwintering sites, according to Monarch Watch.  That’s why pollinator gardens are crucial, according to Deer Valley Resort’s slope maintenance senior manager, Laura Sexton. Providing habitats for pollinators benefits everyone, she said. And, it’s not just ski resorts and larger organizations that may apply to the Utah pollinator habitat program. The application is open to everyone, including local residents in Utah.  At Deer Valley Resort, more than 600 plants were established in the first year of grant distribution. Then, slope maintenance crews built a path through the pond and garden area.  “Then we did wetland plants there,” Sexton said, adding that, each year, maintenance crews are required to record plant development for grant applications. “Some of our goldenrods last year, it was just amazing. It had grown 5 feet tall. It was just beautiful.” Sexton said it’s a joy to see the new native species pop up every year on the property. But, there are challenges to maintaining a pollinator garden.  “Probably the challenges would be our other animal friends, our wildlife,” Sexton said. “We lost some trees down there last year — we had a beaver that was very adventurous, and he was taking down some trees that were like a foot to 18-inches across the base.” Depending on how soon Deer Valley Resort sees snowfall, animals still come down to the ponds to snack on growing plants.  “It was very frustrating in the first year,” Sexton said. “It’s nice to see some are surviving and actually developing, so we’re hoping that we can continue to do that year after year — keep adding to the garden and putting up information signs.” But Sexton said visiting animals are a sign the garden is doing what it’s supposed to do — create a sustainable natural environment.  “The moose come through there. The deer come through there. A lot of birds, ospreys are down there, and there’s ducks,” Sexton said.  And crews have built bee houses for nesting as well.  Wildlife like birds, beavers, moose and deer all benefit from the pollinator garden, though Deer Valley Resort’s Laura Sexton said they present certain challenges as well. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record Sexton said the sustainability aspect of the garden is important. Because the species planted are native, they don’t need as much water after they’ve been established. They’re all perennials, meaning they grow back each year. And, they all spread naturally over the course of time.  “At some point, we’d like to be able to have native plants throughout that whole area down by the ponds, but it’s a very large area so it’s going to take some time,” Sexton said.  Community volunteers help with the effort, Sexton said.  “We’re just trying to keep bringing something back to the community down there in that open space that everybody uses for recreation,” Sexton said.  Sexton and Shuman said they hope this year to see more native plants established and more species naturally popping up throughout the growing season. In the fall, they will get back to planting again.  The post Pollinator garden flourishes at Deer Valley Resort appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less