Article content The backyard of the Billy Bishop Museum was a buzz of activity on Saturday morning. A small army of volunteers gathered at the First World War flying ace’s childhood home where after couple of hours of digging and planting, they had established Pollinate Owen Sound’s first pollinator habitat. Liz Zetlin, who has spearheaded the Pollinate Owen Sound initiative with master gardener Vicky Thompson and landscape designer Thomas Dean, said the hope is the demonstration garden will help spread the word throughout the community about the importance of including native plants to feed the bees, butterflies, moths and other pollinators.
“Everybody can contribute if you have a lawn, a little patch of garden or a little boulevard strip,” Zetlin said Saturday. “Ideally you would put in 70 per cent native plants, but whatever you can do is going to benefit the pollinators, who are in decline around the world. “We are having an insect apocalypse and we need to provide habitat.
” Pollinate Owen Sound, which launched last year, is part of a growing national and international movement aimed at moving away from planting solely exotic plant species and focusing more on reintroducing native species in an effort to sustain a healthy ecosystem. Pollinate Owen Sound is hoping to convince those in Grey-Bruce to think more about what they are planting in their own gardens through education and action. Last year the Owen Sound River District held River District Blooms, wher.
