Snail mail may drop off in the summer months, but the post office in Freeport soon will be buzzing with native pollinators. The Postal Service recently hired Grace Clark, owner of Lestari Natives in Harrison, to plant two beds of native plants in an effort to support the town’s birds and bees. “We’ve all got a passion about native plants here because they support pollinators and wildlife,” Clark said.

By “we,” she means a handful of friends and community members who helped to plant 18 species of greenery May 28, from low-lying Pennsylvania sedge to spindly spicebush. The plots are covered in pieces of cardboard and a layer of undyed mulch. Clark specially selected flora from her backyard and local nurseries so that, from March to October, something always will be blooming and providing nourishment for pollinators.

“We want to show people that it cannot be just beautiful — it can be functional,” Clark said. Jim Bonner, executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, emphasized the importance of prioritizing native plants over invaders, calling them the “starting point for the ecosystem.” Ecologically appropriate plants can provide crucial food for insects and birds, he said.

Monarch caterpillars, for example, only eat milkweed, which is native to much of North America. It also is included in the post office garden. Pollinators then help a plant reproduce by either spreading pollen or passing berries and seeds in their feces.

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