Message from the Board

May 2026

By Erika Pink

FoC Pollinator Garden Update      

Howdy plant and pollinator lovers! First, if you have helped in the past with the pollinator garden, thank you SO very much. The plants in the immediate visitor’s center area are doing well and the surrounding, newly designated pollinator habitat will come together with a little more help.

The antelope bitterbrush that was planted at the end of last summer did fairly well, with a survival rate of at least 50%. It was planted in two separate areas that really needed some protection from invading weeds; the bitterbrush and grass that was planted with it will grow, helping this issue. However, we could use some more plants to keep weeds out! So, FoC is purchasing more Idaho native plants for the various pollinator garden areas.

The lack of success with shrub and tree establishment is largely due to a lack of irrigation. We will need to prioritize seeing how we can support resolving irrigation issues this summer, but there will be some difficulties with the water curtailment being placed again this year.

The Monarch Garden is going to get spruced up, too! One good workday, and we can get some new milkweed species planted and a path paved with flagstone leading to the milkweed boxes.

FoC will attempt to weed and get things ready to put on a proper public workday soon. So, look out for the announcement for an opportunity to help out in June or early July. Not all of the purchased natives will do well getting planted in mid-summer. Some do better being planted in the fall (like the bitterbrush). Still, we will try to get some more pollinator-supporting plants, such as bee plant (Cleome sp.) in the ground early on for pollinators’ sake! Like last summer, we will be conducting bee surveys for the Xerces Society Bee Atlas efforts and can use some more showy natives to bring in the bees!

If you have questions, please write to Erika Pink at erikampink@gmail.com. Thank you and can’t wait to get outside to work with you!