Creating Urban Habitat

CREATING URBAN
HABITAT
Chris Kreussling (FlatbushGardener)
Presenting to South Midwood Pollinator Project
2021-02-04

Topics
• Geography
• Pollinator Ecology
• Certification Programs
• Observation
• Closing Remarks
Chris Kreussling (FlatbushGardener) 2

GENIUS LOCI
Geography is Destiny

EcoRegion Level I
8.0: EasternTemperate Forest

EcoRegion Level II
8.5 MississippiAlluvial and
Southeast USA Coastal Plains

EcoRegion Level III (Bailey)
8.5.4: AtlanticCoastal Pine Barrens

EcoRegion Level III (Omernik)
59: Northeastern Coastal Zone

EcoRegion Level IV
59g: Long Island Sound Coastal Lowland

Long Island
Bennington, J Bret, 2003. New observations on the glacial geomorphology
of Long Island from a digital elevation model (DEM). Long Island Geologists
Conference, Stony Brook, New York, April 2003.
HHm: Harbor Hill Moraine
Glacial Outwash Plain

POLLINATOR ECOLOGY
What Do BugsWant?

What do insects get from flowers?
• Nectar: carbohydrates, energy
• Pollen: protein, lipids
• Oil
• Fragrance
• Resin
• Wax
• Microbiota
Insect pollen vectors (“pollinators”) include:
• Coleoptera, beetles
• Diptera, flies
• Hymenoptera:
• Wasps
• Anthophila, bees, an “EpiFamily” within
Hymenoptera
• Lepidoptera, butterflies, moths, and skippers
Mutualism, e.g.: “Pollination”

NewYork’s Native Bees
• Estimated 416 bee species in NewYork state
• Habitat:
• Digger bees (52%): Nest in ground
• Cavity nesters: Use existing cavities, e.g.: hollow plant stems, burrows. Includes mason bees
(7%),leafcutter bees, wool carder bees, resin bees.
• Carpenter bees: excavate wood or plant stems
• Lifecycle
• Solitary (>60%): Single female does all the work.
• Eusocial (19%): Distinct queens and workers. Includes honeybees (introduced), bumblebees, some
sweat bees
• Cleptoparasitic, “brood parasites” (23%): Lay their eggs in the nests of other bees.

2021-02-04 Chris Kreussling (FlatbushGardener) 13

Insect-Plant
• Many insects feed on plants at some point in
their lifecycle.
• Hemiptera, bugs, especially Miridae, plant
bugs
• Lepidotera, butterflies, moths, and skippers
• Chemical “arms race” drives coevolution of
dependence on host plants.
• Native plant diversity supports insect
diversity.
Insect-Insect
• Wasps are the primary predators in the
garden:
• As adults, most visit flowers
• Feed insects to their young
• Just like birds!
• Many wasps are prey-specific
• Other predators include:
• Diptera, flies
• Larvae of syrphid flies eat aphids
• Hemiptera, bugs
Predation: Host Plants, and Prey

Special Note: Lady Beetles
Native lady beetles are in decline.
Harmonia axyridis, multi-colored lady beetle
• One of several species originally introduced as “pest control”
• Established in the wild
• I consider it invasive, based on my observations in my own garden.
Hippodamia convergens, convergent lady beetle
• Native to North America, not common in our area
• Sold commercially
Coccinella novemnotata, nine-spotted lady beetle, aka “C9”
• NewYork State insect

Coccinella novemnotata, “C9”
• 1970: Coccinella novemnotata (C9) is the most common lady beetle species in the northeastern U.S.
• 1980: Nominated as NewYork state insect.
• 1980s: Begins rapidly declining. Speculation as to causes includes competition with introduced species,
but no definitive answers have yet been found.
• 1982: Last seen in NewYork state.
• 1989: Designated NY State Insect, despite being apparently absent for 7 years.
• 1992: Last seen in the eastern U.S.
• 2000:The Lost Ladybug Project initiated as a citizen science project.
• 2006-06-15: Bill 2005-A06247 passes the NY State Assembly to change the state insect from Coccinella
novemnotata, extirpated from NY State, to Coleomegilla maculata.
• October 2006: C9 re-discovered inVirginia, first time it's seen on the East Coast since 1992, 14 years.
• 2011-07-30:C9 rediscovered on Long Island, first time seen in NewYork since 1982, 29 years.
• 2016: Lost Ladybug Project launches program to re-introduce captively bred C9

CERTIFICATION
PROGRAMS
Getting “on the Map”

Gardening for Insects (and other Arthropods)
1. Stop using pesticides in the garden. Not just insecticides, but herbicides, fungicides, etc.
2. Contain, manage, and eliminate invasive plants from the garden.They don’t just “take up
space” in your own garden; they can disperse to other gardens and natural areas.
3. Grow more native plants, and more varieties of them. Many insects feed on plants in their
larval stages, e.g.: caterpillars, and can't feed effectively on plants with which they haven't co-
evolved.
4. A variety of native plant species also provides more flowers to provide nectar and pollen for
adult insects. Choose plants that have clusters of small flowers, which will attract a larger
diversity of insects than big, blowsy flowers. Choose plants that bloom early and late in the
year.
5. Leave piles of leaf litter, old logs and branches, standing dead stems of plants.These provide
shelter for eggs, pupae, and adults.

Using Ecological Associations in Gardening
• “Native” = native to where?
• Local ecotypes: adaptations to local conditions, e.g.: drought, salt, wind
• Which plants are already growing well in your garden?
• What “weeds” = volunteers – do you recognize in your garden?
• Which associated plants might also grow well?

My FrontYard in Summer

Certification Programs
• Scope, Boundaries
• Target Species
• Requirements
• Fees and Signage

Home, School, Campus, Places of Worship
Requirements:
• Water
• Food
• Shelter/Cover
• Places to raise young
• Sustainable practices
Registration:
• $20 fee
• Signs optional, separate purchase
Community
Habitat Certification Requirements:
• Homes – 1 Point; Parks, Places ofWorship,
Common Areas, etc – 3 Points; Pre-K - 12 School –
5 Points
• Sliding Scale based on Population, e.g.: Northern
half of CB14 would need 300-400 Points
Education and Outreach Requirements:
• Registration – 40 Points
• Outreach – 50 Points
• Education – 50 Points
• Administration – 20 Points
NationalWildlife Federation:Wildlife Habitats

Xerces Society: Pollinator Protection Pledge
Requirements:
• Grow Pollinator-Friendly Flowers
• Provide Nest Sites
• Avoid Pesticides
• Spread the Word
Registration:
• No fee
• Signs optional, separate purchase

Others
• North American Butterfly Association (NABA): Butterfly Garden, Monarch Garden
• Monarch Watch: MonarchWaystation Program
• Bee City/Campus USA
• Homegrown National Park

OBSERVATION
GettingTo KnowYour Neighbors in Nature

Observation
• Which Plants Grow (Well) Where?
• Who GoesThere?
• FlowerVisitors
• Insects and Host Plants
• Other Insect-Plant Associations

• A platform that allows anyone to record
observations of any living thing anywhere in
the world
• Free to sign up – just need an email address
• Apps for iPhone and Android
• “Entry-level” companionApp: Seek
• Full-featured browser-based Web
application:
https://www.inaturalist.org/
• Examples:
• My home garden:
Examples:
• Eastern Costal Pine Barrens EcoRegion:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?pla
ce_id=128778
• Bees in my garden:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?
project_id=flatbush-gardener-s-
garden&taxon_id=630955
• Brooklyn (Kings County)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?pla
ce_id=74220&verifiable=any
iNaturalist

Others
• BugGuide
• Bumblebee Watch
• Lost Ladybug Project
• Monarch Watch
• eBird

CLOSING REMARKS
Living (and Gardening) in the Anthropocene

Climate Change

The Sixth Extinction

Defiance and Resistance

Contact
Blog:
https://flatbush gardener.blogspot.com/
iNaturalist:
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/xris
Flickr:
https://flickr.com/flatbushgardener
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/xrisfg/
Email: xrisfg@gmail.com

Creating Urban Habitat

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