Grant funds planting of bee-friendly flora in Missouri

JOPLIN, Mo. -- It is a bleak time to be a bee, and that's bad news for humans. The insect's population is declining in North America, the result of shrinking habitats and pesticide use, raising alarm about the future of species that play a key role in the production of fruits and vegetables.

The threat to bees has prompted an outcry from scientific organizations, environmental activists and grocery stores. Whole Foods Market drew attention in 2013 with a photograph of a produce section stripped of vegetables and fruits that require pollination. Without apples, onions, avocados, carrots and over half of all produce items carried by the chain, the shelves seemed bare.

Advocates said one way to safeguard North American bees is to plant native flora that functions as a feeding station for wild bees. One effort to expand bees' forage options is coming to Joplin. This fall, members of the Chert Glades chapter of Missouri Master Naturalists will plant pollinator-friendly vegetation on 3 acres adjacent to Shoal Creek at the Redings Mill Bridge.

Volunteers will plant native forbs, grasses and sedges using a $5,000 grant from the North American Bee Care Program, a bee-education and research center funded by agriculture and pharmaceutical giant Bayer.

For several years, the group, led by member Donna Cole, has worked to clear the area of invasive plants. They said the project will affect the entire ecosystem all the way to the top of the food chain.

"What's good for the insects is good for the birds and is good for us, too," said Erin Miller, president of the Chert Glades chapter. In fact, the project began with an eye toward restoring native plants. The volunteers applied for a bee-related grant once they realized their project also would benefit the bees.

Funded by a $500,000 grant from Bayer, the broader Feed a Bee initiative aims to seed so-called pollinator-forage areas in every American state by the end of 2018.

The pollinator zone south of Joplin will be one of 71 projects funded in 34 states and the District of Columbia since the grant's launch two years ago.

The project will restore a glade on the north bank of Shoal Creek to its condition before the arrival of invasive species.

"There's a lot of glade habitat there that has been disturbed," said Val Frankoski, butterfly coordinator for the Chert Glades chapter. "While there are quite a few flowers that show up, it is overgrown with trees and invasive plants."

Removing the harmful vegetation sparked alarm for some park visitors, but volunteers reassured them felling non-native trees would benefit the ecosystem.

"A lot of people saw we were cutting down trees, and it made them nervous," Frankoski said. "We're just trying to reveal what the place originally was."

Missouri is home to about 450 species of bee, but like the United States, it has seen a marked decline of them.

Parks aren't the only bulwarks against declining bee populations -- homeowners also have a role to play, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. By planting perennial native wildflower gardens with other species, preferably plants like grayhead coneflower, golden Alexanders, leadplant and purple prairie clover, anyone can make the world better for bees.