GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The Green Bay Botanical Garden is marking Earth Day by inviting the public to plant for a purpose.
Registration opened Wednesday for the Garden’s Pollinator Pocket Kits, which provide an easy, affordable way for residents to support bees, butterflies and other pollinators at home. Each kit contains five native plant species selected to thrive in northeast Wisconsin while offering food and habitat for pollinators.
“Native plants are essential to supporting pollinators because they’ve evolved together over thousands of years,” said Mark Konlock, the garden’s director of horticulture. “When you plant natives, you’re not just adding beauty to your landscape, you’re helping restore the natural systems that pollinators depend on to survive.”
The garden says pollinator populations are declining nationwide as habitat disappears due to development and environmental changes. Planting pollinator-friendly native species helps restore biodiversity and connect areas of fragmented habitat, a core goal of the Northeast Wisconsin Pollinator Corridor Project, a partnership between the Garden and the City of Green Bay Conservation Corps.
That project has already created pollinator “pit stops” in city parks. The Garden hopes the pocket kits will add countless more in residents’ yards, balconies and community gardens.
“The more people we can get to plant these native kits in their own living spaces, the more pit stops we’ll have for pollinators to fuel up in our city,” Konlock said.
Pollinator Pocket Kits are designed for gardeners of all experience levels. Supplies are limited, and a $25 donation is suggested to support future programming.
More information and registration are available at GBBG.org/PollinatorPockets.
The Green Bay Botanical Garden is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The 47-acre property features display gardens and natural areas and welcomes about 200,000 visitors annually.
Editor's note: This web story was written by a human author with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools. All content has been reviewed and edited by the author for accuracy and clarity.
