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The Maryland state insect, the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly, is becoming rare. Photo courtesy of Matt Perry[/caption]
Sometimes you hear a song on the radio, and you marvel how well the lyrics reflect your thoughts. Sometimes you hear a story on the radio, and it changes how you perceive the world. This happened to Brad Wells, an event planner who also takes on special projects at Herrington Harbour Marina North. He was listening to a public radio interview with the “PollinaTerps” about the decline of Maryland’s State Insect, the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly. He was so disheartened to learn that the state insect was becoming incredibly rare in his adopted state that he contacted the University of Maryland professors and asked if they would come to the marina and assess the potential of establishing pollinator-friendly gardens on site.
Fortunately for Brad and the local insect population, the owners of the Herrington Harbour Marina, Steuart and Hamilton Chaney, have a long history of supporting progressive environmental initiatives, as well as an open-minded approach to new ideas that benefit local ecosystems. From nature trails to bioretention ponds, community gardens for slipholders to low profile bulkheads, restored marsh lands to green building materials, Herrington Harbour Marina reduces, reuses, recycles, and even freecycles!
The PollinaTerps, under the auspices of the University of Maryland Institute for Applied Agriculture, is a collective made up of students, faculty, staff, local scientists, and community members. Its work includes educational outreach and community engagement to teach about the importance of pollinators. As sailors tend to be attuned to their environment, you may be aware of a widespread and alarming decline in native bee and butterfly species, not just the Baltimore checkerspot. This particular butterfly (Euphydryas phaeton) lives in boggy habitats and lives and feeds only on its host plant White Turtle Head (Chelone glabra), a member of the snapdragon family.
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This garden at Herrington Harbour North is made from dredge material and meant to grow plants that attract top pollinators.[/caption]
Bees are the most efficient of the pollinator insects, yet Maryland beekeepers lost 60 percent of their colonies last year. The decline has been linked to a combination of factors. One factor is habitat destruction, which leads to decreased nutrition, as there is a lack of diverse flowering field to forage. The overuse of chemical pesticides and introduced parasites and diseases are also contributors to decline. According to PollinaTerps, pollinators are responsible from one out of every three mouthfuls of food we eat. Plants need to be pollinated to reproduce, and foraging insects are the primary way that pollen is transferred from the anther (male part) to the stigma (female part).
In April, Maryland’s bipartisan legislature became the first in the nation to pass a bill partially banning neonicotinoids, a potent class of pesticides that have been linked by global scientists to the decline in pollinators; though this claim is not without dispute. Consumers in Maryland will no longer be able to purchase products containing neonics, but farmers and professional gardeners are still allowed to continue use.
Fortunately for insects at Herrington Harbour, plants that are used in the extensive landscaping at the marina are sourced from local nurseries and grown without neonicotinoids. The University of Maryland team, along with Brad, decided to create a test plot on recovered dredge material from Tracey’s Creek and Herring Bay. These bodies of water were the first designated zero discharge areas on the Bay by State Decree. Steuart Chaney battled multiple layers of opposition in order to gain this landmark environmental designation. The dredge material is piled on site in Herrington Harbour’s 143-acre complex where it sits for seven years before the soil can be considered for some type of use. One of the dredge “hills” separates the land storage area from the main grounds of the marina.
The University of Maryland team tested the soil and advised on the types of seeds to plant to attract a wide variety of pollinators. If the garden flourishes, the plot will be expanded to cover the hill. While it may not lure back the Baltimore checkerspot, it will provide diverse habitat and food for Maryland’s pollinators, and make one of Maryland’s certified Clean Marinas even cleaner and greener. All from one guy listening to a radio show.
by Pamela Tenner Kellett
