Pollinator Information
The City of North Oaks was declared a pollinator-friendly city by the City Council at its July 11 meeting, endorsing pollinator protection and promoting pollinator habitat. The Pollinator Resolution was spearheading by resident Susan Bornstein, who enlisted a group of University of Minnesota undergraduate students to draft the resolution. After some minor edits by the Natural Resources Commission, the resolution appeared before the City Council and received a unanimous endorsement.
Read the Pollinator Resolution in its entirety here: Endorsing Pollinator Protection and Promoting Pollinator Habitat
Planning on cleaning up your yard and garden? Wait!
In early spring, many insects (and some frog species) are still "sleeping." Lots of beneficial insects, including pollinators like tiny native bees, spend the winter hunkered down in hollow plant stems either as adults or pupae. Cutting down the dead plant stems too early in the spring will disturb them before they have a chance to emerge. Additionally, some frog species overwinter in the leaf litter. Please wait as long as you can to do your spring garden clean up. Ideally, you should wait until the daytime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees F for at least 7 consecutive days. For more information about leaving plant stems for pollinators, please see visit the following publication: Xerces Nesting and Overwintering Guide