The Pollinator Research plot is a small area within the larger Demonstration Garden at the Berks County Agricultural Center. While various pollinator-friendly plants are found throughout our garden, this designated plot contains a specified collection of plants, which are duplicated across the state in about 50 counties participating in a Penn State Pollinator Project.
In each county's Pollinator plot, Master Gardeners monitor once a week, to count the number of pollinating insects that visit the blossoms of each plant variety, and to identify the insects that visit. Particular attention is focused on honeybees, bumblebees, carpenter bees, and green metallic bees. Data from these pollinator counts is collected from across the state and analyzed at year's end.
Currently the monitored plants are varieties of Coreopsis and of Monarda. Within each species, Master Gardeners are evaluating the "original" straight species as well as three cultivars of each, which have been bred by horticulturalists for better bloom, form, size, or other characteristics. The monitoring data should indicate whether cultivars are adequate support plants for pollinating insects, as compared to the straight species.
