1. LHAP 304 Overview - 3 Hours

Slide 1 LHAP 304 - Sustainable Horticultural Practices: Overview Slide 2 Ecosystems Review Green = Boreal Forest Yellow = Parkland/Grassland Purple = Montane All plants we learn originate from some that are native somewhere on the planet earth. It may be helpful to imagine each of these plants in its native habitat so you can put the right plant in the right place. Slide 3 Today’s trends in Horticulture Food Security - Quality and Quantity Longevity of the Earth - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Water Purity and Supply Mental Wellness - Partly because of COVID, before that because of our disconnect from nature. Slide 4 Food Security: Food Forests, Community gardens and Natural medicine… Slide 5 Taking the concept of the community garden and scaling up, expanding the footprint Read more by clicking here There are more than 90 located in the states… where “boomers” considered golf courses as assets for land locations, “millenials” look for access to “clean food” - they can even include livestock. Canadians are converting their front lawns! (click here) as part of Community Supported Agriculture ventures These are not ‘new’ - WWII era they were called “Victory Gardens”... Slide 6 Longevity of the Earth: Xeriscape No Water. No unnatural inputs (chemical fertilizers and herbicides). Self Sustaining Landscaping. Slide 7 Sensory Gardens For those with reduced mobility, altered mental states and suffering “nature deficit disorder”... Areas to touch. To taste. To smell. Things to Hear and colours to see. Slide 8 Natural Play Slide 9 Biodiversity… the big problem… Slide 10 Biodiversity defined Biodiversity speaks to the variety of life in an ecosystem - including plants, animals, and other organisms (including fungi, microorganisms and insects) Not just the amount of life, but the variability of it. The term wasn’t coined until the 1980s, but documentation from the ‘70s shows a startling decline Especially amphibians & reptiles, birds, and freshwater fish in Canada There’s been a 75% decline in insect biomass in our lifetimes! Now it is an intensive area of study worldwide Slide 11 Looking beyond the Aesthetics Part of our role as Landscape Designers is to look beyond the aesthetics and consider the impact our actions have on the biodiversity around us Urban growth (land conversion, pollution, climate change, overfishing) is second only to invasion by non-native species in the destruction of native biodiversity Introduced species: Outcompete native species, take up native species habitat, can starve native species who don’t feed on them, can be invasive due to lack of natural controls. Slide 12 Loss of Biodiversity Creating habitat for the human species often comes at the cost of wildlife habitat. Urban environments aren’t new, but the impermeable surfaces and air pollution are only about 200 years old Wetlands are filled in Land is cleared for Agriculture… and Agricultural land is bought up for urban sprawl. Habitat fragmentation is just as dangerous Slide 13 Is there a solution? Waiting for the federal government to institute change just doesn’t cut it. As citizens, we have to be educated, and to care. Slide 14 Sustainable Development The climate change crisis is starting a slow move toward practices that ensure longevity of the planet. Better site analysis and native habitat protection & better water management practices Use of native plant material to support local species The City Biodiversity Index (Singapore Index) is developed by the Convention on Biological Diversity / UN Environment Programme and is used to score cities worldwide Measurement tool - objective Provides a Baseline - where are we starting? HAVE we improved? Allows for yearly (or other period) reevaluation In 2022 Canada adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the 2030 Nature Strategy Slide 15 This class focuses more on the green and orange sections, but its interesting to see the wider picture! Click here to read more. The Montreal Pledge is the statement that cities sign to show their “buy-in”. Slide 16 Biodiversity: “The Bees” A link to AB Insect ID Slide 17 Beekeeping / apiculture We contribute the most to Canada’s honey production at 45%! The Western Honeybee is the most popular but is not native to Canada. Honeybees do a ton of pollinating = more fruit production These are also the ones who make enough honey for us (support hive over winter) Colony collapse disorder and pesticide use has caused a lot of problems. They are generalists but won’t pollinate everything. Consult your municipality. Join a bee club. Check the Alberta Bee Act. Slide 18 Alberta’s Native Bees 375 different species of native bees! Bumblebees are generalists. They can buzz pollinate (tomato, watermelon, blueberry). Solitary Bees make 7-35 trips from flowers to cells to provide enough food for one larva! Each trip can mean visiting 10-100 flowers. The male bees don’t nest so those are the ones we find sleeping on flowers… Photo J hemberger Slide 19 Alberta’s Native Bees Solitary Bees: Leaf-cutting bees slice circles out of leaves for lining nests. (generalists, peas and asters) Sweat bees are drawn to the salt on our brow (daisy, watermelon, sunflower) Mining bees which burrow into the ground like gophers Mason bees tunnel underground - 1 Mason bee does the work of 100 honeybees. Click here for more from the Alberta Native Bee Council. Here is their brochure Here’s a book recommendation Slide 20 Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee Summer of 2022, The Federal Government distributed a flyer to all residences and businesses in the primary habitat advising that this particular bee is at risk. It is a parasitic bee - taking over the nests of other bees Part of the risk factor is the decline of the other bee species Read more here: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/recovery-strategies/gypsy-cuckoo-bumble-bee-proposed-2022.html Slide 21 Nature WILL find a way… but maybe we could be more helpful?! This is a concrete safety barrier at a racetrack - the leafcutter queen bee is making use of air holes in the concrete! One queen per nest, they deposit pollen and leaf material lining the nests. Upper left nest is fully provisioned. Slide 22 Other Pollinators Butterflies and Moths Bodies can’t pick up the pollen the way bees do Proboscis allows them to reach into flowers bees can’t reach Butterflies can see reds, purples and pinks that bees might not. Moths like white, pale purple and pink (moonlight flowers) and those that open in the evening and fragrant ones. Larvae can do damage to leaves Flies Annuals and bulbs Hoverflies mimic bees and wasps in look and sound for safety Larvae are predators of thrips, aphids, and scale Others, attracted to bad smells pollinate plants like Jack-in-the-pulpit Slide 23 Other Pollinators Wind Trees & grasses - low colour, low scent Hummingbirds Nectar and insects. Proboscis also. Pollen lands on head and neck and get shaken off Wasps Not awesome pollinators, but they do spread small amounts Beetles Original pollinators - the largest number of species “Mess and spoil” pollinators - clumsy munchers and defecators. Like spicy, sweet, and fermented smells & bowl shaped flowers that let them soak up heat. Slide 24 So what can we do to help the bees? (and other insects) Slide 25 Insect Hotel at Bower Ponds, Red Deer 2019 Use of: Natural, untreated/unpainted wood Varying sizes and shapes of holes Mixed geometric shapes Slide 26 Slide 27 Habitat Tips: Consider looking for opportunities to leave some standing dead wood on properties, as well as some leaf litter. Provide a water source - a birdbath with rocks so they have something to perch on while they drink. When possible, leave some bare soil or use light mulches that the ground living bees can burrow through & delay spring cleanups until there are highs of 10 C, overnight lows above zero. Slide 28 Naturalized Plant Design The “new” landscape design… a more natural take on the Cottage Garden. Includes constructed meadows (vs turf) and addresses floral deficits caused by widespread use of ornamental grasses. Slide 29 Tips for using introduced species: “Keystone Plants”: Use of several core native species in the design to support pollinators If using cultivars, keep them native-like or true to species: Avoid trial bloom colours as much as possible, or install next to species colours Stay away from flowers with modified sexual structures (do they still make nectar or pollen? Or are they sterile?) Avoid flowers with significantly modified corolla and calyx compared to natives (are they recognizable as food sources?) Slide 30 Tips for using introduced species: Ensure large plantings of same flowers, and try to have several sources together. Go for max overlap on flower times with diverse species blends. Consider Bee Turf sections or allowing clover in lawns Use a cool color palette for Bees especially Match the plant selection for the pollinator, paying attention to Pollination Syndromes (flower traits) - next slide. Slide 31 Flower Traits for Pollinators Colour Dots, patterns and stripes as a road map (nectar guides) UV and iridescence for bees Scent Shape - are the flowers deep with specialized nectaries? Or open and shallow? (Short tongue bees vs long tongue vs butterflies) Most bees travel about a mile for food - bumble bees up to 5 miles… but if they don’t HAVE to it is so much safer for them! There are a lot of predators, parasites and hazards for bees. Slide 32 Biodiversity: The birds Biophilia - the wellness we feel when we interact with nature - is supported not just with what we see but also what we hear (birdsong). Slide 33 The Birds There has been a documented 50% decline in Bird Populations since 1966 Migratory species are especially impacted by light pollution and loss of habitat Nesting Sites are removed Protected areas are less available Predatory birds and Cats reduce the populations Water sources are gone Food sources are depleted Wetland birds are especially impacted, but song birds are close behind Slide 34 Ways that people can help the birds Don’t kill every bug you see, Consider planting species that produce food for birds Shrubs that have mealy or drier fruit will sustain them better than plants with fruit high in sugar Plant twiggy (opposite attachment) shrubs that provide safety for songbirds Provide buffer zones from bird feeders (less than 1m or more than 3m) Reduce Light pollution Protecting broadleaf species in ditches to provide pollinator corridors along roadsides. Slide 35 Combine a bird bath with its preferred food choice and a potential home! Slide 36 Even better than building houses is to provide native plants for insects (food source) and nest building. Slide 37 Green Roofs Can provide habitat for many species… but adjacent glass walls may also create some casualties. Slide 38 Consider Bats as an alternative to Insecticides! In a more wild garden… They spread seeds more efficiently than birds in their feces… (bird’s only “go” when they takeoff) Bats can also pollinate (in tropical and desert ecosystems) Slide 39 Miyawaki Forests Spaces are roughly 3-10m x 3-10m (a tennis court) The first step is in-depth soil preparation (testing for pH, O.M., compaction, nutrients, CEC) Consider: Canopy, Sub-canopy, Shrubs, Herbs, Forest Floor and Rhizosphere Wood mulch is key Slide 40 Biodiversity: Wildlife Corridors “A strip of natural habitat connecting populations of wildlife otherwise separated by cultivated land, roads, etc.” Lexico.com Slide 41 Wildlife Corridors Identification of migratory patterns and high traffic sites, followed by protection mechanisms for animals to move unhindered Check Out Vineland Research for their initiatives in Ontario… www.greeningcanadianlandscapes.ca If you meet the needs of carnivores, you often meet the needs of smaller species Slide 42 Importance of Wildlife Sanctuaries Preservation of Habitat Important for natural selection Genetic diversity Population control Shelter Foraging Water source Slide 43 Design of Wildlife Sanctuaries Completed at the Municipal Level Corridors and linkages Primary pathway corridor Smaller linkages are where they start to break down As Landscapers, we can piggyback on them creating stepping stones As Citizens, we can respect them! City of Edmonton Biodiversity Report (2008) Slide 44 Urban Naturalization Changing mindsets of people to allow large, naturalized areas - although not the “traditional” wildlife corridor we imagine (fenced off and fully protected) - allows movement of species through cities. Click here to read about an airfield in Toronto being changed over into a sustainable community Does size matter? Fast google searches show that deer range over about 100 Ha… Slide 45 Castle Pines subdivision of Denver Colorado - they have required that the corridor be maintained and naturalized with native plants. Slide 46 A note on reclamation… Important terms: Brownfields - refers to land that was once used for industrial purposes and now lies vacant Microhabitats - nature finds a way, when the small creatures take advantage of spaces and disturbances left behind, it leads to: Open Mosaic Habitat - when the microhabitats converge and create a space of mixed former industrial with natural pockets that expand toward one another. Early successional plants - refers to nature’s process of starting with herbaceous, growing up into shrubbery, and ending with climax species (canopy trees) when conditions allow. In these cases, it's more recognizing nature’s effort to reclaim the land vs us protecting it to begin with! Slide 47 Biomimicry - definition 1 Species in nature mimicking other species in an effort to thwart predators Example - Natural selection: hoverflies looking like wasps Slide 48 Biomimicry - definition 2 Human study of nature’s systems to find more efficient and less harmful ways for humans to exist on earth. Slide 49 Biomimicry Examples of modern Biomimicry: Adapting wind turbines to mimic wale tubricals on their fins Designing malls based on termite mound aeration to reduce refrigerants Changing the design of solar panels to mimic the light holding of moth eyes Fog catching nets based on the stenocara beetle Slide 50 An Example for the birds… Consider Ornilux Bird Safe Glass - an example of biomimicry: copying the orb weaver spider web with UV reflectance, that also protects songbirds (habitat at risk due to urbanization)