The Town of Erie is excited to celebrate National Pollinator Week, taking place this year from June 20 to June 26. To celebrate, the Town has created a Pollinator Garden Map to showcase the many ways pollinator gardens are thriving across public spaces in Erie.
Pollinators—think bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and moths—are essential to our environment. They help fertilize plants by transferring pollen, which supports healthy ecosystems, local food production, and beautiful landscapes. Today, pollinator populations are in decline due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. Every pollinator garden in Erie and beyond support ecosystems that help these pollinators thrive.
The Forestry and Horticulture workgroup takes pride in managing the Town’s extensive landscape beds throughout parks and facilities, with a focus on water-wise, pollinator-friendly gardens. This map highlights these efforts and raises awareness about landscapes that are designed to flourish in Colorado’s intermountain region — delivering more beauty, less maintenance, reduced resource use, and ecological benefits.
The Pollinator Garden Map project is spearheaded by the Sustainability Advisory Board in partnership with the Town’s Forestry and Sustainability Divisions, with additional support from local groups like the Butterfly Pavilion and Friends of Coal Creek. With this map, the community has an opportunity to join in. Residents who have cultivated colorful, water-wise, pollinator-friendly gardens are encouraged to add their address to the map and share their efforts with neighbors.
A pollinator garden is a garden that is predominantly planted with flowering plants, trees, or shrubs that provide homes, pollen and nectar to a variety of pollinators. Pollinator gardens are pesticide and herbicide free and can include an educational sign to help neighbors understand the benefits of leaving leaves, sticks, or “messy areas” in the garden to attract nesting bees. A pollinator garden can be any shape or size!
Does your garden qualify? Use this quick checklist to find out!
- Includes at least three different kinds of blooming plants
- Flowers that bloom at different times throughout the growing season
- Does not use any pesticides or herbicides and uses organic practices
- Offers a mix of flower types and colors
- Uses native or low-water use plants that are adapted to Colorado’s climate
- Provides shelter like rocks, logs, dense plantings or other “messy areas” for insects and small wildlife
If you’ve checked most or all of these boxes, your garden is pollinator-friendly!
If you have a garden that turns heads on your street, don’t keep it a secret. Help inspire others by showcasing your landscape on the Erie Pollinator Garden Map.
Pollinator-Friendly Garden Resources
- Colorado State Extension – Pollinator Gardens: Guides and best practices
- Butterfly Pavilion- Programs, tips and plant information
- Colorado Native Plant Society – General guides and plant lists for using native plants in gardens.
The Town offers many rebate programs like the Turf Replacement Rebate to help residents replace their existing turf with water-wise pollinator-friendly landscapes. The Town of Erie also partners with Resource Central to provide rebates to town residents participating in their Garden-In-A-Box program and Lawn Removal programs.
If you have additional questions about participating in our pollinator garden map, please reach out to Erie’s Sustainability Advisory Board at SAB@erieco.gov. We can’t wait to showcase the variety and beauty of Erie’s community gardens and appreciate your support in protecting and promoting local pollinators.
Enter your address to add your pollinator garden to the map!
