David Hammond knew he was doing something right when he came across a toddler, who with his family, released butterflies near a pollinator garden in Canton.

At home the boy watched the four stages of metamorphosis before his family took the butterflies to Zibiwes Nature Area to release them in a safe habitat, said Hammond, founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization, Creating Habitats for Pollinators. CHP has been involved in planting pollinator gardens on over 100,000 square feet of property in the township, so far.


Forefront of change

There are two major pollinator garden initiatives in Canton. One is on public property along major roads, including Lotz, Ford Road intersections, Morton Taylor and others. This work spans from Canton Center to Lotz and is promoted by the Canton Downtown Development Authority.

The other program is on public property, including schools and parks. A smaller groundswell of interest is brewing among homeowners wanting to do their part in helping pollinators, and ultimately food sources.

There’s a cost benefit, too, by saving mowing, staffing and gasoline costs.

“It’s environmentally important but also economically sound,” he said.

Frank Nasal, co-owner of Frank’s Landscaping and Supplies, works with the DDA to create pollinator gardens using native Michigan plants on nearly 30 miles of public property near roadways.

“The new look along Ford Road was a conscious decision to provide a more environmentally friendly and sustainable aesthetic for our DDA corridor,” said Canton Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak. “The native wildflower plantings also save on irrigation costs and can withstand the harsh and salty winter conditions.”


A new look

Several years ago residents said goodbye to the annuals, planted in rows. In comparison, Nasal said, is the pastoral field look.

“In the past there was a lot more color, a flashy show,” he said. “With native plantings we can’t dictate, they’re all blended in there.”

That means, too, the pollinator gardens might be more colorful in spring and fall during the heaviest rainfalls, typically.

“We wanted to add something more organic to the area,” said Bart Patterson, DDA chairperson. “They require less maintenance and they’re easier to care for because they’re native to the area. It’s more of a natural look. It’s worked very well for us.”

The pollinator gardens also provide a more consistent design flow along roads, Patterson said.

“When they see the native flowers people know they’re in Canton still,” he added. “Hopefully we’re being smart with the money we’re spending by not wasting sprinkler water.”


Cost effective

Annual flowers also had the extra costs associated with planting in spring and fall, Nasal said.

His garden artistry includes Black Eyed Susan, Shasta daisies, milkweed, cone flowers, purple beard’s throat and mixed colored phlox. He aims at having something in bloom from spring through fall.

“We work with Michigan State University for different pollinator plants,” Nasal said, adding that to protect the pollinators herbicides aren’t sprayed.

Meanwhile, CHP promoted similar gardens in the township, including Canton Public Library/Heritage Park, two locations at Village Arts Factory, the Canton Dog Park, Workman Elementary School and Central Park HOA.


Lots of land

Since 2021, CHP has been involved in planting two-point-five acres of pollinator gardens and an additional 90,000 square feet of gardens are planned for this fall. Many of the projects are supported by grants.

Since some of the CHP-inspired gardens are up to four years old, Hammond said, the organization is starting to have more opportunities, because he can show people what has been done with native wildflower plantings.

The gardens typically include 25 to 30 percent annual flowers and 75 percent of native perennials.

The gardens give bees, birds, moths, insects and hummingbirds a habitat, which is especially important when considering that many of their living spaces have been destroyed by construction and development. The habitats give pollinators food, water and shelter.

“You see the pretty field of flowers and when you go up close they’re teeming with activity flying from plant to plant,” Hammond said.

The gardens also offer a place to raise young for wildlife, which helps sustain biodiversity in urban areas. Pollinator gardens can also help with stormwater management.

The flowers in these gardens play essential roles in food and drink production, spices and even medicines. These flowering plants are the source of most of the world's food.


Look a little closer

Canton’s Leisure Services calls the pollinator gardens No Mow Areas at parks and golf courses.

“If you see an area that looks overgrown with taller grass or wildflowers, it is likely that ducks, turtles, rabbits and other native creatures call these spaces home...to help foster a healthy ecosystem,” according to the department’s website, https://www.cantonmi.gov/1210/Green-Initiatives.

“For no mow areas around ponds, the grasses help to stabilize the pond banks and help provide shelter for smaller bugs, frogs, and fish,” the website said. “Maintaining these no mow areas, help ensure that wildlife has a safe habitat in this region.”

Community Development Director Jonathan LaFever said the township has a responsibility to promote pollinator gardens.

“As we learn more about the ecological benefits of pollinator gardens we realize we need to use them more, whether that’s in passive areas like parks or active places like Ford Road,” LaFever said.

The gardens are also magnets for bringing people together in a lot of different ways, including volunteers who come out to help with planting and maintenance, Hammond said, adding that he often sees artists with palettes in hand trying to recreate the pastoral scene, families having picnics nearby and others, including flower lovers, out to observe.

“I started this project from an environmental perspective but what I’ve been amazed with is the connection these gardens make to the community,” Hammond said. “People are developing a strong connection to place in their community. I didn’t imagine that, but now it might be the most important thing.”


Initial work

Weeding is needed the first two or three years after the gardens are planted.

“There’s always something to do,” Hammond said. “We need each spot to have a vested group of people to help take care of that garden. Since we started doing that the sites have really thrived.”

For instance, there was a team effort by CHP, folks involved with the Village Arts Factory who helped seed and maintain the area and township workers who tilled the soil.

“We started these gardens by meeting with people in Canton parks, and the township administration, as we explained the pollinator garden idea,” Hammond said. “They gave us small places to try. As we’ve developed trust with the community, they’ve given us more and more things to do.”

More and more people are seeing the need for native plant gardens, especially since pollinators have seen dramatic declines in habitats. For instance, it has been reported that the monarch butterfly population has declined by more than 80 percent since the 1990s in central Mexico and by more than 95 percent since the 1980s in coastal California. They face two main threats, pesticide use and habitat loss.

“We provide viable habitats to help pollinators thrive,” Hammond said. “They’re the benchmark of our food ecosystem. Two-thirds of the world’s food supply is dependent on pollinators. In the U.S., over 100 crops directly benefit from pollinators. They’re the cornerstone of land-based ecosystems. If they’re healthy everything else in the environment is healthy. If we help them we’re helping ourselves.”

With more than 400 kinds of bees in Michigan, most are smaller than a fly but the work they do is gigantic.

“Only a couple sting,” Hammond said. “They’re just engrossed in their work. Bees are critical, and so many people don’t even know they are bees. We need to help bees, butterflies, moths, and all kinds of creepy crawlies. They’re important to the environment and to us. I’m hoping that the plantings have a bigger footprint and maybe encourage people in trying native landscaping at their own homes.”


How to start

CHP is available to help people establish pollinator gardens. In fact, Hammond has fielded more than 30 calls from Canton residents in less than five years. They’ve seen the gardens around town and they want to know how to do it on their properties.

“I sit down and walk you through how to get seeds, how to prepare the site and we work through a plan,” Hammond said. “We give them free advice.”

Hammond doesn’t take a salary. Donations go toward seed and equipment purchases. Go to creatinghabitats.org to donate or to volunteer at a pollinator garden.

Contact Hammond at Creating Habitats for Pollinators at (734) 862-1928.