Over the course of a mere three years, Ariel Akerman and her husband, Domenik, turned a small conventional urban lawn into a vibrant pollinator garden, supporting a population of numerous insects (including three species of bumble bee). In addition, they produced honey, hops for beer, and vegetables for themselves and their neighbors. Ariel exemplifies the active movement within Maynard Community Gardeners towards providing habitat for pollinators.

While simultaneously working, packing to move to Germany, and looking after three-year-old Sylvester, Ariel made time to share with us her thinking about the development of her garden on McKinley Street.

Watch my interview with Ariel, who provides a tour of her garden.

Here are some of the sources that Ariel found most compelling:

The Bumble Bee Project, an initiative from the Metrowest Conservation Alliance's Native Pollinator Task Force (which includes member Lizza Smith).
Braiding Sweetgrass, a book by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a botanist and member of Citizen Potawatomi Nation, which embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers.
RJ Gegear and the Gegear Lab at UMass Dartmouth (local research on bumblebees and ecosystem support)
Entomologist and wildlife ecologist Doug Tallamy, who has many great videos on YouTube, including Nature’s Best Hope, Homegrown National Park Initiative, and Restoring the Little Things That Run the World)
The Native Plant Trust's Garden in the Woods in Framingham ,a source of native plants
Arbor Day Foundation, an inexpensive source of small trees
Native Plants of New England Facebook group
Propagating Native Plants: Facebook group
Square Foot Gardening Foundation, a resource on growing food in small spaces