Floral Enrichment of Turf Lawns to Benefit Pollinating Insects

Abstract

Turf lawns are a common landscape modification in many anthropogenic habitats, and often the largest contributor to “green space” in urban landscapes. Despite the ubiquitous nature of lawns their function is largely subjective, based on the aesthetic values of its owner. This flexibility offers unique opportunities to develop cultural practices and planting strategies to meet alternative goals that land managers may have, such as habitat enhancement for pollinating insects. Within this thesis I explore a range of establishment and management techniques of various turf and forb species, with the goal of providing recommendations to lawn managers for maximizing bloom of bee friendly flowers. The results from these studies are a significant first step in the creation and management of flowering lawns, and will provide a basis for future work as the value of flowering lawns to bees continues to grow.