Testing the Establishment of Eight Forbs in Mowed Lawns of Hard Fescue (Festuca brevipila) for Use in Pollinator Conservation

Lane, Ian G.; Wolfin, James; Watkins, Eric; Spivak, Marla

doi:10.21273/hortsci14336-19

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…A study conducted at the University of Minnesota determined that self-heal and white clover can persist in hard fescue [Festuca trachyphylla (Hack.) Krajina] and supply forage for pollinators in home lawns or low maintenance turf areas such as roadsides or cemeteries (Lane et al, 2019b). The current study confirms that white clover may also be a potential source of spring and summer pollinator forage in bermudagrass lawns.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Birdsfoot trefoil, a bee-pollinated legume known to thrive in poor soils in meadows and along highways (Cussans et al, 2010), was unable to compete with bermudagrass in the present study. Nonleguminous herbaceous perennials, such as English daisy and spring beauty (Claytonia virginica), have also proven to be pollinator-friendly companion planting options (Cook, 2005;Lane et al, 2019b), although English daisy did not persist in this study.…”

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…), and hard fescue can support Kura clover, white clover, self-heal, creeping thyme, and ground plum (Astragalus crassicarpus Nutt.) (Lane et al, 2019a(Lane et al, , 2019b.…”

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Testing Flowering Perennial Plants in a Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) Lawn

Boyle¹,

Wisdom²,

Richardson³

2020

horts

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Most pollinating insects require a season-long succession of floral resources to fulfill life-cycle requirements. Incorporating forbs into turfgrass sites may create a season-long sequence of flowers to support foraging pollinators. However, persistence of forbs in warm-season turfgrasses such as bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) may be affected by the competitive nature of the turfgrass and routine management practices such as mowing. A 2-year study was conducted to evaluate seven forbs (Bellis perennis L., Lotus corniculatus L., Prunella vulgaris L., Trifolium fragiferum L. ‘Fresa’, Trifolium repens L. ‘Durana’ and ‘Resolute’, Trifolium subterraneum L.) for persistence and ability to produce floral resources for pollinating insects in a low maintenance bermudagrass lawn. Plugs of each species were incorporated into ‘Riviera’ bermudagrass in Apr. 2016. Vegetative cover, flower production, flowering period and pollinator foraging were assessed. Prunella vulgaris bloomed July through August and achieved 100% cover (0% bermudagrass) by 2017. Trifolium repens achieved a more balanced competitive density with the bermudagrass and produced flowers from June through August in both years. Trifolium fragiferum persisted over two growing seasons but only bloomed in 2017. Bellis perennis, Lotus corniculatus and Trifolium subterraneum did not persist. Pollinators were observed foraging on all persistent, flowering forbs, including Trifolium repens, Prunella vulgaris, and Trifolium fragiferum. Trifolium repens and Prunella vulgaris produced the most flowers and attracted the most pollinators.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 81%

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Testing Flowering Perennial Plants in a Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) Lawn

Boyle¹,

Wisdom²,

Richardson³

2020

horts

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“…Urban ecologists are increasingly encouraging the conversion of traditional monoculture turfgrass lawns to more diverse habitats (e.g., [2,37]). Millions of citizens engage in ecological gardening and landscaping to support pollinators [38,39], and there is a growing public acceptance of flowering lawns in community parks [40] and residential yards [41][42][43].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dwarf White Clover Supports Pollinators, Augments Nitrogen in Clover–Turfgrass Lawns, and Suppresses Root-Feeding Grubs in Monoculture but Not in Mixed Swards

et al. 2021

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The runoff or leaching of nitrogen fertilizers from monoculture turfgrass lawns contri-butes to water pollution, and such lawns are susceptible to insect pests and provide few resources for pollinators. One approach to creating more sustainable lawns is to incorporate white clover (Trifolium repens L.), a nitrogen-fixing legume, into grass seed mixtures or existing turfgrass swards. “Dutch” white clover (DWC), a ubiquitous landrace, forms non-uniform clumps when intermixed with turfgrasses, thus it is often considered to be a lawn weed. Recently, several dwarf varieties of white clover have been selected for their small leaf size and low growth habit, allowing them to tolerate low mowing heights and blend better with grasses. To date, there have been no studies published on the entomological aspects of dwarf clover in pure stands or intermixed with turfgrass. We established field plots with combinations of DWC, two cultivars of dwarf clover, and tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.) in monoculture or mixed swards, and compared the invertebrate communities therein. Predatory arthropods and earthworm numbers were similar in all plot types. The clover monocultures were resistant to white grubs, but the grub densities in the clover–tall fescue dicultures were similar to those found in the pure tall fescue swards. Dwarf clovers and DWC were similarly attractive to bees and supported similar bee assemblages. The tall fescue foliar N content was elevated 17–27% in the dicultures with clovers.

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Floral enhancement of turfgrass lawns benefits wild bees and honey bees (Apis mellifera)

et al. 2023

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The turfgrass lawn is a common feature of urban and suburban communities, often accounting for the largest green spaces by area in these landscapes. Flowering species within turfgrass lawns have the potential to serve as a source of forage for bee pollinators in urban and suburban areas. We intentionally introduced low-growing flowers to turfgrass lawns to promote bee diversity and reduce inputs, while maintaining the traditional aesthetics and recreational uses associated with lawns. We compared bee communities on lawns with naturally-occurring blooms of Trifolium repens to bee communities on florally-enhanced lawns that contained Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata and Thymus serpyllum in addition to T. repens. Trifolium repens provided forage for both wild bee communities and Apis mellifera, with A. mellifera being the most common of the 56 species of bees observed on T. repens. We found that florally-enhanced lawns supported more diverse bee communities than lawns with just T. repens. Furthermore, the bee communities supported by florally-enhanced lawns were significantly different from the bee communities supported by lawns containing just T. repens based on presence-absence data (Jaccard’s dissimilarity index). Our research indicates that A. mellifera colonies and wild bee communities can be supported by allowing T. repens to bloom in turfgrass lawns, and that land managers can support more diverse bee communities by intentionally introducing low-growing species of flowers to lawns.

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Testing the Establishment of Eight Forbs in Mowed Lawns of Hard Fescue (Festuca brevipila) for Use in Pollinator Conservation

Cited by 7 publications

References 29 publications

Testing Flowering Perennial Plants in a Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) Lawn

Testing Flowering Perennial Plants in a Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) Lawn

Dwarf White Clover Supports Pollinators, Augments Nitrogen in Clover–Turfgrass Lawns, and Suppresses Root-Feeding Grubs in Monoculture but Not in Mixed Swards

Floral enhancement of turfgrass lawns benefits wild bees and honey bees (Apis mellifera)

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