Celebrate Pollinators with Grow Good Egg Harbor!

Grow Good: A Season-Long Approach to Pollinator-Friendly Landscapes

The Village of Egg Harbor is excited to introduce Grow Good, a community-wide pollinator program that encourages residents, businesses, and property owners to support pollinators through thoughtful, season-long stewardship. While many people became familiar with our previous No Mow May initiative, we recognized that pollinator conservation is about much more than delaying mowing for a few weeks. Pollinators need food, shelter, water, and habitat throughout the entire growing season—and Grow Good provides a practical roadmap for making a difference from spring through fall.

Grow Good is designed to meet people where they are. Whether you have a large property, a small backyard, a lakeside landscape, or a few containers on a patio, there are meaningful steps you can take to support native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, and other beneficial insects. The program focuses on simple, seasonal actions that improve habitat while maintaining beautiful and functional landscapes.

In spring, residents are encouraged to "start smart" by planning native plantings and delaying aggressive yard cleanup. Leaving some stems and leaf litter in place allows overwintering pollinators to emerge safely. As the season progresses, Grow Good promotes planting native flowers and grasses, creating low-mow areas, and mowing with intention by keeping grass heights higher and reducing unnecessary mowing. Throughout the summer, participants can support pollinators by ensuring a continuous source of blooms, adding water sources, and allowing portions of their landscapes to grow naturally.

As autumn arrives, Grow Good encourages residents to "leave the leaves" and allow seed heads and native plants to remain standing through the winter. These features provide essential food sources, nesting materials, and shelter for wildlife. Fall is also an excellent time to spread native seed and expand pollinator habitat for the following year.

By taking these small but meaningful actions throughout the year, we can create a network of pollinator-friendly spaces across Egg Harbor. Together, these efforts help strengthen biodiversity, improve ecosystem health, support local food systems, and enhance the natural beauty that makes our community special. Grow Good is not about having a perfect yard—it's about making intentional choices that help nature thrive, one season at a time.

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Grow Good Resources

Learn About Pollinators

• Wisconsin Pollinators – University of Wisconsin Extension
  https://hort.extension.wisc.edu
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
  https://www.xerces.org
• Pollinator Partnership
  https://www.pollinator.org

Native Plants for Northeast Wisconsin

• Wild Ones – Native Plants, Natural Landscapes
  https://www.wildones.org
• Wisconsin Native Plant Database
  https://www.wildflower.org/plants
• Wisconsin DNR Native Plant Resources
  https://dnr.wisconsin.gov
  
  

Pollinator-Friendly Landscaping

• Plant native flowers that bloom from spring through fall.
• Create low-mow or no-mow areas where practical.
• Leave seed heads standing through winter.
• Reduce pesticide and herbicide use.
• Incorporate native grasses and shrubs.
• Provide shallow water sources with stones for pollinators to land on.
  
  

Seasonal Grow Good Checklist

Spring

• Delay heavy yard cleanup.
• Leave some stems standing.
• Plan native plant additions.

Summer

• Plant native flowers and grasses.
• Mow selectively and less frequently.
• Add water sources.
• Maintain continuous blooms.

Fall

• Leave leaves in garden beds.
• Leave seed heads standing.
• Collect and spread native seeds.
• Expand pollinator habitat.

Local Resources

• Door County Master Gardeners
• Climate Change Coalition of Door County
• Crossroads at Big Creek
• The Ridges Sanctuary
• Door County Land Trust
• University of Wisconsin Extension – Door County
  
  

Why It Matters

Pollinators are responsible for helping reproduce nearly 90% of flowering plant species and support many of the fruits, vegetables, and native plants that sustain wildlife and people. Creating even small pockets of habitat throughout Egg Harbor contributes to a larger network of healthy ecosystems that benefits the entire community.

Grow Good. Grow Habitat. Grow Community. 🌼🐝🦋🌿