Pennsylvania shows the bees some love

At the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, two summer interns had an idea to decrease emissions from frequent roadside mowing. Little did they know their program would grow into a new approach to save the bees.

In the summer of 2022, two interns saw that the grass on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was being mowed at least once a week. Annoyed by the constant mowing and concerned with the emissions being released, these interns came up with a simple plan: replace the perfectly manicured grass with plants that don’t require so much mowing.

This program quickly turned into a pollinator habitat program, as the commission chose to plant rows of beautiful pollinator-friendly flowers to support local bees and butterflies.

Now a vibrant roadside garden, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was able to cultivate a flourishing haven for bees and other pollinators right outside their administrative building.

Bees and butterflies need more habitat like this before it’s too late. Already, the rusty-patched bumblebee has become endangered, the American bumblebee has disappeared from eight states and monarch butterfly populations have plummeted.  Planting wildflowers and milkweed can help save them, and nationwide, there are more than 10 million acres of highway roadsides where we could do it.

That’s why we’re urging Congress to fund the Monarch and Pollinator Highway Program, which provides grants to states for roadside pollinator habitat. You can help by writing to your representative, below.