Turn your garden into living artworks for bees

Art not for people, but for insects. That is the goal of the Pollinator Pathway project by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg. With her concept she wants to change the way we perceive our garden in a way that not only people but also pollinators can enjoy it. Because for who do we actually design our gardens?

Commissioned by the Eden Project in Cornwall, Ginsberg designed her Pollinator Pathmaker with the goal in mind to create artworks that are attractive to pollinating insects. Currently our pollinators are not doing well, due to a multitude of reasons like the usage of pesticides and monoculture in the agricultural sector. But also climate changes such as global warming aren't working in favour for the little helpers. This is a serious case since pollinators play a crucial role in our ecosystems: 75% of our current crops exist due to the help of our pollinators. And no pollination means no crops. So what can we do to help? Our gardens are beautiful meeting places for species such as butterflies, bees and moths, but are often arranged according to the demands of humans. But pollinators experience life differently like they way they perceive colours or live with the seasons. What if we designed our future gardens with the quality of life of our precious pollinators in mind?

So how do we get started? You can find Ginsberg's tool at pollinator.art, where you can redesign your own garden in favour to the pollinators. You are asked to choose your location and set up your garden with the correct measurements. A few questions are asked about the type of soil, PH levels and sunlight in order to generate a garden with plants that will thrive in your current ecosystem. Humans aren't fully excluded: you are still given a few options about the style of the garden and the diversity in foliage.

The choices that are made will have an impact on the garden in terms of biodiversity, so the user has to be mindful and find balance between their needs and those of the pollinators. Ginsberg's tool raises awareness on the fact that the choices we make will have inevitable consequences on our surroundings. But it also demonstrates how humans can jump back into the circle of life and reposition themselves in their local ecosystems: it only requires a few adjustments and a bit of attentiveness.