6-16-2025 4:34am

SHA PROMOTES

Jeff Barto Editor

STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION CELEBRATES NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK JUNE 16-JUNE 22

New Pollinators Habitat Springing Up at Various Locations Throughout the State

(June 16, 2025) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration, along with their partners in the Pollinator Protection Plan, including the Maryland Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Maryland Environmental Service, are celebrating National Pollinator Week June 16-22, 2025 and are expanding the department’s efforts to bolster the pollinator habitats along Maryland roadsides and other state lands.

Each agency has their own pollinator plan, including State Highway Administration’s Pollinator Habitat Plan to demonstrate commitments to enhancing native ecosystems and healthy land management.

In 2024, State Highway Administration installed several pollinator demonstration gardens at various State Highway Administration offices. The demonstration gardens serve to educate employees, contractors and visitors at the offices, which included facilities at the State Highway Administration Hanover Complex, and District Offices in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Frederick and Prince George’s counties.

Additionally, almost seven acres of native meadows along roadsides and medians were added in Queen Anne’s, Anne Arundel and Howard counties that will be visible to those traveling along our roadways. These meadows are thriving with at least three species of flowers blooming all year long and feature milkweed, the monarch butterfly’s host plant for its caterpillars. The photos below demonstrate the progression of the Queen Anne’s County pollinator habitat from seeding to today.

(Queen Anne’s County pollinator habitat seeded in April 2024 – SHA image)

(Queen Anne’s County pollinator habitat in June 2024 – SHA image)

(Queen Anne’s County pollinator habitat in October 2024 – SHA image)

(Queen Anne’s County pollinator habitat in June 2025 – SHA image)

State Highway Administration was awarded a federal grant to support converting land along state highways into valuable pollinator habitats. Seeded with native plants, these habitats take time to establish and may initially appear to be unkempt landscape. In time, these areas will transition into valuable pollinator ecosystems, providing everything pollinators need for their complete lifecycle. The State Highway Administration will be installing signs to demarcate areas that are designated pollinator habitat.

Seeding is only the beginning of developing a pollinator habitat. Pollinator-friendly management practices include conservation mowing, an annual mow during the dormant season; mowing to no less than eight inches to provide nesting stubble; and practicing an integrated approach to controlling noxious weeds and non-desirable vegetation within the habitat areas. The University of Maryland Extension Service has valuable resources on how to establish pollinator habitat and is available at Pollinator Gardens | University of Maryland Extension.

Pollinator species across the nation are threatened due to habitat loss, disease, and insecticide exposure; therefore, habitat creation and responsible management is key to preserving and restoring pollinator habitat and food sources. Protecting beneficial pollinators is important nationwide for the agriculture industry. An estimated 85% of the world’s flowering plants depend on insects and animals for pollination and successful agricultural crop production. Much of the produce we enjoy such as apples, citrus, strawberries, blueberries, nuts and seeds, all require pollination from insects, as well as alfalfa, which is a major source of food for livestock, to provide our meat and dairy.

With the addition of several new pollinator sites, the State Highway Administration is committed to enhancing pollinator habitat, food, shelter and mobility networks that support Maryland’s wide range of pollinator species. Sites will attract pollinators such as butterflies, bees, beetles, wasps, flies, moths and birds. Maryland is home to over 400 species of native bees, one of the most important groups of pollinators in the state.

The development of pollinator habitat sites, in addition to providing habitat for important pollinator species, provide for the establishment of native plant communities, stormwater management, greater potential for carbon sequestration, the promotion of healthier soil and ecosystems and creation of aesthetically pleasing roadside landscapes.

Pollinator Habitat Plan

Introduction

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration’s (MDOT SHA) Pollinator Habitat Plan was developed in response to the 2016 Pollinator Protection Act of the Maryland General Assembly, § 2-1801 Pollinator Habitat Plan, the 2017 amendments, and 2024 Legislative Session amendments through House Bill 22 and Senate Bill 178 detailing the requirements for a Pollinator Protection Plan in conjunction with the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Pollinator Protection Plan.

Importance of Pollinators

Pollinators – including wild pollinators such as bees, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths and hummingbirds – are essential to our well-being and play an important part in healthy ecosystems. Maryland alone supports over 400 species of native bees, the most important group of pollinators in the state according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Bees - Maryland's Wild Acres).

An estimated 85% of the world’s flowering plants depend on animals for pollination and successful fruit development, including many crops that produce our fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and livestock forage (The Value of Birds and Bees | Farmers.gov).

Both wild and managed pollinators have been declining in population due to a loss of habitat, climate change, environmental contamination, the spread of disease and other factors, making it vitally important to implement strategies that promote the success of these species for future food security, plant and animal success and diversity.

Pollinators and plants have developed a mutualistic relationship for millions of years. The pollinator receives food from the plant in the form of nectar and pollen, while the plant relies on the insect or bird to disperse pollen to other flowers for fertilization, which is required for seed development and the continuation of the plant species. Flower shapes, sizes, colors, fragrance and arrangement have all been refined over eons to appeal to a certain pollinator efficiently and effectively.

This specialized, mutualistic relationship is why pollinator populations decline when their habitat and food sources are reduced. The plant and pollinator relationship is not exclusively for pollen, nectar and seed development. Many insects rely on a single species of plants to host and feed their young. The Monarch butterfly has co-evolved with milkweed species (Asclepias) so that it will only lay its eggs on milkweed plants. When the Monarch’s young larvae, or caterpillars, eat the milkweed leaves, they ingest toxins from the leaves that make them poisonous to birds and other predators. In fact, this toxicity remains in the Monarchs even after they pupate into butterflies and protects the butterflies from predators.

Benefits of Pollinator Habitat Sites

Creating and preserving pollinator habitat is critical for protecting and restoring pollinator populations, which are vital for securing our future food supply, ensuring the continuation of diverse plant species and contributing to the success of the entire ecosystem. Specifically, development of pollinator habitat sites, in addition to providing habitat for important pollinator species, provides the following benefits:

Establishment of native plant communities.
Stormwater management and erosion reduction.
Greater potential for carbon sequestration.
Promotion of healthier soil and ecosystems.
Creation of aesthetically pleasing roadside landscapes.

Goals

MDOT SHA manages over 50,000 acres of roadside areas outside of the paved surfaces, including forests, meadows, wetlands and waterways. All site types provide environmental benefits, habitat, food source and connectivity for pollinators and other wildlife. MDOT SHA strives to maintain a balance of these environment types to promote environmental stewardship and ecosystem vibrancy, and meet programmatic and regulatory goals.

The goals of the MDOT SHA Pollinator Habitat Plan are to create, enhance, restore and manage habitats that support bees, butterflies and other threatened and impacted pollinators by:

Prioritizing the use of native plants in our mitigation and planting designs for highway development projects.
Establishing perennial wildflowers and meadow grasses that provide persistent and stable food sources, nesting locations and overwintering sites for pollinators.
Installing educational and informational signage about pollinators and their habitat for public understanding.
Utilizing social media and other media outlets to promote pollinator habitat awareness and management best practices.
Providing a network of pollinator habitats to connect Maryland’s green spaces.
Tracking, evaluating and applying for funding that supports pollinator habitats, native plants and invasive species control.

Implementation Strategy

MDOT SHA has adopted several implementation strategies to enhance pollinator habitat, food, shelter and mobility networks to support the various life stages of these important species. Strategies include both current practices and plans to ensure the preservation and success of Maryland’s pollinator species.

Construction of Demonstration Gardens

Serve as a resource for the public on the importance of pollinators to plants and people, and to build their own pollinator gardens.
Construct small, example habitats to educate and demonstrate how these environments can be designed for various scales across the state.
Manage as a landscape garden with interpretive signage.

In 2019 MDOT SHA installed five demonstration gardens at Welcome Centers:

Mason Dixon Welcome Center on US 15 in Frederick County
South Mountain Welcome Centers on I-70 (eastbound and westbound) in Frederick County
I-95 Welcome Centers (southbound and northbound) in Howard County

In 2024 MDOT SHA constructed demonstration gardens at five MDOT SHA office locations:

MDOT SHA District 3 Office in Greenbelt
MDOT SHA District 4 Office in Hunt Valley
MDOT SHA District 5 Office in Annapolis
MDOT SHA District 7 Office in Frederick
MDOT SHA Hanover Complex

Establishment and Management of Roadside Pollinator Meadows

While MDOT SHA continues a mowing schedule for its right-of-way clear zones, the agency does allow some areas outside the clear zones to grow. Mowing less frequently in these specific areas encourages native meadow species to emerge, supporting pollinator habitat and food sources like milkweed. It’s important to note that MDOT SHA actively mows the clear zones immediately adjacent to the roadway to preserve a safe and reliable roadway system by maintaining safety offsets, vehicle recovery clear zones and sightline clearances.

MDOT SHA constructed three new pollinator meadow habitats totaling approximately seven acres along the right of way in the spring of 2024 in Anne Arundel, Howard and Queen Anne’s Counties.

These sites are located outside of clear zones are mowed once per year during the dormant season (November-March) and selectively treated for invasive species. These areas:

Include early, mid and late season flowering plants that provide nectar to pollinators before, during and after migration.
Incorporate grasses to provide nesting locations and overwintering sites.
Reduce mowing to allow seeds to set and disperse to preserve the next generation of perennial flowers and grasses, further expanding and enhancing pollinator habitat.

Meadow Establishment Locations Site Search and Existing Meadow Site inventory

The MDOT SHA right of way provides an opportunity to create networks of pollinator habitats throughout the State. This process begins with mapping existing meadows and identifying gaps in habitat continuity; it aids the creation of connected habitats across the State.

MDOT SHA is investigating and tracking statewide pollinator habitat site development opportunities within the right of way. Sites of interest include areas that can be established as demonstration gardens and pollinator meadows for future pollinator habitat projects.

Education, Outreach and Communications

Other outreach includes publishing multiple social media posts on several platforms to build excitement and interest around National Pollinator Week and providing interviews to various news outlets about the program and how to create, enhance, restore and manage pollinator habitat areas.

Funding Opportunities

SHA tracks, evaluates and applies for additional funding for pollinator habitats, native plants, invasive species control and other opportunities that benefit pollinators and their habitat.

In December 2024, SHA was awarded a grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highway Rights-of-Way Program. This funding will support projects to install approximately eight acres of additional pollinator habitat in SHA roadside and medians across the State. It will also support further development of the SHA Pollinator Habitat Plan. Outreach in the form of additional roadside signs, training and community engagement at select demonstration gardens will also be included.