CHARLOTTE — The City of Charlotte is revising its ordinances to facilitate the establishment of pollinator gardens, aiming to support local wildlife and enhance urban biodiversity.
Urban Wildlife Specialist Donna Bolls from the North Carolina Wildlife Federation emphasized the importance of these gardens, stating they exist to support native pollinators, including bees.
Complaints had arisen among residents regarding dormant pollinator gardens during the winter months, prompting misunderstandings about potential violations of the city’s nuisance vegetation ordinance.
The City of Charlotte had previously allowed some exemptions for intentionally planted pollinator gardens; however, identifying these gardens in their dormant state proved challenging for code enforcement officials.
The exemptions were insufficient to resolve issues arising from complaints about tall grass and foliage, potentially impacting property values, as explained by Jerry Green from Charlotte’s Code Enforcement.
In response to concerns from gardeners, the city is implementing a registry for pollinator gardens to help clarify their status and encourage their growth.
“We look forward to the growth and really seeing how much is out there already,” said Keep Charlotte Beautiful Director Jonathan Hill. “And then once we know that, what we can do to encourage people to plant naturalistic landscapes on their properties.”
Bolls reiterated the symbiotic relationship between native plants and local pollinators, noting, “These plants and these insects have evolved together so they survive together.”
She added that the health of these ecosystems ultimately improves urban environments.
“If we want to do more for our health and well-being, we would have more plantings. We would have more native grasses and trees,” Bolls stated.
Gardeners interested in starting or registering a pollinator garden can find more information on the city’s website.
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