Large-scale Pollinator Planting
The "best" planting will depend on your target pollinators species, soil type, drainage, sun, growing zone, size, budget, etc. This page contains resources for installation and maintenance, sources for seeds and plants, and sources to help fund your pollinator planting. For more advice contact your county conservation district, your county USDA service center, or individuals in the database (see green box). For more resources on CRP planting visit the MSU resource page for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
MSU maintains a database of individuals and companies that can help install and maintain
your pollinator planting. Spreadsheet of MI based resources for seeds/ burning/ consulting for pollinator habitat
(Updated Dec 2023). To add a name to this list, please email mpi@msu.edu.
Directory of Michigan-based native plant and seed producers: Michigan native seed producers.
To be added as a Michigan producer, fill out the form at the bottom of the Michigan native seed producers page. Questions? Email us at honeybees@msu.edu.
Directory of Michigan-based native plant and seed producers: Michigan native seed producers.
To be added as a Michigan producer, fill out the form at the bottom of the Michigan native seed producers page. Questions? Email us at honeybees@msu.edu.
Case studies of individuals who have installed pollinator planting in Michigan
- Prairie strips: A case study on improving farming yields and pollinator habitat by transforming unprofitable farmland into prairie
- Somewhere for the pollinators to go: A case study of establishing large-scale pollinator habitat
- Pocket of paradise: A second case study of establishing large-scale prairie planting
- A refuge for pollinators: A case study of establishing large-scale pollinator habitat on marginal farmland using federal funds
Resources for installation and maintenance of large-scale pollinator plots
- Project Wingspan Resources for Pollinator Habitat Programs
- Pollinator Habitat Establishment & Management Guide from the Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund
- Establishing Wildflower Habitat to Support Pollinators of Michigan Fruit Crops
- 10 things to think about before establishing pollinator habitat
- Upper Midwest Pollinator Meadow Installation Guide
- Establishing Pollinator Meadow from Seed (Xerces Society)
- MSU Native Plants and Ecosystem Services
- Michigan Association of Conservation Districts
- U.S. Air Force Pollinator Conservation Reference Guide
- Michigan Prescribed Fire Council
- Pollinator supportive trees and shrubs for farm and orchard windbreak
- Michigan Department of Transportation Vegetation Management & Sunflower Plots with Carla Ahlschwede
Sources for seeds/plants
- The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund
- Pollinator Project - Project Wingspan
- Michigan Native Plant Guild (lists multiple other resources)
- Michigan Pheasants Forever seed sale list
- Hidden Savannah Nursery- Kalamazoo, MI
- Michigan Wildflower Farm- Portland, MI
- Native Connections- Kalamazoo, MI
- Wildtype Native Plant Nursery- Mason, MI
- Stantec Native Plant Nursery - Walkerton, IN
- Earth Source Native Plant Nursery- Ft. Wayne, IN
- Spence Nursery- Muncie, IN
- Pollinator Conservation Seed Mixes (Xerces Society)
Resources for seed collecting
- Video - Seed Collection for Restoration (Kettle Moraine Land Trust)
- Project Wingspan - Seed Collection Webinars
Programs and sources for funding
- Resources for Pollinator Habitat Programs, Education and Funding - Project Wingspan
- Helping You Plant for Pollinators: technical assistance, funding, and more
- USDA funds available to establish pollinator habitat on your land
- The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund
- Pollinator Project - Project Wingspan
- Contact a local USDA Farm Service Agency office for more information about the Conservation Reserve Program.
- Using 2014 Farm Bill Programs for Pollinator Conservation
- Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
- Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)
- Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)
- General and Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
- Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
- State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE)
- Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
- State Wildlife Grants (SWG)
- North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Small Grants Program
- North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Standard Grants Program
- Wildflower Association of Michigan Grant Program
- Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative
Resources for evaluating your planting
- Prairie Seedling and Seeding Evaluation Guide by Paul Bockenstedt and Beau Thunshelle
- The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Seed and Seedling Identification in the Upper Midwest by Dave Williams and Brent Butler
- Weeds of the Northeast by Richard Uva, Joseph Neal and Joseph DiTomaso
Solar arrays & pollinator habitat
- Michigan Pollinator Habitat Planning Scorecard for Solar Sites
- Michigan Pollinator Habitat Planning Scorecard for Solar Sites now available
- Solar Energy and Pollinator Benefits webinar recording from The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund
- Prairie Establishment & Maintenance Technical Guidance for Solar Projects guide from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- Partial shading by solar panels delays bloom, increases floral abundance during the late-season for pollinators in a dryland, agrivoltaic ecosystem
- Developing Utility-Scale Solar Power in Michigan at the Agriculture-Energy Nexus
- Virginia Pollinator Smart Program
- Solar Synergy: A pollinator-friendly program webinar recording from The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund