What defines a “weed”?

As Cassandra Hill, a Climate Change Associate at CIER, has discovered, so-called “weeds” often serve as vital resources for pollinators. After recently completing a Pollinator Steward Certification training program by Pollinator Partnership, Cassandra has a deeper understanding of the value of certain plants—even the ones that may be viewed as nuisances.

While certain plants may spring to mind as unwanted intruders in our carefully tended gardens, the definition of a “weed” is complex. Plants vary significantly by region, culture, historical context, and agricultural practices. What one community considers a troublesome weed might be viewed as a valuable medicinal plant or cultural resource by another.

Dandelions, for example, are commonly considered weeds. Yet, for some Indigenous communities, dandelions are known to have culinary and medicinal value.

Beyond weeds, Cassandra learned about the diversity of pollinators, beyond the familiar honey bee and monarch butterfly. Specialized beetles, flies, birds, and even bats each contribute uniquely to both wild and agricultural ecosystems, each having evolved distinct characteristics and behaviours that make them perfectly suited for pollinating specific types of flowers and crops.

This intricate, delicate web of plant-pollinator relationships sustains biodiversity and ensures successful agricultural production. Pollinators are necessary to grow one-third of the food we eat, highlighting their fundamental importance to human food security. Their collective contribution to ecosystem maintenance demonstrates the complexity and interdependence of natural systems, where each species plays a vital role in the greater ecological network.

The course also provided strategies for creating and maintaining pollinator habitats across different scales: How to develop year-round flowering gardens that maximize the blooming period throughout multiple seasons, increasing the amount of time gardens are in bloom and attracting different species of pollinators throughout their active periods.

The program emphasized the importance of selecting region-appropriate native plants for various spaces, from small balcony gardens to extensive municipal projects and agricultural lands, ensuring that each habitat creation effort is properly adapted to local conditions and native pollinator needs.

The benefits of a simple native plant garden are numerous, and may help local species—especially pollinators—thrive in otherwise challenging areas. This knowledge is especially crucial today, as climate change and increasing urbanization continuously threaten existing pollinator habitats and bloom times.

The course also provided extensive training to recognize different pollinator species while teaching participants how to help protect pollinators through participation in community science tools and monitoring programs, contributing to broader conservation efforts that span local to national scales.

For more information about pollinators, visit: https://www.pollinator.org/