​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.

 

 

 

 

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.