Michigan State University Transforms Property to Support Pollinators

Photo by SHVETS production

Michigan State University is converting 30 acres of campus turf into pollinator-friendly gardens and meadows to support insects and reduce maintenance costs and labor.

EAST LANSING, Michigan – Michigan State University (MSU) is transforming 30 acres of campus land into pollinator-friendly habitat, including gardens, meadows and clover fields.

The Department of Entomology and Infrastructure Planning and Facilities at MSU collaborated to expand insect- and pollinator-friendly habitat while reducing landscape maintenance demands. Pollinator gardens use native plants to provide nectar, pollen and host resources for beneficial insects. Pollinator meadows are areas where mowing is halted so native grasses and plants can grow, offering habitat through a more passive approach.

The project began when Joshua Ridner,

MSU landscape services coordinator, and Meghan Milbrath, MSU Entomology apiculture professor, connected through the Campus Landscape Stewardship Committee. Together they developed a plan to use campus land more strategically to support pollinators and reduce the workload for facilities staff, who maintain 290 acres weekly.

“Turning areas that had been maintained turf grass into meadows made a lot of sense operationally. After the first-year investment into seeds and plants the annual maintenance cost reduces significantly,” Ridner said. “We have a lean crew, so reducing mowed areas lets us stretch the workforce further throughout other day to day tasks.”

Milbrath said the project reflects a core message she shares in her outreach. “One of the messages that we focus on is to do what you can where you can, so that you evaluate the landscape and see where you can add pollinator plants, if it is a tree choice, the addition of a pollinator lawn or garden,” she said. “The reason this project is so exciting is that it shows that in some places pollinator plantings are more cost efficient than lawn maintenance.”

Altogether, these efforts have converted 22 acres of previously mowed turf into pollinator-supportive gardens and meadow habitat. Pollinator plantings were added along Service Road, on the north side of the Business College, at Bailey Deck in the Brody Complex, and east of Conrad Hall.

Installation required “planting days” with staff and volunteers,

using native seed mixes with 32 varieties and 26 additional varieties planted as plugs. To identify no-mow zones, Ridner and Milbrath reviewed campus maps to select industrial areas with low foot traffic. “When starting a project like this I wanted to ease into trying to gauge reaction from campus customers, so far this has been positive,” Ridner said.

Reducing mowing from 26 times a year to once annually has significantly lowered labor hours, even after accounting for installation work. The shift also provides ecological benefits by supporting local pollinators and reducing emissions from mowers and landscaping equipment.

With the success of the initial phase, Ridner plans to finish seeding the remaining 16 acres of the original meadow project and add eight new acres of clover plantings in the solar lots.

Learn more about pollinator planting from MSU here.