Ann Arbor Service Center

About the Program 
Ann Arbor Service Center, located near the banks of the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has created a 200-square-foot native pollinator garden in a former grassy corner of their office building. They recognize the ecological and economic benefits of pollinators – bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, bats and more – and work to actively support their habitat through responsible land management and awareness.

Practices and Impacts

• In 2018, the team at Ann Arbor Service Center planted a 200-square-foot pollinator garden on a formerly turfed yard. The project consisted solely of native species that provide suitable habitat for pollinators, including mountain mint, lavender hyssop, common spiderwort, blue mistflower and prairie dropseed.
• The garden was updated in 2019 and is maintained by four employees on-site. Annually, team members spend 28 hours monitoring and managing the plantings.
• The team has plans for planting more shade-tolerant and water-tolerant species in the future to increase diversity. They also have plans to incorporate rocks into the landscaped area to better distribute water runoff and limit erosion.
• The pollinator garden project is in alignment with the Michigan Pollinators Initiative to address bee and other pollinator habitat in Michigan.