At my local park they cut the grass and it’s kind of horrible. Especially on the hill where there isn’t really a point. I’ve established a “pollinator sanctuary” I thought that would look better on the sign than “ant sanctuary”
The birds also seem to like it. I want to plant some wildflowers that are native to NYC in the fall. Has anyone in the region done anything like this? Bonus if they are flowers that ants enjoy.
This is the south bronx they don’t do much for the park, the mowing isn’t that great. The ants really start to thrive when they mows less (and the bees and others too)
I found some rotting logs that were being thrown away and added them as ant and bee housing.
That looks nice, but did you get official permission for it, or just sneak a sign in and hope the maintenance crew doesn’t catch on that this “sanctuary” was declared by a random member of the public?
As far as flowers to plant for ants, you could look up native species with elaiosomes.
I would also prioritize the most showy and tidy-looking native flowers, whether or not they are directly beneficial to ants, and avoid planting anything that gets too tall or becomes scraggly-looking after blooming. If you can make the area look beautiful to the average person, it is less likely to get mowed.
I talked to the guys who mow the grass and they said it was fine. I normally go to the park to clean up trash, but it always makes me sad how dead it is after they cut all the grass.
