Park update: From 7am – 3:30pm on Monday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 19, the High Line will be partially closed between 23rd and 30th Streets due to construction. Visitors can enter and exit at the 23rd Street stair/elevator and the 30th/10th Street stair. The entrances from Hudson Yards, the Connector, and the Spur remain open.

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Bees on the
High Line

Bees are an important part of the High Line ecosystem with more than 30 species living in or around the park. Here are a few species you might spot along the park:

Bees are an important part of the High Line ecosystem with more than 30 species living in or around the park. Here are a few species you might spot along the park:

A close inspection of the foliage of Lilafee barrenwort (found on the High Line between 25th and 27th streets) might reveal tiny circles cut into some of the leaf edges. This type of damage seems almost too perfect to be the work of an insect, but it is indeed the characteristic mark of leafcutter bees (Megachile rotundata).

Leafcutter bees are small native bees that are important plant pollinators. They’re non-aggressive, solitary bees that use small pieces of leaves to line and cap their nests, producing only aesthetic damage to the plants. Our gardeners delight in seeing notched leaves as an indication of a healthy population of native pollinators.

In the wild, many plants depend on animals for pollination and seed dispersal. The shapes of flowers often reflect the pollinators that visit them. For example, shooting stars (found on the High Line at 10th Avenue Square) rely on bumblebees to perform “buzz pollination.”

To shake out the pollen, bees cling to the downward pointing tips of the flower and vibrate against it at a certain frequency. Because of their unique shape, shooting star flowers can only be fertilized through “buzz pollination” by large bee species like the bumblebee.

Bumblebees are one of the most recognizable garden visitors, and North America is home to 40 different species. But just like other bees, these vital pollinators are under threat. In 2017 the rusty patched bumblebee was listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—the first time in the United States that a bumblebee species has been added to the list.

During our Spring Cutback each year, High Line gardeners and volunteers prepare the planting beds for the growing season by removing dried plant material from the previous year. Some selected plant species are intentionally left uncut—keeping their dried stems in the plant bed helps protect pollinators that may be nesting inside.

Solitary bees like the masked bee build nests by sealing pollen along with their eggs into plant stems. Some of these bees are so minuscule that they nest in plant stems no wider than a plastic coffee stirrer! While the dried stalks of purple prairie clover (located on the High Line at the 23rd Street Lawn and Seating Steps between 22nd and 23rd streets) might look a little out of place among the fresh new growth of spring, we believe this is a small price to pay in order to preserve bee habitat.

You can protect High Line pollinators

It’s important to raise awareness for all the species endangered by climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, and more—and that includes bees!

On the High Line, bees and other pollinators are our essential partners in keeping our plants healthy. But many of the species that visit or live on the High Line (including those above) are threatened by disease, pesticides, mold, and habitat loss.

When you make a donation today, you’ll help our gardeners ensure these creatures find a safe haven on the High Line. You’ll support our pollinator-friendly gardening practices, help us to install bee houses and watering spots along the park, and much more.

Make a donation

Photo credits: Ayinde ListhropSteven Severinghaus | Friends of the High Line | Jaco Visser/Shutterstock.com

 

Support

Special thanks to our Presenting Green Sponsor TD Bank for their generous support of the park’s horticulture and sustainability practices.

Whole Foods Market Manhattan West is a Supporting Sponsor of the High Line’s native pollinator initiatives.

Additional support for Horticulture on the High Line is provided by the Greenacre Foundation.

A close inspection of the foliage of Lilafee barrenwort (found on the High Line between 25th and 27th streets) might reveal tiny circles cut into some of the leaf edges. This type of damage seems almost too perfect to be the work of an insect, but it is indeed the characteristic mark of leafcutter bees (Megachile rotundata).

Leafcutter bees are small native bees that are important plant pollinators. They’re non-aggressive, solitary bees that use small pieces of leaves to line and cap their nests, producing only aesthetic damage to the plants. Our gardeners delight in seeing notched leaves as an indication of a healthy population of native pollinators.

In the wild, many plants depend on animals for pollination and seed dispersal. The shapes of flowers often reflect the pollinators that visit them. For example, shooting stars (found on the High Line at 10th Avenue Square) rely on bumblebees to perform “buzz pollination.”

To shake out the pollen, bees cling to the downward pointing tips of the flower and vibrate against it at a certain frequency. Because of their unique shape, shooting star flowers can only be fertilized through “buzz pollination” by large bee species like the bumblebee.

Bumblebees are one of the most recognizable garden visitors, and North America is home to 40 different species. But just like other bees, these vital pollinators are under threat. In 2017 the rusty patched bumblebee was listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—the first time in the United States that a bumblebee species has been added to the list.

During our Spring Cutback each year, High Line gardeners and volunteers prepare the planting beds for the growing season by removing dried plant material from the previous year. Some selected plant species are intentionally left uncut—keeping their dried stems in the plant bed helps protect pollinators that may be nesting inside.

Solitary bees like the masked bee build nests by sealing pollen along with their eggs into plant stems. Some of these bees are so minuscule that they nest in plant stems no wider than a plastic coffee stirrer! While the dried stalks of purple prairie clover (located on the High Line at the 23rd Street Lawn and Seating Steps between 22nd and 23rd streets) might look a little out of place among the fresh new growth of spring, we believe this is a small price to pay in order to preserve bee habitat.

You can protect High Line pollinators

It’s important to raise awareness for all the species endangered by climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, and more—and that includes bees!

On the High Line, bees and other pollinators are our essential partners in keeping our plants healthy. But many of the species that visit or live on the High Line (including those above) are threatened by disease, pesticides, mold, and habitat loss.

When you make a donation today, you’ll help our gardeners ensure these creatures find a safe haven on the High Line. You’ll support our pollinator-friendly gardening practices, help us to install bee houses and watering spots along the park, and much more.

Make a donation

Photo credits: Ayinde ListhropSteven Severinghaus | Friends of the High Line | Jaco Visser/Shutterstock.com

 

Support

Special thanks to our Presenting Green Sponsor TD Bank for their generous support of the park’s horticulture and sustainability practices.

Whole Foods Market Manhattan West is a Supporting Sponsor of the High Line’s native pollinator initiatives.

Additional support for Horticulture on the High Line is provided by the Greenacre Foundation.