Native plants from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet crews nurture pollinators

FRANKFORT, Ky. – It’s National Pollinator Week.

As part of National Pollinator Week, observed June 17-23 this year, state highway officials celebrate Kentucky’s practice of nurturing a healthy environment.

Since 2015, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has seeded habitat sites, covering about 200 acres along interstates, parkways and other roads, according to a release by the Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

A multi-year effort by Team Kentucky, the nectar-rich flowers and native plants continue to support pollinators that are key to crop production in the Commonwealth.

“The cultivation of these pollinator plots is one of the many ways we strive to be good stewards of our highway network,” transportation secretary Jim Gray says. “The habitats we create will improve our ecosystem, help plants reproduce and ultimately build a better Kentucky.”

The release states the plants support birds, bees, butterflies and other creatures that drink nectar and feed off pollen, helping to maintain a stable food supply for humans and animals.

This year, officials say an additional pollinator habitat has been added to highway construction projects on I-69 in Western Kentucky and elsewhere.

Increasing plant diversity along roadways can also improve driver safety, according to officials. Studies have shown that vibrant wildflowers and plants of differing heights can increase driver alertness, which may reduce crashes, the release states. Deer-vehicle collisions can also be lessened by reducing freshly cut grass that deer enjoy eating.

To learn more about the cabinet’s ecology programs and access a map of some pollinator plots, click here.