By Ronald E. Carrington

Creating an environmentally friendly pollinator garden filled with native Virginia plants to attract birds, bees and insects was on the minds, and in the hands, of Dominion Energy employees earlier this week.

For two days, on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17, the employees voluntarily helped install hundreds of native plant species that adapt to Richmond’s climate to support the state’s food supply.

In addition to providing a new outside experience that will expand the museum’s educational opportunities, the garden will be a plant source and habitat for animals, said museum officials.

Throughout the growing season, the 2,000-square-foot garden will contain 550 flowers, shrubs, grasses, herbs and trees. When the garden is in bloom, birds, bees and insects that are attracted to the area will help pollinate crops and trees that produce fruits, vegetables and herbs sold at farmer’s markets and grocery stores.

Animal pollinators — such as bees, moths, hummingbirds, ants, butterflies, wasps, beetles and flies — are an essential link in agriculture, according to museum officials, who estimate that about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on pollinators to reproduce.

Changes to landscapes, the reduction of green space and the desire for debris-free yards has decreased nesting sites and food sources for pollinators. A decline in bird, insect and especially bee populations also has created devastating voids in ecosystems, and put billions of dollars worth of agricultural products at risk. Bee-pollinated commodities alone account for $20 billion in annual U.S. agricultural production.

In addition to expanding environmentally focused experiences, the museum hopes to encourage guests to explore pollination gardens at home.

“People can easily grow native plants in their yard in full sun to shaded areas, and enjoy not only their flowers and foliage, but also the variety of insect and bird pollinators that they will attract,” said Dr. Eugene Maurakis, lead scientist at the museum.

“The Pollinator Garden is a great way to introduce school groups and museum guests to the important roles that pollinators play in the balance of nature,” said Dr. Maurakis. “It is also an effective way to engage the youth and other visitors in citizen science projects,” to make people aware of the variety of Richmond-area pollinators.

In addition to the 20 Dominion employee volunteers who planted the garden, the utility company provided $25,000 to support the installation of the garden, which was completed in two days.