The Nesting Habitat Badge provides you with the opportunity to report ways in which you provide nesting habitat(s) for pollinators in your garden, yard, or habitat. 

Nesting habitats, such as bare ground, logs or piles of brush on the ground, standing dead trees, and plants with pithy stems, are needed for various kinds of pollinators to complete their life cycles. For more information, visit our webpage on providing nesting habitat.

You will receive a digital Nesting Habitat Badge, and the badge will be added to your location on the Tompkins Pollinator Pathway map, if you have taken at least two of the following actions:

• Providing bare patches of ground with exposed soil

• Leaving logs, brush piles, or other wood on the ground

• Leaving standing dead trees (snags)

• Providing species with pithy stems (e.g. elderberry, blackberry, or raspberry)

If you are providing at least two of the habitat elements mentioned above, complete the Nesting Habitat form and you can receive a digital Nesting Habitat Badge!

The Overwintering Habitat Badge provides you with the opportunity to report ways in which you provide overwintering habitat(s) for pollinators in your garden, yard, or habitat.

Overwintering habitat is needed for various kinds of pollinators, such as butterflies and bees, to successfully survive the winter and become active again in the spring. For more information, visit our webpage on providing overwintering habitat.

You will receive a digital Overwintering Badge, and the badge will be added to your location on the Tompkins Pollinator Pathway map, if you have taken at least two of the following actions:

• Leaving leaves over the winter (until at least mid-April)

• Leaving plant stems standing (until at least mid-April)

• Leaving logs, brush piles, or other wood on the ground (until at least mid-April)

If you are providing at least two of the habitat elements mentioned above, complete the Overwintering Habitat form and you can receive a digital Overwintering Habitat Badge!

The Bloom Color Variation Badge provides you with the opportunity to report the variety of bloom colors in your garden, yard, or habitat.

Flower color variation is important for attracting and nourishing different species of pollinators. For more information, visit our webpage on the importance of bloom color variation for pollinators.

You will receive a digital Bloom Color Variation Badge, and the badge will be added to your location on the Tompkins Pollinator Pathway map, if you have at least five of the following bloom colors in your garden, yard, or habitat: White, Pink, Purple, Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, and Violet.

If you have at least five of the colors listed above, complete the Bloom Color Variation form and you can receive a digital Bloom Color Variation Badge!

The Multi-Season Badge provides you 
with the opportunity to report the seasons in which plants bloom in your garden, yard, or habitat. 

Having a continuous sequence of blooms throughout the year can provide pollinators with food and nesting habitat all year. For more information, visit our webpage on the importance of having plants bloom throughout the year.

You will receive a digital Multi-Season Badge, and the badge will be added to your location on the Tompkins Pollinator Pathway map, for each season in which plants bloom in your garden, yard, or habitat:

• Spring (March to May)

• Summer (June to August)

• Autumn (September to November)

If you have flowers blooming in one or more of the seasons listed above, complete the Multi-Season form and you can receive a digital Multi-Season Badge!

The Monarch Habitat Badge provides you with the opportunity to report ways in which you provide habitat(s) for monarch butterflies in your garden, yard, or habitat.

Monarchs are an important species of pollinator, and their populations are declining. Providing this butterfly with habitat(s) is critical for its conservation. Visit our website to learn more about the importance of providing habitat(s) for monarch butterflies.

You will receive a digital Monarch Habitat Badge, and the badge will be added to your location on the Tompkins Pollinator Pathway map, if you have taken both of the following actions:

• Planting or maintaining native milkweeds, which serve as host plants for monarch caterpillars

• Providing native pollinator plants that bloom in late summer/early fall, to provide nectar as food for adult monarchs

If you are providing both of the habitat elements mentioned above, complete the Monarch Habitat form and you can receive a digital Monarch Habitat Badge!

The Native Plant Protection Badge provides you with the opportunity to report ways in which you protect native plants in your garden, yard, or habitat.

Native plants are important for providing food and nesting habitat for native pollinators in the area. Planting natives that benefit pollinators was a great first step, but sometimes these plants need our help to survive. This can mean protecting your plants from deer browsing, or removing invasive species that might outcompete and replace them. Visit our website to learn more about the importance of native plants for pollinator health.

You will receive a digital Native Plant Protection Badge, and the badge will be added to your location on the Tompkins Pollinator Pathway map, if you have taken at least two of the following actions:

• Protecting native plants from deer browsing (with fence, tree tubes, etc.)

• Monitoring for or removing invasive plant species

• Monitoring for or removing invasive pests (insect or disease)

If you are providing at least two of the habitat elements mentioned above, complete the Native Plant Protection form and you can receive a digital Native Plant Protection badge!