Creating bare ground increases presence of native pollinators in Kincaid's lupine seeding plots (Oregon)

Create patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees

Severns (2004) created 1 m2 plots of mostly bare ground whilst planting seeds of the endangered legume Kincaid's lupine Lupine sulphureus spp. kincaidii, in an upland prairie restoration project in Oregon, USA. The bare ground was colonised by an increasing number of nesting solitary bees, mostly of the common species Lasioglossum anhypops, over the following three years. Three years later, there were 320 nests over 30 plots.