The Rusty Patched Bumblebee, an important pollinator once common in the Midwest, is now on the endangered species list—and you can help save it. The Lyndale, Kingfield, and Tangletown neighborhood associations, with funding from the MN Board of Water and Soil Resources, are helping to rebuild pollinator habitat by creating a pathway of native plant gardens from Lake Street to Minnehaha Creek called the Nicollet Avenue Pollinator Pathway Project (P3).
In June 2023, project participants and volunteers planted native pollinator plants, including plants preferred by the Rusty Patched Bumblebee, in over 75 community and residential gardens across Tangletown, Kingfield and Lyndale neighborhoods.
Garden Tour – Sept. 11, 2025 (recap)
Three growing seasons ago, the South Nicollet neighborhoods of Lyndale, Kingfield, and Tangletown worked together to plant more than 50 native pollinator gardens at both residential and community sites. This Pollinator Pathway Project (P3) was designed to feed Minnesota’s Rusty Patched Bumble Bee and other native pollinators. Some of our P3 gardeners shared their experiences, including what worked and what didn’t, on the self-paced Pollinator Pathway Tour, September 11, from 6–7:30 PM.
Here are a few things gardeners shared:
- If you want a vigorous and native understory layer, eliminate mulching and plant wild strawberries.
- Wild geraniums and Canada anemones are consistently doing well. These slightly taller early bloomers spread easily, filling in visual holes in your garden.
- The hyssop is a favorite native plant. It thrives in P3 gardens, and adds interest with its licorice scent and towering height.
Resources to create your own pollinator garden:
- Preparing your garden and Pollinator Pathway Project Plant selections
- Plant templates for sunny and shady garden sites (slides 17–20)
Pollinator Pathway Project Community Site Designs Preview Event
Tangletown, Kingfield, and Lyndale Neighborhood Associations, the Nicollet Avenue Pollinator Pathway planning team, project participants, and neighbors gathered at Butter Bakery Cafe to preview the designs of our community garden sites. The event took place on November 17 at 5:30pm and large format prints of the designs remained displayed in Butter’s windows through the end of 2022.
September 29 Pollinator Pathway Kick off Event Recap
Over seventy neighbors attended the September 29th Pollinator Pathway Project (P3) Educational Forum at Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis. Learning about native plants and bees, they started their journey to build our pathway through Lyndale, Kingfield, and Tangletown neighborhoods for the Rusty Patched Bumblebee, a native bee whose habitat has been severely diminished and is on the Endangered Species list.
Program Overview provided by: Sarah Linnes-Robinson, Director of the Kingfield and Lyndale Neighborhood Associations and Andrea Siegel, Director of the Tangletown Neighborhood Association
Speakers included: Julie Weisenhorn, U of M Extension Educator and Horticulturist, Master Gardener, and master trainer of the Hennepin County Master Gardeners; Mary Mason, Hennepin County Master Gardener; and Kingfield resident Lisa Lewis, P3 Team Member and a Lyndale resident.
Event presentation resources:
Project Overview Slide deck: Intro Slides_ Creating pollinator habitat event
Presentation by Julie Weisenhorn, U of M Extension Educator and Horticulturist: Bee Habitat , ID, & Other Pollinator Information
Presentation by Master Gardener Mary Mason: P3 Pollinator Garden Plant Selections
This project is supported with funding provided by the the MN Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) through a grant from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources and the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (LCCMR and the ENTRF)
This project is funded by the MN Board of Water and Soil Resources (bwsr.state.mn.us) through grants they received from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (www.lccmr.mn.gov) and the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (www.legacy.mn.gov/environment-natural-resources-trust-fund), and also with financial support from your Kingfield, Lyndale, and Tangletown neighborhood associations.
