This Earth Day, there are a lot of small things each of us can do around the yard to create a better environment.

From planting just one tree, to committing to use less water to keep shrubs and flowers hydrated as the summer heats up, the adage that the little things make a big difference holds very true.

Maine has a unique ecosystem as far as the zone-hardy crops and plants that rely on honeybees, bumblebees and native bees for pollination, as the state is included in both the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Oceanic Province and the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province.

According to a guide produced by the Pollinator Partnership and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, parts of Maine and the other states included in the the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Oceanic Province are Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island and parts of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia.

The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province includes the states of Michigan, Mississippi, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as parts of Maine, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

The crops raised in the Laurentian region include apples, cucumbers, soybeans, squash and asparagus; while the crops in the Eastern Broadleaf region include alfalfa, clover, apples, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, cucumbers, pears, pumpkins, soybeans, squash, tomatoes and watermelons.

But that's not to say those are the only crops being grown in Maine, both commercially and in backyard gardens. There are also myriad trees, flowers and other plants that also rely on any number of bee species and other insects, like butterflies, moths, beetles and flies, and also hummingbirds, for pollination.

As for what you can do this weekend, to recognize Earth Day, April 22, first and foremost: get outside. Walk. Breath. Kick off your shoes and dig your toes in the sand of a beach or on top of some newly sprouting grass. Then, do something for your yard, or to sit on your porch rail if you don’t have a yard.

With the major focus on all species of bees and their importance to our food supplies, there are lots of plants to focus on adding to your landscape, your home, your life.

Bees are fond of bright white, yellow, blue and purple flowers with nectar and pleasant fragrances. They are in search of pollen to bring back to their colony, to feed growing brood. They also collect nectar to bring back to their hive, whether it’s a man-made box or a hollow tree, which they turn into honey through the addition of stomach enzymes and a reduction in water content.

In March, the first trees and shrubs to bloom are maple, serviceberry and willow, with willow blooming through June. In April, sassafras, eastern redbud, bearberry, common hackberry and blueberry come into bloom. Blueberries stay in bloom through July.

Elderberry, wild roses and New Jersey tea begin to bloom in May, with sourwood coming into bloom in June, followed by buttonbush and dwarf sumac in July. For honeybee keepers, sumac is one of the last flowering plants that provide food for winter stores, and it only blooms through September.

As for perennial flowers, the dandelion is the first "flower" to appear on any Maine lawn, but it's an important food source for hungry overwintered bees so let those weeds stay put.

As for flowers you want to plant and cultivate, the early bloomers, in April, include the lupine, sundial lupine, cranesbills, phlox, wild sweet William and wild columbine. In May, the false blue indigo, common milkweed, milkweed, butterfly weed, blackberry and raspberry come into bloom, followed by purple cornflower, swamp milkweed, black cohosh, fairy candles, sunflower, black-eyed susan, goldenrod and sneezeweed in June.

Goldenrod, a member of the aster flower, is also a late bloomer and is one of the last things beekeepers will see their "girls" bringing back to the hive in the fall, as late as October.

Other late and long bloomers include the aster, white turtlehead, bee-balm, wild bergamot, horsemint, Joe-Pye weed, boneset, throughwort, blazing star and cardinal flower.

Plants that are favored by and accessible to hummingbirds, due to their flower shape, include wild columbine, swamp milkweed, butterfly weed, milkweed, blazing star, native lilies, cardinal flower, bee-balm, wild bergamot, horsemint, sage and woodland pinkroot.

In the vine family, hummingbirds like the red and orange-red flowers of the crossvine, trumpet vine or creeper, and the trumpet honeysuckle. Bees also like the trumpet vine or creeper, which blooms from July to September.

Now that you know what kind of trees, shrubs and flowers those pollinators like, how about planting some herbs and a pot of tomatoes for yourself and your family?

Herbs favored by bees and other pollinators: boarage, catmint, chives (allow them to flower), hyssop, lavender, comfrey, sage, thyme, marjoram, mint, lemon balm, fennel, angelica, wild bermamot, woundworts, betony, myrtle and rosemary.

And if you've got the space and the gusto, now is the time to build a basic raised bed (maybe repurpose some free pallets from EBS?) and plant a little more to go in your garden salad.

Keep the weeds down in your gardens and beds by placing a layer of newspaper between the ground and your compost or fresh planting soil. And use less water by snaking a soaker hose around your plantings, utilize the shade to your advantage and choose plants that don't require a lot of water.

And don't forget to create a home compost bin, which not only provides a place to recycle your carrot tops, onion skins, tea bags and coffee grounds, grass clippings and leaves... the result will be some luscious dark compost to mix in with your next indoor or outdoor planting project.

Related link:

• EarthDay.org

Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com and 207-706-6655.