FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what people ask us at plant sales, on the trail, and by email.
- What is Pollinate Happiness?
- Pollinate Happiness is a student-led environmental education and outreach project on Long Island, New York. Brothers Aidan and Ben Ellis design, build, and install planter benches filled with native pollinator plants in public places such as parks, libraries, and nature centers, so people can see native plants up close and learn why they matter.
- Where are the Pollinate Happiness planters?
- There are five installations: Wawapek Preserve in Cold Spring Harbor (June 2021), the Hicksville Public Library (October 2023), the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center in Oyster Bay (November 2024), the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor (fall 2025), and Syosset High School (September 2026), which Aidan coordinated and designed with the school's Environmental Club.
- Who started Pollinate Happiness?
- Aidan and Ben Ellis, students in the Syosset school district, started it after building a native pollinator garden at home. When Aidan was in 5th grade and Ben was in 6th, they won a Bethpage Federal Credit Union Difference Makers grant and installed the first bench at Wawapek Preserve in June 2021.
- Why native plants instead of regular garden flowers?
- Native plants co-evolved with local insects. Most caterpillars can only eat specific native plants, most native bees need native pollen, and the timing of native blooms matches when local pollinators are active. Hybrids and non-native ornamentals often offer less nectar, less pollen, or none at all, and some escape into wild areas and become invasive.
- What plants are in the planters?
- The core mix is purple coneflower, common milkweed, bee balm, goldenrod, and black-eyed Susan, all native to Long Island. The Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary planter has coastal plain Joe Pye weed, a compact goldenrod, and phlox. The Nassau County Museum of Art sensory planter mixes native little bluestem with fragrant and colorful plants chosen for touch, smell, sound, and sight.
- Is tropical milkweed bad for monarchs?
- On Long Island, yes, plant native milkweed instead. Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) does not die back on schedule, which can encourage monarchs to keep breeding instead of migrating and lets the parasite OE build up on the leaves. Common, swamp, and butterfly milkweed are native here and support monarchs without those problems.
- Does goldenrod cause allergies?
- No. Goldenrod pollen is heavy and sticky and is carried by insects, not wind. Ragweed, which blooms at the same time with small green flowers, releases the light windborne pollen that causes fall hay fever. Goldenrod just gets blamed because it is the one you can see.
- How can I support the project or sponsor a planter?
- Donate through our GoFundMe, or contact us about sponsoring a planter at a park, school, or library near you. Grants and private sponsorships pay for the steel, lumber, soil, and plants. Each installation costs roughly a few thousand dollars in materials.
- Can Pollinate Happiness install a planter at my school, library, or park?
- Possibly. We work with host sites on Long Island that can provide a sunny spot and basic watering the first season. Use the contact form with the location and a photo of the site and we will follow up.
- How do the zip code tools work?
- Our tools look up your zip code's coordinates and then query iNaturalist, a public database of community wildlife observations, for research-grade sightings within a chosen radius. Results show what monarchs, birds, pollinators, and invasive species people have actually documented near you. No account or app is needed.
- How do I start my own native pollinator garden on Long Island?
- Pick a sunny spot, remove the turf or invasive plants, and plant three or more each of a spring, summer, and fall bloomer plus one milkweed. Skip pesticides, mulch lightly with leaves, and leave the stems standing through winter. Our guide walks through each step, and our Native Plant Finder suggests species for your zone and conditions.
- What is the honeycomb design on the benches?
- The first bench was laser-cut with a honeycomb pattern and a bee tracing a dotted flight path, which became the Pollinate Happiness logo. Later planters use a dandelion going to seed, a nod to how native plants spread. Aidan and Ben cut, ground, polished, and stenciled the steel themselves.
Still curious? Read our guides or ask us directly.