Paxton Phillips' Pollinator Pathway

The Best Alliteration You Will Ever Read

Aug 29, 2023

I was thrilled to interview college student Paxton Phillips, who has developed multiple Pollinator Pathways-researched plantings to enable pollinators to feed and reproduce in extended areas — most recently at his school. Paxton is an immensely intelligent and motivated person, concerned about climate change, social justice, and inclusion; he is a joy; and I hope you will enjoy hearing about his path to environmental justice as much as I did in this interview.

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Andria: Paxton, hi! Tell us a little about yourself. What year are you in college, and what is your role with the Student Government Association?

Paxton: Thank you for talking with me about my Pollinator Pathway Project. And thank you for all of the great work you are doing to raise awareness about climate change with your Cool It newsletter. It is such an important issue. I am a rising sophomore and the 2026 Class Chair at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. I am majoring in Political Science and, in addition to Student Government Association (SGA), I am the President of the Wheaton Democrats Club, the Policy Coordinator of the Quincy Adams Society, a member of the Model UN Travel Team, a member of Farm House, a member of the Wheaton Radio Station, and a Mayfellow Scholar. When I am not in class or at a club meeting, some of my favorite hobbies involve reading history and political science books, writing analyses, recording podcasts, walking and playing with my dog, Rally, and doing my part to combat climate change

What I really strive to do in every aspect of my life is try to ensure that everyone feels seen and heard and that no one feels forgotten. My podcast episodes, from my Politics With Paxton podcast series to my Pop Culture Perspectives With Paxton podcast series, some of which are featured on the Wheaton Radio Station, all attempt to raise awareness about ideas and topics that are generally overlooked and ignored. My personal mission to empower marginalized voices influences my work in SGA. As Class Chair I implemented the Your School, Your Voice Initiative, through which students could submit ideas, concerns, or suggestions that they wanted their elected representatives to act upon. I hope to, through everything that I accomplished,

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uplift the voices of those who are all too often silenced and rendered unheard. This commitment extends to the environment. Through the Pollinator Pathway gardens that I have developed, I hope to raise awareness about climate change and advocate on behalf of the environment, which does not receive nearly enough attention.

Andria: That’s wonderful.

I understand that you originally planted a Pollinator Pathway at your own home before starting the even more ambitious project at Wheaton College. What sparked your first interest in pollinators and their preservation?

Paxton: My spark of inspiration for preserving pollinators came in the form of a call to action that was released in my local newspaper, the Barrington Times, back in 2021. In this newspaper, the Barrington Land Conservative Trust (BLCT) urged residents of my town to participate in an effort to help prevent pollinator species from going extinct. I answered this call to action by developing a Pollinator Pathway garden in my front yard. I planted 28 pollinator plants in total in my front yard Pollinator Pathway, including Swamp Milkweed, Joe Pye Weed, Black Eyed Susan, Boneset, Pale Purple Iris, Lamb’s Ear, New England Aster, Mountain Mint, Zizia, Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Packera, Gayfeather, Goldenrod, Blue Star, Smooth Beardtongue, Eupatorium Perfoliatum, Vernonia Noveboracensis, Mexican Mint “Little Adder”, Guara Whirling Butterflies, Garden Phlox Laura, Dwarf Garden Phlox, Yellow Moonshine, Salvia May Night Mainacht, Gaura “Belleza”, Dwarf Hummingbird, and Coreopsis Uptick. Developing this Pollinator Pathway garden in my front yard was a really exciting and rewarding experience and I became increasingly invested in it. I think the moment when I really felt so remarkably delighted and fulfilled by this Pollinator Pathway garden was when I witnessed a honeybee feeding on one of my pollinator plants for the first time. It was in that moment that I knew that I had done what I had long aspired to do; I had managed to make a difference. Witnessing the impact of the Pollinator Pathway Project in real time firsthand truly filled me with such joy as well as a passion to try to ensure that I could continue providing pollinator species like the bee before me with the tools and resources they needed to survive. Over the coming weeks, I continued to watch bees and butterflies land and feed on my pollinator plants in what was a very incredible process. I tried to capture these wonderful moments on video and post them on my Pollinators With Paxton Instagram account whenever I could. I was moved by how my Pollinator Pathway Project had truly worked and accomplished its goal and this Pollinator Pathway Project in my front yard remains active and vibrant to this day. The success of this Pollinator Pathway Project in my front yard served as the impetus for my role in advocating for and developing the Pollinator Pathway Project that I proposed and implemented as Class Chair, along with some of my fellow classmates and environmental activists, at Wheaton College.

Andria: This is one of the best things I have ever heard.

What do you think is important about protecting pollinators? I loved your quote on the Wheaton College Instagram: "At a time when too many people are neglecting the very environments that they live in, we believe that it is imperative to respect and protect nature in every possible way."

Paxton: Currently, many pollinator species are facing the possibility of extinction. As the United Nations “World Bee Day” entry on their website summarizes “Bees are under threat. Present species extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times higher than normal due to human impacts. Close to 35 percent of invertebrate pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, and about 17 percent of vertebrate pollinators, such as bats, face extinction globally.” By developing Pollinator Pathway gardens, I believe that we can play a role in trying to save pollinator species from going extinct. This is what motivated me to create pollinator gardens first in my front yard and then again on my college campus. I wanted to do my part to help diminish the peril pollinators face. Historically human beings have played a significant role in endangering and even eradicating so many species which is why I believe that we have a responsibility to try to remedy these mistakes and try to save pollinator species. I remember reading in Dinosaurs: A Visual Encyclopedia about the thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, which was a fascinating species that first came into existence two million years ago. Unfortunately, farmers believed that the thylacine were killing sheep so the Tasmanian government placed a bounty on the thylacine, rewarding anyone that killed one of them. Only one member of the thylacine species was alive by the 1930s, living in the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, dying there in 1936. The thylacine species was officially declared to be extinct in 1982. With that, a species with millions of years of history was tragically snuffed out of existence because of human activity. I really fear human beings are making this same mistake again with pollinators and hope we can reverse course. According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, in their article titled “The Risks of Pesticides to Pollinators”, many pesticides that human beings use harm pollinator species and “Pesticide contamination is wide-spread. More than 90% of pollen samples from bee hives in agricultural landscapes and more than 90% of stream samples are contaminated with more than one pesticide. It is critical that we work simultaneously to reduce use of pesticides and to minimize the risk of pesticides to pollinators where pesticides are used.” While most pollinator species are generally not being hunted in the same way that the thylacine species was, the ultimate deadly impact that human activity is having on pollinator species is disturbingly similar to the impact that human activity had on the now extinct thylacine species. The fact that species extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times higher than normal due to human activity is simply untenable. Considering the ways in which many human beings have endangered pollinator species, I believe that we have an obligation to try to reverse this damage as best as we can and ensure that these pollinator species do not end up going extinct like the thylacine species, along with so many other species, tragically did. I also believe that the risk of extinction that pollinator species face is a shared risk because the eradication of pollinators also threatens the continued existence of humanity. That is why each of these Pollinator Pathway gardens are so important. Collectively they create a pathway for pollinators to continue to pollinate and for us all to continue to exist. As I highlighted in my Pollinator Pathway Project proposal for Wheaton’s Student Government Association, the Bronxville Green Committee article titled “Pollinator Pathways” indicates that the benefits of developing a Pollinator Pathway Project extend beyond simply promoting the survival of pollinators, but also bestow benefits on humans as well since pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of 80-95% of all plant species on Earth and over 30% of the food that human beings generally consume. Not only do I believe that trying to save pollinator species from extinction is the ethical decision that we as human beings should choose to make purely for the sake of saving species from going extinct, I also believe that by saving pollinator species, we can protect ourselves in the process. If pollinator species were to go extinct, the ensuing ecological collapse would spell disaster for many other biological organisms and would pose a serious threat to humanity.

Andria: I’m really pleased that you mention bats, one of my favorite animals, whom many people do not know are pollinators.

Do you think there is a correlation between protecting pollinators and slowing climate change?

Paxton: I do believe that there is a correlation between protecting pollinators and slowing climate change. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the warm weather and low precipitation brought upon by climate change results in flowers producing less nectar in order to preserve energy. By extension, less nectar leads to pollinators getting fewer calories and less sugar, thereby negatively impacting their health and potential reproduction. Therefore, any efforts to slow climate change would also, in effect, be beneficial to efforts to protect pollinators. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that warmer temperatures induced by climate change can lead to plants blooming earlier than usual. Since not all pollinators can adapt to such an early blooming season, this can result in the food available to pollinator species being quite limited. The periods of drought that have been considerably exacerbated by climate change are also rather detrimental to pollinators. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that extreme rainfall, also exacerbated by climate change, a fact confirmed in an article I read from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, can have deleterious repercussions on the health and well-being of pollinator species since such rainfall can reduce the number of hours that pollinators can fly to gather floral resources. Likewise, an article I read from the National Park Service describes how climate change can increase the spread of invasive species such as the Purple Loosestrife. Since the Purple Loosestrife looks very similar to the Milkweed, a pollinator plant that I have planted in one of my own Pollinator Pathway gardens, Monarch butterflies sometimes mistake the Purple Loosestrife for the Milkweed and lay their eggs on it, culminating in the Monarch butterfly population ultimately being injured as a result. Thus, there are many ways in which working to combat climate change is beneficial in also protecting pollinator species. Some of the staunchest advocates of combatting climate change recognize that slowing climate change and defending pollinators are goals that can be accomplished in tandem with each other. This is why I was heartened to learn that Jay Inslee, the governor of the state of Washington who ran for president in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary on the platform of mitigating and slowing climate change, toured the WSU Bee Program to discuss the threats posed to pollinators and how to best address them. As is illustrated in an article from the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, as Governor, Inslee signed SB 5253 into law which followed the recommendations made by the Pollinator Task Force, clearly demonstrating his willingness as an environmentally conscious political figure to take action to support pollinator species. Inslee made a name for himself on the national stage for having arguably the most comprehensive plans to address climate change, with Greenpeace ranking Inslee as the best of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates on handling climate change. In fact, Inslee’s plans on climate change were so comprehensive that they will be the subject of one of my next podcasts, “What If Jay Inslee Was Elected President”, that I am currently developing. I believe that Inslee’s role in recognizing the importance of protecting pollinator species from the threat of extinction as well as working to slow climate change represents how protecting pollinators and slowing climate change are missions that are intertwined and deserve to be addressed in tandem with each other.

Andria: That’s really fascinating about the Purple Loosestrife. I had no idea it could damage the monarch population.

And it’s so good to have expert advice. When we first moved to Colorado, I immediately planted a ton of perennial milkweed because we’d had so many monarchs in San Diego. I mean, probably 30 or more caterpillars that pupated. It was so much fun! Those amazing pupae with the band of gold, which seems to have no purpose other than to be beautiful!

But, turns out, monarchs do not come through Colorado’s Rockies because the altitude is too high. So while planting the milkweed was not a waste, because other pollinators like it (such as painted ladies which make a huge migration through this region in spring and fall), I learned pretty quickly that I was not going to get monarchs out here. Now I plant violets for the fritillaries, dill and parsley for the swallowtails, and other plants like you have mentioned for pollinators that actually come through this region. We have 52 species of bees in Colorado alone, many of them tiny (“sweat bees”), but it makes me happy to think about them.

It’s really interesting that you mention the thylacine because that’s long been a bit of an obsession of mine. There are several songs about them on YouTube, interestingly. There’s also a rumor that one was caught on blurry footage in Tasmania some years ago. They are like Bigfoot now. There may be some left. I can only hope.

Moving on, back on topic :) : what motivated you to start the Pollinator Pathway at Wheaton? What has the response been, and did you have enthusiastic participants?

Paxton: My motivation to start and spearhead development on the Pollinator Pathway Project at Wheaton in large part stemmed from the success of the Pollinator Pathway garden that I developed in my front yard. Having witnessed firsthand the positive ramifications of that garden and how many pollinator species came to visit it and use it, I was really inspired to replicate this success at Wheaton by developing the Pollinator Pathway Project there. When I first ran for 2026 Class Chair at Wheaton last year, one of my campaign proposals was to create a Pollinator Pathway Project on campus. Throughout the first semester, I diligently worked on obtaining support and approval for this Pollinator Pathway Project and was pleased to receive so much support from my campus community. Wheaton alumna Katie Hone of The Monarch Gardener and pollinator plant expert was so supportive of my Pollinator Pathway Project and graciously donated the pollinator plants for this project for free. In addition, she helped us design a garden bed best suited for our pollinators and even traveled to campus in the Spring to help us plant. When I finalized my SGA proposal for the Pollinator Pathway Project and presented it before SGA for approval, it passed unanimously. All of this support speaks to a collective concern for pollinators and a willingness to take action on behalf of pollinators that I think is heartening. In the second semester of my first school year at Wheaton, the 2026 Class Council released a “Planting And Upkeep Team Sign-Up” Google Form that students could fill out if they were interested in getting involved to help develop the Pollinator Pathway Project. 36 students signed up, a number that I believe highlights the relatively strong appetite there is to protect pollinator species and slow climate change. I was very pleased and grateful that dozens of students were invested in trying to engage in greater environmental advocacy. The 2026 Class Council hosted several events so students could pitch in to help develop this garden. We hosted a Pollinator Pathway Project Painting Event in which students painted the raised garden beds. We also hosted a Soil Day in which students helped add soil to the garden bed. Both events were successful but most of all memorable. Working alongside my fellow students to create this ecologically friendly space was really serene and peaceful. Additionally, through the Pollinator Pathway Project Painting the Signs Event, in which students painted wooden signs to populate the garden, the 2026 Class Council was able to collaborate with another organization on campus, the ECCO House, a theme house on campus passionate about ecological engagement. This event marked the very first time in which the 2026 Class Council collaborated with another organization on Wheaton’s campus to co-host an event. What I believe is so powerful about this collaboration is what it demonstrates about us as human beings. Our shared purpose of protecting pollinator species from the threat of extinction and combatting climate change together created a sense of collaboration, unity, and partnership on Wheaton’s campus. I believe that this demonstrates that fighting for the protection of the environment is a cause that can unite people and bring them together. In these divided times, I believe that it is imperative to remember the power that environmental justice has to bring out the best in all of us. The support I received for the Pollinator Pathway Project confirms my belief that there are more people who believe in safeguarding the environment than there are not. After all, we all live on this planet. We all have a shared attachment to the Earth. If there is anything that unites us, surely it is the universal truth that we can all call the Earth our home. I hope that, through the Pollinator Pathway Project, we can remind ourselves of the importance of protecting our home. We can remind ourselves of the importance of protecting the Earth.

Andria: What advice would you give to someone starting a Pollinator Pathway; what steps did you take?

Paxton: For anyone interested in starting a Pollinator Pathway garden, I would advise you to reach out to professionals, as I did. There are very knowledgeable gardeners who own nurseries who I reached out to for the development of both of my Pollinator Pathway gardens. They advised me on pollinator selection, garden design, soil and compost choice, and watering patterns. The support and advice they provided to me for the implementation of these gardens was invaluable. So, if you are in the beginning stages of planning your own Pollinator Pathway garden, I would highly recommend contacting experienced professionals so that they may best guide and support you to attain success with your own garden. One important piece of advice they gave me was to use native pollinator plants, which are more beneficial for the environment and pollinators. Furthermore, I would recommend believing in yourself. Believe that you can make a difference. I was so astoundingly excited and grateful when I saw firsthand the impact that I had made in the lives of pollinators. So, if you ever have any doubts about whether you are having an impact, reassure yourself that your hard work will pay off in spades for pollinators.

Andria: Which plants would you recommend most for a Pollinator Pathway?

Paxton: All of the pollinator plants that I used in my Pollinator Pathway gardens are unique and beautiful in their own way. Most of all, pollinators love them. I would honestly recommend and endorse each and every one of them. The pollinator plants that I used for the Pollinator Pathway Project at Wheaton, that were graciously donated by Katie Hone of The Monarch Gardener, are Butterflyweed, Blazing Star, Larkspur, Little Bluestem Grass, Coreopsis, Spotted Bee Balm, Hyssop, Heart Leaf Golden Alexanders, and Blue Iobellia. The pollinator plants that I used for the Pollinator Pathway garden in my front yard are Swamp Milkweed, Joe Pye Weed, Black Eyed Susan, Boneset, Pale Purple Iris, Lamb’s Ear, New England Aster, Mountain Mint, Zizia, Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Packera, Gayfeather, Goldenrod, Blue Star, Smooth Beardtongue, Eupatorium Perfoliatum, Vernonia Noveboracensis, Mexican Mint “Little Adder”, Guara Whirling Butterflies, Garden Phlox Laura, Dwarf Garden Phlox, Yellow Moonshine, Salvia May Night Mainacht, Gaura “Belleza”, Dwarf Hummingbird, and Coreopsis Uptick.

Andria: You like the tickseeds, I see . :) (Coreopsis sounds better)
I also saw on Instagram that your dad has taken to expanding the household's Pollinator Pathway. :) Do you think people have been inspired by the project, and that there could be a ripple effect of some sort?

Paxton: I was very pleased and excited to witness my parents expanding my household’s Pollinator Pathway garden. [Well, your parents are pretty cool. -Ed.] My family has been very helpful and supportive in the development of both Pollinator Pathway gardens and I am immensely grateful for them. I really do hope that there is a ripple effect from these Pollinator Pathway gardens. I hope that when people pass by my Pollinator Pathway garden in my front yard and our Pollinator Pathway garden at Wheaton, they are inspired to plant their own. After all, I believe that the initial idea for the Pollinator Pathway Project was to inspire an environmental movement, with many Pollinator Pathway gardens being developed and, together, making a collective difference. If others were to be inspired by the Pollinator Pathway gardens that I have developed, that would truly fulfill the fundamental purpose that the Pollinator Pathway Project had at its inception. I believe in the power of these Pollinator Pathway gardens to inspire others to take action because I was initially inspired to create my first Pollinator Pathway garden by a call to action issued by the BLCT in my local newspaper. The impetus for my advocacy in protecting pollinators was because I was inspired by others who already were proactive in the protection of pollinators. I have learned over these past few years that the mission of the nationwide Pollinator Pathway Project movement, at its core, truly is communal and relies on us learning from each other and growing as a result. I enthusiastically invite those who have supported these Pollinator Pathway gardens and may have been inspired by the ones they have passed by in their own communities or the two that I developed, in my front yard and along side my fellow students at Wheaton, to join in this movement for environmental progress by developing your own Pollinator Pathway garden. One of the operative words in Pollinator Pathway Project is “Pathway.” A pathway is not truly completed with the creation of one garden. A pathway needs a series of gardens to truly be complete. If more people take up the cause of protecting pollinator species and fighting for their survival by working on their own Pollinator Pathway gardens, I truly believe that we can foster a sustainable rebound for pollinator species and save them from the brink of extinction. I dream of a future in which an interlocking Pollinator Pathway Project sweeps the United States, and potentially the world, and pollinator species are abundant everywhere and live healthy lives. So, to anyone interested in the Pollinator Pathway Project movement, I strongly implore you to join me in making this vision a reality.

Andria: How would you say the experience has been for you, overall?

Paxton: This experience has been very positive for me overall. I am really drawn to the words of United States President Jimmy Carter in the 1977 Environment Message to Congress; “Americans long thought that nature could take care of itself--or that if it did not, the consequences were someone else's problem. As we know now, that assumption was wrong; none of us is a stranger to environmental problems.” Developing these Pollinator Pathway gardens has been a very potent reminder of this message and why we must all take action to protect our planet.

Andria: Paxton, you are wonderful and an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your path to raising awareness about the need for pollinators and nature in our lives. Your parents and professors must be very proud. I know I am proud, and haven’t even earned it. Thank you for what you have done and continue to do.

Thank you to everyone who reads Cool It! I am so impressed by all of you and your dedication to preserving the natural beauty that we have been given. Let’s give Paxton some love and congratulate him on his immense efforts to help the planet. You are all wonderful, and all put together, we can make a huge difference. Thank you for reading!

Yours with Cool It!,

Andria

Here are a few nature-friendly recipes for you, should you feel so inclined!: