Who Are Our Pollinators?
Bees
➡There are over 20,000 species of bees, with about 3,500 native to the North American continent.
➡ On a single foraging trip, a female bee can visit (and pollinate!) hundreds of flowers.
➡ Although we often think of them as social insects in hives, many species are solitary, living in ground nests or inside hollow stems.
➡About 1/3 of our crops are pollinated by bees--including apples, cranberries, pumpkins, and MANY more.
➡Bee populations are declining at a rapid rate. This is due to habitat loss, lack of food (aka native plants), pesticides, and intensive and monoculture farming.
➡A decline in the number of bees will result in smaller crops. Without intervention, it could result in a global food scarcity.
Birds
➡There are about 2,000 species of birds that pollinate, mostly wildflowers, but also some food crops such as bananas, papayas and more.
➡In North America, hummingbirds are the most well-known and most effective bird pollinators. Their speed means they can visit (and pollinate!) large numbers of plants quickly. There are several other species of pollinators, like orioles and honeyeaters.
➡Habitat loss is one cause of decline in global bird populations. However, they also suffer from pesticides and monoculture farming resulting in a lack of available food sources.
➡Declining bird populations lead to the loss of plants that provide food for other life in an ecosystem.
Butterflies & Moths
➡Butterflies are daytime pollinators. Moths are usually more active at night, so don’t get the credit they deserve. A recent study found that moths pollinated more plant species that bees or birds due to their fuzzy bellies.
➡As with bees, both are in decline, and must be protected. Studies about the effects of moth activity on food crops have only just started.
➡Butterflies are the proverbial “canaries in a coal mine” when it comes to environmental health. Because they are so delicate, a decline in their populations often acts as a warning that something is off-balance.
➡Both act as a much-needed food source for others in their ecosystem.
Bats
➡Over 500 food plants rely exclusively on bats for pollination, including some species of guava, mango, banana, and agave (tequila, anyone?).
➡Bats also pollinate many plants we use daily for fibers and medicines.
➡Timber and oil from Australian Eucalyptus forest are used all over the world. Without bats, these forests would not exist.
➡Bats are nocturnal, and use their keen sense of smell and echolocation to find the most fragrant flowers.
➡Like other pollinators, loss of breeding and feeding habitat, as well as disease, is to blame for their population decline.
Insects
➡There are over 200,000 species of animal pollinators. The vast majority of these are insects.
➡It’s not just bees! Beetles, flies, ants, wasps, and more are also important pollinators.
➡Insect pollinators are also in decline, and we desperately need them. Pesticides, aggressive, invasive species and habitat loss are just some of the reasons their populations aren’t growing.
➡If you like spices…thank an insect pollinator. Most spices depend on insects for pollination.
Mammals
➡We don’t always think of mammals as pollinators, because their pollination is the result of their foraging activities. As many species eat, the spread seeds and pollen.
➡Small mammals like chipmunks and squirrels disperse seeds and nuts, resulting in the creation of entire forests and plant systems.
➡Even large mammals can be pollinators. Bears spread the seeds of fruit they’ve eaten through “plop pollination.”
All of these pollinators depend on native plants for food, and create food by pollinating. This cycle is a wonderful example of the beautiful interconnection we all share. Do you want to help? Start by growing a native plant garden.