Conservation Corner

Got Pollinators?

Fri, January 13, 2012

Why should private landowners across Illinois should support pollinators.

Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants rely on the help of pollinators to reproduce. Some scientists say one out of three bites of food can be attributed to animal pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats, beetles and other insects.

Pollinators provide crucial assistance to fruit, vegetable and seed crops as well as other plants that produce fiber, medicine and fuel.

But as you may know, our pollinators are in trouble worldwide. Habitat loss, disease, parasites and environmental contaminants have posed many challenges for pollinators.

But you can help – by providing pollinators with habitat. Here are a few ideas to accomplish that:

• Incorporate pollinator-friendly plants in your yard. Trees and shrubs like the dogwood, blueberry, cherry, plum, willow and poplar produce ample pollen or nectar in early spring when food is scarce.

• When the weather warms up, use a variety of flowers, mixing colors, shapes and scents. These different plans will attract a variety of pollinators.

• Reduce or stop spraying pesticide in your landscape. Rather, you can use plants that attract insects to control pests.

• Butterfly and moth larvae do damage plants. Do not poison these hungry caterpillars because one day they will be beautiful butterflies and moths.

• Provide a shallow water source for pollinators. This can be done by tossing a few rocks in a bird bath.

• Leave dead tree trunks in your landscape. Bees and beetles prefer wood nesting and these aging trunks make a perfect home.

Insects often get a bad reputation as being pests, but they play an integral role in sustaining our Earth. The honey bee is single handedly responsible for billions of dollars worth of American crops each year. Pollinators, like the honey bee, visit flowers in search for food (nectar or pollen). During the visit, a pollinator may accidentally brush against a flower’s reproductive parts, depositing pollen from a different flower. The plant uses the pollen to produce a fruit or seed.

For many plants, without the help of pollinators, they would be unable to reproduce.  Bees are the main pollinators, and North America is home to more than 4,000 species of bees. They nest underground, in twigs, in debris or in dead trees.

Butterflies seek nectar during the day time, and their nocturnal counterparts, moths, seek it at night.

Birds and bats also play an integral role in the pollination process. The most common avian pollinator is the hummingbird, which prefers brightly colored tubular flowers.

Thousands of beetles play an important role in the pollination process, and in fact, beetles compose 40 percent of the world’s insect population.

Other insects, like flies, also help pollinate plants. Actually, midges are the only known pollinators of cacao trees, which is what we use to produce chocolate.

Not all pollinators are birds—to learn more about other animals and crittrers who play a part in the Pollinator Puzzle in your community, visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/pollinators .

For more information on mulching and other Backyard Conservation practices, visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service online at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard  or call 1-.888.526.3227 (toll free) and press 2 for a free colorful Backyard Conservation booklet and tip sheets.

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