Photo: Sweat Bee with pollen, Judy Gallagher
Judy Gallagher
Pollinators are important to our daily lives. Without insects, around 80 percent of flowering plants would not be pollinated. Depending on the country, flowering plants make up 50 to 90 percent of people’s diets. Without food from flowering plants, many humans would likely starve. Obviously, we should support pollinators however we can.
Sweat Bee with pollen, Judy Gallagher
What does it take to provide a positive environment for insect pollinators? If you want to attract a specific insect, it's important to know its natural history. Is the insect attracted to flowers of a particular color or shape? Does the larval stage require a specific plant? For instance, Monarch butterflies require Milkweed for their larvae, but they can get nectar from many other flowers including Joe-Pye Weed, Black-eyed Susan, Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint, New York Ironweed and shrubs like Buttonbush. And while they're dining on nectar, they may be picking up pollen that will be transferred to another flower. Long tubular flowers attract insects with long tongues or proboscises, like Sphinx Moths. Native plants attract native insects.
Flowering plants can grow in both shady and sunny locations, but what kind of environment does your pollinator want? Some, like butterflies, like to bask in the sun and some of their favorite wildflowers grow best in full or partial sun with some protection from the wind.
The insect's first concern is finding a food supply. Having different flower sizes, shapes and colors, and varying plant heights and growth habits helps support a great number and diversity of pollinators. You'll have a larger pollinator population if you have a lot of flowers. And pollinators like to eat throughout the season, so you should try to have flowers that bloom at different times so that you have nectar and pollen from spring through fall.
Insect pollinators also need shelter and a place to nest. Insects that overwinter stay in protected places under soil, inside rotting logs, inside plant galls, in leaf litter and under rocks. Having leaf litter, woody debris and dead flower stems and stalks in your habitat helps them survive during cold weather.
Nesting requirements vary by species. Many ground nesting bees like bare, undisturbed patches of soil, preferably close to food plants. Some bees partition their nests with mud, so it helps to have a water source in or near your habitat. Other pollinators lay eggs on plants, in rotten wood, in crevices, or in hollow stems. If your habitat is diverse, you'll support more species.
Our Wildlife Sanctuary program can help you create a vibrant natural environment. More information is available here. You can request a visit by a Wildlife Sanctuary Ambassador, who will advise you on habitat.
Many pesticides, especially insecticides, but also fungicides and herbicides, are harmful to pollinators. Sometimes the pollinators are killed by pesticides, but even sub-lethal doses can affect their ability to navigate, and can compound the effects of other environmental threats. It is important that you don't buy plants that have been treated with pesticides.
Finally, we all need to spread the word about protecting pollinators. Our voices are necessary in discussions on agricultural policy, land use and conservation.
Catch up on past Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac articles here.