It’s National Pollinator Week! What’s the buzz?
The summer solstice arrives on June 20 this week, marking the turn in the seasons, and soon the buzz of insect wings will fill the air. Many of those insects will benefit the flowering plants around them, helping them grow and mature through the process of pollination.
Pollinators serve a critical function in our ecosystems, often acting as keystone species, which means they support a large variety of other species through their natural function. According to Pollinators.org, these essential creatures are the “unsung heroes” behind the food we enjoy and the natural beauty that surrounds us.
Many pollinators are generalists, visiting all manner of plants for nectar and pollen, while some, like monarch butterflies, specialize in one plant (milkweed). But there’s more to pollinators than first meets the eye, and more species take part in this natural process than you might think. During National Pollinator Week, let’s look at a few.
Bees and butterflies
Bumblebees are some of the best pollinators in nature, their soft, fuzzy bodies perfect for “buzz pollination.” They're often the first bees active after winter, and the last ones buzzing around in fall. Unfortunately, many species of bumblebee are federally endangered.
Mason bees are excellent pollinators, giving a boost to fruit trees, berries and flowers. This solitary species nests in hollow stems, with the female creating as many egg chambers as she can before the end of her life cycle. In the process, she visits an enormous quantity of flowers, bringing back pollen and nectar for her brood to feast on when they emerge from their cells. Gentle and nonaggressive, these bees rarely sting.
Monarch butterflies are one of the most recognizable butterfly species, making their summer home here in Michigan. Monarchs rely solely on varieties of milkweed to host their young and provide much-needed food sources. Due to a loss of habitat, the eastern North American monarch population has declined by 90% in the last two decades according to the Center for Biological Diversity, prompting an increase in conservation efforts. You can log your monarch observations with Journey North and learn how to make a monarch waystation to support population recovery.
Much like the monarch relies on milkweed, the tiny (and federally endangered) Karner blue butterfly hosts only on wild or sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis). Karner butterflies and lupines are found only in oak barrens, pine barrens, dry sand prairies and other open areas with sandy soil. These habitats are some of the rarest natural systems in the world, having slowly declined and degraded since European colonization and settlement.
Michtell’s satyr is one of the world’s rarest butterflies and can be found only in Michigan and Indiana. The biggest threat to their continued survival is habitat loss and modification. Satyrs need a special kind of wetland habitat found in prairie fens, many of which have been altered or drained for agriculture or development, unintentionally paving the way for invasive species in those areas.
Birds
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird found in the eastern United States. Hummingbirds are especially good pollinators of long, tubular flowers; their slim, lengthy tongues reach the tasty nectar and, in the process, coat their faces in pollen, which they bring to the next flower.
Flies and wasps
Humans might find them annoying, but flies and wasps serve a vital ecological function. Besides being food for other species, they are also important pollinators.
Two-winged insects like flies, bee mimics and yes, even mosquitoes, are pollinators. While not as effective as other insects, they pollinate plants others can’t. Some plant species have evolved alongside flies, and instead of producing nectar they put out a scent like rotting meat. As flies are natural decomposers, they find the scent of flowers like red trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, skunk cabbage and more irresistible.
Wasps, too, are vital pollinators. In addition to acting as decomposers and prey species, wasps have miniscule hairs on their bodies, carrying pollen from plant to plant as they search for nectar. Due to their high energy needs, wasps visit a large volume of pollen-producing plants, ensuring hearty pollination.
While any loud, buzzing insect can be frightening, most won’t sting without reason, so avoid nests and don’t swat at them if you can help it.
Wind
One of the biggest pollinators is the force of nature itself. Species that rely solely on wind pollination are usually small and inconspicuous, don’t produce nectar and don’t release a scent to attract animal pollinators. Their pollen grains are released into the air, where they’re carried to other plants by the wind.
Wind can also scatter seeds, helping beneficial plants like milkweed, but also can disperse harmful pesticides and air pollutants, which can seriously harm insect populations.
Pollinators come in a variety of shapes, sizes and species, and many are facing challenges. Learning more about them and taking steps to help address those challenges are key to aiding these valuable species.
