When we think of pollinators, most of us think of butterflies and bees which are of course pollinators. But pollinators are animals that visit blooming plants (flowers) to feed on the nectar and pollen and in doing so fertilize the plant. About 80% of plants rely on animal pollinators and that relationship is an essential part of a healthy functioning ecosystem. Pollinators allow plants to make seeds, berries, fruit, and nuts. Without pollinators, other animals would not have food to eat and the ecosystem would crash.
So what animals are pollinators? Bees, wasps, flies, mosquitoes, beetles, and bugs, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, bats, and a few ants even.
Bees are generally considered the most important and well known pollinator. They have co-evolved with plants to have certain adaptations like furry bodies. There are a ton of misconceptions about bees (we'll have to do another month just on bees!). The importance to the ecosystem is being delivered by the native bee not by the honeybee that we think of. Our native bees don't make honey or live in a hive with a queen. They are solitary bees that nest in the ground, other plants, dead wood, stems, etc. Bees evolved from wasps. Think of bees as vegetarian wasps. Wasps can be predatory or parasitic. Parasitic wasps are considered beneficial in our gardens and most importantly they don't sting the same as our native bees.
Not that I would encourage mosquitoes but a cool fun fact is that male mosquitoes only feed on flower nectar. And while I am also not a fan of flies, I did watch them pollinate my tomato plants in the house last summer.
We are all familiar with our many butterflies. But what about our moths? Butterflies actually evolved from moths! There are many more moths than butterflies making them possibly a more important pollinator. So be sure to add night-blooming plants to your garden. Speaking of nighttime pollinators, bats. Our local bats are not pollinators but insectivores. There are three in North America, with their habitat range being mostly in Mexico and Southern Arizona I believe.
And finally hummingbirds. Have you ever watched a hummingbird feed from the flower and noticed pollen on its face? This is another co-evolution. The hummingbird's beak goes deep into the tubular shaped flower so that its face is brushing against the flower picking up pollen. Now when they repeat this process at the next flower they are depositing the pollen.
These tiny insects, native bees, butterflies, etc are a group that can really benefit from what we plant. This is something the average person can do. Begin by planting a diverse range of colors and flower types. The more plants that are native to our region the better. Native plants capture the specialized relationships that plants and animals have developed over time. Have shallow water. Insects are tiny and can get caught in the surface tension of water. Give them rocks to stand on. Leave stems, and dead logs for nesting bees. And most importantly, remember all pesticides/herbicides will kill bees! Even the "good" organic ones. Be careful when and where you spray or better yet, don't spray at all. Most of us aren't going to save tigers or whales but what we choose to plant in our yards will have a huge impact on the pollinator population.