Are you feeling a little overwhelmed by the state of the world at this moment? Concerned about our environment but not sure where to start to have a positive impact? Many of us currently share that feeling and the desire to take purposeful action. The goal of this series, Just One Thing, is to focus on one relatively simple way to take action that will make a difference. And we know that small acts can lead to real change.
We need pollinators. Pollinators need us
Pollinators are essential to our survival and to the health of our ecosystem. But who are they? The list includes birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, mosquitos, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and, of course, the bees. They will visit flowers to drink nectar or feed on pollen, and transport pollen grains on their bodies as they move around. When the pollen grains they carry move from the male part of a flower (the anther, at the top of the stamen) to the female part (the stigma), pollination occurs.
Pollinators are at the heart of this ingenious process. The flowering plants they pollinate provide us with many gifts as they mature: fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, fibers, and raw materials like wood. The plants’ root systems prevent soil erosion, and the carbon they capture helps ease rising global temperatures. Such a vital role for these remarkable beings.
Why do pollinators matter?
Pollination is often hit or miss in nature and in our gardens. Though some plants can be self- or wind-pollinated, at least 75 per cent of all flowering plants on earth need help with pollination. They NEED pollinators.
Pollinator Partnership, a highly respected research and conservation group, sums it up this way: “Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops. That means that one out of every three bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators … In addition to the food that we eat, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife.”
Pollinators are hugely important to both our local and the global economy, and essential for the well-being of life on our planet.
The struggle is real
As you may know, this is a critical time for pollinator populations. Many are in sharp decline as their feeding and nesting habitats are lost to human activity. Pollinator Partnership lists other factors such as pollution, overuse and misuse of chemicals, disease, and changes in climate patterns as contributing to shrinking and shifting pollinator populations.
But wait! This could all end well.
Scientists and researchers have been studying pollinators and their challenges for decades. We now have proof that conservation and restoration efforts work. The data clearly indicates that if we all – concerned citizens, homeowners, municipal and provincial governments, national governments, and private businesses – choose to make the effort, we could change the future for both pollinators and ourselves.
So, here’s just one thing we all can do to make a positive difference today: create habitat for local pollinators by planting local native plants, shrubs, and/or trees. Even the smallest container garden or flower bed will help.
Research shows that local native pollinators prefer local native plants. Why is that? Our local pollinators have evolved over eons to adapt to our local native plants. Their mouth parts and body shapes are optimized to feed on and pollinate these plants. Some pollinators are pollen generalists and can visit and be nourished by a variety of plants.
Many pollinators, however, like 25 per cent of our native bees and some moths and butterflies, are pollen specialists. They evolved to feed and in some cases reproduce on a specific host plant. To sustain our native pollinator populations and reverse the decline, we need to plant the native plants that will nurture them.
Gardens with native plants will attract and sustain pollinators. To provide a constant pollinator buffet, we can offer them a selection of native plants that will bloom throughout the growing season. Seek out resource lists of native plants that bloom in spring, summer, or fall to continually attract and nourish pollinators.
Against the odds, pollinators seem to adapt to suburban and even to city life. They will show up whenever native-plant gardens, public areas, or roadside plantings are available. We need towns and neighborhoods full of native plants, shrubs and trees.
If we support pollinators, they will come and they will thrive! Plant native plants in pots, on roadsides, farms, schools, home gardens, business properties, and public spaces. It really will have a positive impact for all of us. You can find out more about pollinators and native plants from the Ormstown chapter of the David Suzuki Foundation Butterflyway by contacting members at ormstownbutterflyway@gmail.com. And please help spread the word about the importance of pollinators.