Happy Pollinator Week!
A pollinator is anything that helps carry pollen from the stamen (male part of the flower) to the stigma (female part of the same or another flower). This movement of pollen causes the plant to become fertilized so it can produce seeds, young plants, and fruits. While some plants are self-pollinating or fertilized by pollen being carried by wind or water, other plants are pollinated by insects and wildlife. This can include bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, birds, and small mammals, including bats.
What is all the buzz about? Pollinators help to provide resources essential to quality of life on earth including food, clean air, habitat, stable soils, and biodiversity. The hard work of pollinators yields all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Insects and animals pollinate at least 75 percent of all the flowering plants on earth! This amounts to more than 180,000 different types of plants and 1,200 food crops. Pollinators’ major role in crop production means they contribute to a healthy economy. People and pollinators are deeply connected!
Pollinators are threatened by climate change, habitat loss, non-native species, parasites, diseases, and pesticides. You can take action to help protect pollinators in your own backyard by providing them with healthy habitat as they help to sustain ours! Check out these resources to learn more: https://www.nps.gov/.../helping-in-our-own-backyards.htm and https://www.nps.gov/subjects/pollinators/index.htm
What do pollinators provide for you?
Original source can be found here.
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