{"id":2030,"date":"2016-07-20T17:37:24","date_gmt":"2016-07-21T00:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/?p=2030"},"modified":"2023-03-30T09:48:08","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T16:48:08","slug":"beyond-bees-the-underappreciated-pollinators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/?p=2030","title":{"rendered":"Beyond Bees: The Underappreciated Pollinators"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Common
\nThe majority of flowering plants evolved to take advantage of insects<\/strong>, and depend on them (and less commonly, other animals or wind) to fertilize their flowers, facilitate gene flow, and prevent inbreeding. Bees might be the most obvious pollinators, and on a warm summer day it seems flowers and bees were made for each other. Native bees, including the 90% of species native to the U.S. that are solitary rather than social \u2014 that is, females create nests and raise their young without the help of any other bees \u2014 are considered to be the most important pollinators (move over, European honeybees!) and are invaluable members of natural systems. But other capable pollinators\u2014like butterflies and moths, hummingbirds, wasps, ants, herbivorous fruit bats, and even rodents\u2014share the pollen distribution workload<\/a>, and offer ecological benefits as well. Less well known are the thrips, beetles, mosquitoes (yes, you read that right), and flies that are actually quite accomplished pollinators. Distributing pollen may be a sideline for them, but they often excel because they don\u2019t take pollen back to their nests, as most bees do.<\/p>\n

Thrips<\/strong> go way<\/em> back\u2014to the Permian period, over 250 million years ago\u2014but get a bad rap because of a few species that threaten crops. Studies<\/a> show that they are strong pollinators of some plants, particularly early in the season when most other pollinators aren\u2019t around.<\/p>\n

\"The

The adult ornate checkered beetle (Trichomes oranatus<\/em>) feeds on flowers such as wild buckwheat (Eriogonum<\/em> sp.) and helps transfer pollen from anther to stigma.<\/p><\/div>\n

Beetles<\/strong> are particularly important in semi-arid parts of the world and have a highly developed sense of smell. They are expert and essential pollinators, according to the Forest Service<\/a>, and also were around millions of years before bees appeared. Like many species of birds, bees, and butterflies, beetles are in danger of extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature<\/a> lists over 70 beetle species as endangered. The main threats include habitat destruction, chemical pollutants (e.g., pesticides), displacement by introduced species, and hybridization with other species due to human interference.<\/p>\n

Although many flies<\/strong> (order Diptera) are recorded as flower visitors, relatively little is known about pollination by flies, compared to other more obvious pollinators. Many flies are strong pollinators, including syrphid flies (which deserve their very own special post<\/a>) as well as some tachinid flies, which are the most diverse family of the order Diptera (true flies). As adults, they are flower visitors, feeding on nectar and\/or pollen; in their larval stages many species help to control insects that we consider pests.<\/p>\n

\"Suillia

Pollination by insects is usually mutually beneficial. Here, a fly (Suillia variegata<\/em>) attracted to bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax) receives a pollen reward and the flower gets fertilized.<\/p><\/div>\n

While I\u2019m not advocating the nurture of mosquitoes<\/strong> in your garden (the females do suck blood and can carry disease, after all!), it\u2019s noteworthy that mosquitoes, like all insects, do have a role in natural systems. Their primary source of food is flower nectar (with males eating nothing but nectar) and they buzzily and incidentally carry pollen from flower to flower. Plants like goldenrod (Solidago<\/em> spp.) use mosquitoes as pollinators, as do orchids of northern latitudes, grasses, and many other types of plants. And they are a source of food for birds, fish, amphibians, spiders, bats, dragonfly larvae, and other animals.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
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How you can help a variety of pollinators<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Within our increasingly fragmented landscapes, gardens that provide pollen and nectar-rich plants\u2014as well as nesting and overwintering sites\u2014can create critical habitat and connections for pollinators and other creatures. No space is too small, and when in close proximity to other larger gardens, natural areas, or greenways that sustain native plant populations appropriate to the region, their value deepens.<\/p>\n

\u25ca Choose natives<\/strong> that occur naturally in your area, or at the very least heirloom ornamentals (rather than newer hybrids that may not provide sufficient or appropriate nutrients that native species do). Some garden herbs like cilantro, parsley, and dill attract some pollinators when allowed to flower.<\/p>\n

\u25ca Avoid nonnative invasive species<\/strong> like \u201cbutterfly bush\u201d (Buddleia <\/em>davidii<\/i>) that sound good, but aren’t.<\/p>\n

\u25ca Provide structure and layering<\/strong> in the form of native trees and shrubs that provide food, cover and nesting sites for various pollinators.<\/p>\n

\"Syrphid

Syrphid fly (Eumerus<\/em> sp.) on Sedum spathulifolium<\/em>, a west coast native.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25ca Plan for continuous flowering<\/strong>, spring through fall. Early spring<\/a> nectar is particularly important for early-emerging queen bumble bees and other solitary bees, as well as flies and beetles.<\/p>\n

\u25ca Choose a variety of plants<\/strong> that differ in the size, shape, and color of blossoms to attract a variety of pollinators. Arrange perennials in drifts or swaths of at least three of a kind, rather than singly here and there. And don’t forget that trees and shrubs produce flowers!<\/p>\n

\u25ca Stay away from pesticides and other chemicals. <\/strong>Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and synthetic fertilizers are particularly harmful to sensitive pollinators. Don\u2019t purchase plants pre-treated with neonicotinoids; if you\u2019re unsure, ask.<\/p>\n

\u25ca Don\u2019t be too neat.<\/strong> Leaf litter<\/a>, dead wood<\/a> (tree snags or piles of branches), and other natural detritus provide essential habitat, nesting materials, and overwintering sites for adult pollinators or their eggs, larvae, or pupae. And allow some bare soil for pollinators that nest in the ground.<\/p>\n

\u25ca Grow lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) host plants<\/strong> that provide food and habitat for their young. Find out which species frequent your area and grow the native plants that they need to breed.<\/p>\n

\u25ca Provide shallow water and some moist soil.<\/strong> A shallow pie plate or flowerpot saucer, filled with clean gravel or small rocks allow insects to drink without drowning. Also, butterflies and moths need muddy or sandy puddles to obtain water and nutrients. Add a dash of salt to be sure male Lepidoptera get enough sodium prior to mating.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please see this post<\/a> for more detailed info on supporting pollinators in all their life stages.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Eileen M. Stark 2016<\/a><\/p>\n

To leave a comment, click on post’s title<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The majority of flowering plants evolved to take advantage of insects, and depend on them (and less commonly, other animals or wind) to fertilize their flowers, facilitate gene flow, and prevent inbreeding. Bees might be the most obvious pollinators, and on a warm summer day it seems flowers and bees were made for each other. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[93,94],"tags":[326,107,95,255,260,330,329,106,373,136,327,219,186,189,181,328,250],"class_list":["post-2030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-functional-gardening","category-wildlife","tag-beetles","tag-beneficial-insects","tag-biodiversity","tag-butterflies","tag-functional-gardening","tag-flower-fly","tag-flowering-plants","tag-hover-fly","tag-mosquitoes","tag-northwest-native-plants","tag-pollination","tag-pollinator-garden","tag-pollinator-plants","tag-pollinators","tag-syrphid-flies","tag-thrips","tag-wildlife-garden"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p69uLV-wK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2030"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5833,"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030\/revisions\/5833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}