Buzz. Bzzzzz. Buzz!
Don’t worry. I’m not going crazy.
I’m just making a few celebratory sounds in honor of pollinators worldwide.
We are, after all, in the middle of Pollinator Week 2009.
Oh yeah? Who you callin’ pollinators?
Pollinators are all kinds of animals that help move pollen by rummaging in, on or near flowers.
The most well-known pollinator is the honey bee, but there are many others. Most of them are insects, like bumblebees, mason bees and sweat bees or different types of flies, beetles, moths and butterflies.
Not all of them are insects, though. Also deserving some credit are various birds, bats and furry animals that make a habit of frolicking in flowery meadows.
So why are we celebrating these pollinators?
By moving pollen between flowers of the same species, pollinators help ensure that the flowers can produce fertile seeds and fruit. Without proper pollination, the seeds produced won’t germinate and fruit prospects will be dismal, to say the least.
Although some plants will self-pollinate, pollinators and their rummaging are crucial for no less than one third of our food and drink supply. Fibers and various medicines are also derived from plants that are popular among pollinators. And so are more than half of the fats and oils used in diets worldwide.
Ok, but do we really need a whole week dedicated to them?
Yes. Pollinators are in trouble – some are extinct already, many endangered.
And this is – perhaps unsurprisingly – mainly a problem created by humans. Pesticides, the spread of disease through global trade and the steadily shrinking land area available for their habitats are all taking their toll on pollinators’ survival chances.
So, I certainly think a week dedicated to raising awareness of the problem and proposing solutions is in order.
That latter part – encouraging solutions – is what I’ll give a shot in my next post. As always, my focus will be on stuff individuals, families and other small groups can do.
In the meantime, you might want to help out by signing the Gotham City Honey Co-Op’s petition to legalize beekeeping in New York City.
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This post was tagged with: animal diseases, beetles, bumble bees, butterflies, fertile seeds, flowery meadows, food, germinate, habitats, honey bees, mason bees, moths, pesticides, pollination, pollinators, survival chances, sweat bees
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What a wonderful post! I didn’t know about this celebrated week, thank you for bringing it to our attention!
Another problem that comes with the shrinking of their area is the man-made seperation in their pollinating routes as well. With new developments, open fields are now little meadows that are seperated by miles of urban sprawl. They have to go further and risk more dangers that way.
The article I wrote on attracting beneficial insects could also be applied to pollinators. A great variety of flowers and plants in your garden or yard could offer a safe haven for these hard working little creatures!
@Yanic: Thanks
That’s a good point you bring up. The more flowers and other plants we manage to inject in between our houses and paved surfaces, the better the conditions will be for pollinators and other insects.