GARDEN
Think bees are pests? These insects have an important job.
WHO’S POLLINATING YOUR GARDEN?
By S. MICHAL BENNETT Photography By JOEL RINER
D id you know there are around 4,000 species of native bees in North America in addition to honeybees? There are bumblebees, Mason bees, leafcutter bees, squash bees, mining bees… to name a few. Of those, over 600 pollinate the Inland Northwest and often do it better than a honeybee. But bees aren’t the only creatures that provide pollination. Butterflies, wasps, beetles, bats, flies, moths, hummingbirds and even bats and small mammals pollinate flowering and fruiting plants everywhere. The whispering wind is also a pollinator! And, with a little effort, gardeners can hand pollinate their own garden plants. >> The Priority of Pollination First, let’s define pollination. The transfer of pollen to a stigma, ovule, flower or plant to allow fertilization.
A fertilized flower then transforms into a fruit that bears seeds that will grow new plants that flower. You can identify a pollinating plant by the presence of pollen in conjunction with a flower. Pollinators transfer pollen from flower to flower as well as shake it into the ovule or stigma within the flower. And then, some plants – peanuts, peas, orchids – supplement pollination by self- pollinating. Their flowers fold back on themselves at night, knocking pollen into the heart of the flower. Over 180,000 varied plant species and around 1,200 food crops require pollination to reproduce. These include berries, vegetables, gourds, melons, coffee, herbs, nuts, chocolate, conifer trees and much more. This means that one out of every three bites of your food is dependent on pollination to show up on your
plate. That’s a lot of food! Pollen and plant nectar are also food for bees and beetles, providing nutrient and protein. Look closely at a fluttering bee during the height of summer and you’ll see their back legs encased in bright yellow pollen leg warmers! >> The Bees With all the information over the past decade about saving the bees most of us are pretty familiar with what a honeybee looks like. But have you ever seen an orange-belted bumblebee? Or followed a mason bee back to its burrowed nest? Or watched a leafcutter bee harvest greenery for its eggs? Some bees are even green or their stripes appear eerily similar to a wasp’s. With 4,000… and one… to observe, it might be difficult to differentiate some bees from flies, pests or other flying insects.
26 NSPIREMAGAZINE.COM
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