“April showers bring May flowers,” and flowers attract pollinators. Pollinators, such as birds, bees, butterflies, beetles, and bats, are responsible for the pollination of over eighty percent of the world’s flowering plants. These are highly integral creatures that need protection. Humans need to be Pollinator Protectors, and Earth Day is the perfect time to start. Plants and pollinators have a symbiotic relationship in that one cannot survive without the other. In turn, people cannot survive without both. Our job is to provide plants and habitats for the pollinators. Human involvement has become a critical part of the cycle as the loss of habitat increases.
There are many ways to be a Pollinator Protector, and you don’t have to have a green thumb to be one. Providing healthy habitats for plants and the creatures that feed upon them is simple. For starters, buy or construct wooden bee houses or consider incorporating plant species to host butterfly larvae. Native plants are less demanding in their care as they have adapted to the environment. Donate or volunteer at a community garden. Even avoiding the use of pesticides and only spraying in the evening when pollinators like bees and butterflies are less active qualifies you as a Pollinator Protector. This article offers even more ideas and information to get you started. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/simpletruthbrochure.pdf
Superman has his phone booth, and the rest of us have the outdoors to transform into superheroes. Protecting our pollinators is protecting ourselves and ensuring that diverse ecosystems remain intact. Natural adaptations occur in all living beings, but we are all part of the cycle of evolution. Remove one part, and the whole thing will unravel. Pollinator Protectors are just as crucial as the pollinators and their food sources.
