The Birds and the Bees and… The Beetles! Why We Should Care About Pollinators?

1. John Sarvis, USFWS The Birds and the Bees and…The Beetles!Why We Should Care About Pollinators? Christopher Gezon, NPS Joanna Gilkeson, USFWS This presentation adapted from slides prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

2. What is Pollination?

3. Animal Pollinators USFWS • Birds • Bats • Insects • Bees • Butterflies & Moths • Flies • Beetles • Wasps USFWS Dean E. Biggins, USFWS Rick Hansen, USFWS USDA-ARS

4. Importance of Pollinators • More than 75% of flowering plants depend on animal pollinators • In U.S., over 100 crop plants depend on animal pollinators (value >$15 Billion) • Most natural ecosystems would collapse without animal pollinators • Some plants are endangered because of diminished pollination • Chocolate depends on pollinators!!

5. What Makes a Good Pollinator? • Highly mobile • Pollen can attach to it (hairs, scales, feathers) • Adapted to feeding on flowers/nectar/pollen • May have specialized feeding structures • Visits a limited number of plant species Mark Vandever, USGS

6. Bees Are Especially Good Pollinators • Actively collect & transport pollen for feeding young • Have hairy bodies and legs with special branched hairs that help to transport pollen • Generally visit multiple flowers of the same species during a pollen collecting trip – helps to move pollen where it is needed More than 4,000 species of native bees in North America

7. Meet the Pollinators

8. William R. Radke, USFWS

9. Bill Buchanan, USFWS

10. Mark Vandever, USGS

11. Dolores Savignano, USFWS

12. USDA-ARS

13. Stephen Ausmus, USDA-ARS

14. Mark Vandever, USGS

15. Dolores Savignano, USFWS

16. Jack Dykinga, USDA-ARS

17. Bob Peterson, CC BY 2.0

18. USGS

19. Andrew Horton, USFWS

20. Brett Billings, USFWS

21. Ryan Hagerty, USFWS

22. Tom Koerner, USFWS CC BY 2.0

23. Dolores Savignano/USFWS

24. Modified hind wing: “haltere” Flies, Diptera = “Two Wings” Dolores Savignano, USFWS

25. Alicia Langton, USFWS

26. Dolores Savignano, USFWS

27. John Katz and Joe Silveria, USFWS

28. NPS

29. Pollinator Conservationwhat do pollinators need? • Food • Nectar • Pollen • Larval food source • Nesting Sites • Ground nesting • Cavity nesting • Overwintering Sites Rick Hansen, USWS Brett Billings, USFWS

30. Pollinator ConservationPollinators in Decline • Habitat loss, fragmentation • Invasive species • Pesticides • Diseases • Parasites Tamara Smith, USFWS Christopher Gezon, NPS

31. What You Can Do • Plant a garden • Put up bee nesting boxes • Provide overwintering habitat • Limit pesticide use Nell Baldacchino, USFWS A homemade bee nesting block

32. Pollinator Gardens • Choose plants that flower at different times of the year • Plant in clumps rather than single plants • Provide variety of colors and shapes • Choose native plants whenever possible • They attract native pollinators • Can be better sources of nectar and pollen • Can be a food source for caterpillars

33. Monarch Butterfly Conservation Shauna Marquardt, USFWS

34. Monarch Migration and Breeding

35. Monarch Butterfly Conservation AnnMarie Krmpotich, USFWS

36. Pollinator Conservation for All! Monarch conservation helps other wildlife! Debbie Koenigs, USFWS Rick Hansen, USFWS Doreen Van Ryswyk, USFWS Joanna Gilkeson, USFWS

37. Thanks to: • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for photos and factual materials for this presentation. • Final content was determined by your presenter and all opinions expressed were those of your presenter. Alicia Lafever, NPS