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. Meet the Pollinators

7. William R. Radke, USFWS

8. Bill Buchanan, USFWS

9. Mark Vandever, USGS

10. Dolores Savignano, USFWS

11. USDA-ARS

12. Stephen Ausmus, USDA-ARS

13. Mark Vandever, USGS

14. Dolores Savignano, USFWS

15. Jack Dykinga, USDA-ARS

16. Bob Peterson, CC BY 2.0

17. USGS

18. Andrew Horton, USFWS

19. Brett Billings, USFWS

20. Ryan Hagerty, USFWS

21. Tom Koerner, USFWS CC BY 2.0

22. Dolores Savignano/USFWS

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

24. Alicia Langton, USFWS

25. Dolores Savignano, USFWS

26. John Katz and Joe Silveria, USFWS

27. NPS

28. 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

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

30. 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

31. 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

32. Monarch Butterfly Conservation Shauna Marquardt, USFWS

33. Monarch Migration and Breeding

34. Monarch Butterfly Conservation AnnMarie Krmpotich, USFWS

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

36. 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