Who are the pollinators in our area? Who are the native pollinators?

The most iconic pollinators are the bees, but we host several kinds of key bee species. Mason bees, leafcutter bees, polyester bees, carpenter bees and blue orchard bees all do their part to pollinate the many plants of our woods and gardens.

Plants get help from all sorts of insects, not just the bees! pollen is spread by butterflies, flies, beetles, moths and more!

The variety of insects is what allows many different plants to flourish. For example, where a bee has special hairs for collecting and spreading pollen from big, wide flowers, butterflies are better at collecting pollen from deep flowers, thanks to their long tongue which they use to sip nectar. Flies, on the other hand, will pick up pollen from shallow flowers that butterflies might skip over, as their tongues are much shorter.

Different pollinators also spread pollen to different types of plants, with flies and beetles prioritizing low plants, such as flowering root vegetables. A diverse ecosystem is a healthy ecosystem!

Information sourced from the Xerces Society at xerces.org and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies at vtecostudies.org.