HABITAT FOR NATIVE
 POLLINATING INSECTS Initiating a Healthy Garden Food Web
Laura Rissolo LAND PEOPLE HABITAT LLC April 22, 2015
Megan McCarty
Washington Environmental Council Harwood Lecture Series
POTENTIAL All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.
MDF: Creative Commons
—Indian proverb
Pollinators play a crucial role in seed success/ development.
COEVOLUTION Adaptations between animals and flowering plants that results in interdependence—and variety. Plants evolve elaborate ways to attract pollinating insects and dispense pollen.
Susan Elliot
Insects evolve specialized body parts to access nectar and pollen.
Native plants for native pollinators.
INCLUSIVE HABITAT
Chris Harrison, Manahatta Project
Pollinator Food Web 96% of terrestrial birds rear young on insects Spiders, toads, frogs/ amphibians, lizards, bats, rodents, skunks, opossums, foxes, and black bear consume insects
When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe. —John Muir
LANDSCAPE REGENERATION Plant Reproduction 80% of all vascular plants on earth are pollinated by animals 20% pollinated by wind
Our landscapes depend on pollinators.
FOOD SECURITY Bees pollinate 75% of fruits, nuts, & vegetables $57 billion economic value Native pollinators are most effective pollinators of native crops
JoJan
•tomatoes •apples •pumpkins •cherries •blueberries •cranberries
People and wildlife depend on pollinators.
HONEY BEE RELIANCE Bees pollinate 75% of fruits, nuts, and vegetables
•$57 billion economic value
Significant threats to honey bees:
Charles J Sharp
•predatory mites, parasites, diseases •colony collapse •insecticides, neonictinoides
Wausberg
Honey bee diseases might be causing declines in native bee populations
Varroa Mites
Efforts to support native bees will also benefit honey bees.
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CONSERVATION
•HABITAT LOSS •development and industrial agriculture
•PESTICIDES/HERBICIDES •LOCAL EXTIRPATION
With the right plants, a 15’ x 15’ garden can support 150 monarchs in a single growing season.
Debivort: Creative Commons
How pollination works The process in which pollen is transferred between the reproductive parts of the same species Abiotic—wind, water Biotic—animal pollinator accounts for 80% of all pollination
Debivort: Creative Commons
How pollination works The flower is the reproductive body of the plant. It is an adaptation to attract it’s most effective pollinators. Anthers—male part supports the pollen grains Stigma—female structure that collects pollen for fertilization
Gary McDonald
Pollinators
Organisms that transport pollen grains from one plant to another Insects, bats, birds Adult stage of bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, ants
Plants receive the service of pollination & pollinators are rewarded with pollen and nectar
Pollen
& Nectar
Protein Amino acids Lipids Vitamins Minerals Carbohydrates Dietary fiber Starch
Sugars Amino acids Volatiles Alkaloids Phenols
Eaten by bees and beetles.
Matches the energy needs of pollinators.
Pollinator Evolution
Predates the radiation of flowering plants, known as Angiosperm.
Could insect evolution have been the primary force behind angiosperm radiation?
Flower form & structure Plant animal associations formed over millions of years Flower shape accommodates pollinators—
•Flowers for hovering insects are generally pendulous and have long styles and filaments
comenius.susqu.edu
•Flowers for bees and butterflies have landing platforms •Align with pollinator bodies to facilitate pollination •Deters pollen and nectar robbers
Bees 4000+ species of bees in North America, ~200 in CT
Don Loarie
Hairy bodies, deliberately gather pollen to bring back to nest Use flowers primarily for food— pollen and nectar Practice flower consistency Most important group of flower pollinators.
•may visit hundreds of flowers in a single foraging trip •most bees are nectar generalists
Travel from 100 ft. to a mile
Jason Gibbs
Bees Bee Flowers: •white, blue, yellow, brightly colored •strong UV patterns/spots or “nectar guides” •fragrant •have a landing surface •may have poricidal anthers for “buzz pollination” Long-tongued bees:
Use flowers primarily for food —pollen and nectar
•favor flowers with deep throats
Short-tongued bees include: •collect nectar from shallow florets
Wasps Minor pollinators •Many smooth bodied and do not collect pollen, incidental pollinators.
Pollen wasps, only family of wasps that collect pollen and nectar for young.
Judith Lopez Sikora
•Typically carnivores during larval stage
Short-tongued, utilize only shallow flowers
Butterflies Minor pollinators
Kevin Collins
David E. Hill
•long tongues—used for retrieving pollen— often allow them to bypass flower anthers
Larval stage development is host plant specific. Butterfly Flowers: •orange, red, pink, purple •tubular shape to match butterfly proboscis •flat-topped flower for landing •fragrant
Moths Jenn Forman
Important specialist pollinators
•Night blooming plants
10,000+ N. American species. Host specific caterpillars.
Cody Hough
Moth Flowers: •day moths visit flowers similar to bees (Hummingbird Clearwing) •nocturnal moths visit night-blooming flowers •yellow or white •fragrant •tubular with no landing (moths hover)
Flies Important pollinators for specific plants, frequent flower visitors Hairy bodies increase pollination Specialized Fly Flowers: •pale, dull, brown to purple in color •strong odor Canada ginger, Skunk cabbage, Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Food crops pollinated by flies: •strawberries, onions, carrots Michael Schmidt
Bee mimicry: •look like bees •pollinate Bee Flowers •sometimes parasites of bee larvae
Beetles Likely the first pollinators.
Gena Bentail
•“mess and soil” pollination, incidental pollination when eating plant/flower parts, mating, hunting
Not most effective, best on ancient flower types.
•beetles did not evolve to flower shape •important Magnolia water lily pollinators
Beetle Flowers:
•strong odor •easy access, clumsy fliers •radial or bowl shaped •reward is pollen or plant bodies
Birds Joe Schneid
Floral diversity helps to support a rich community of pollinators.
Hummingbirds are important pollinator of specific flowers. Hummingbird Flowers:
•red, orange, bright pink •no fragrance •long, tublular corolla with large amounts of nectar to provide for energy needs •larger pollen grains, sticky •no landing surface, feed while hovering
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LANDSCAPES
for
POLLINATORS
DESIGN PRINCIPLES for attracting POLLINATORS POLLEN & NECTAR sources from April through September Plant flowers in clumps/masses 3’+ Site nearest existing habitat patches Site in mostly open, sunny locations, edges Locate near or provide nesting sites, 100’<, include bunch grasses
PRINCIPLES
for managing POLLINATOR HABITAT Mow/burn only 1/3 of meadow habitats annually, different insects emerge at different times of year
Leave perennial plant material up through the winter Maintain open soil, 70% of native bees are ground nesters
Leave rotting wood and snags Avoid pesticides
Scot King
REDUNDANCY
Flowering plants have a guild of co-evolved pollinators to ensure pollination. Many pollinators can collect nectar from a variety of plants.
DIVERSITY builds stability & resilience
Pollinator diversity increases with plant diversity. Target: 20+ species Structural diversity to support healthy web of life.
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New Moon Nursery
BLOOM CALENDAR
bumble bee queens, mason bees, mining bees, and flies
Silk666 Creative Commons
Maksim Creative Commons
APRIL
Early forage critical to early emerging beesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;
Red maple, Witchhazel, Shadblow, Flowering currant, Pussywillow, Spicebush
bumble bee queens, mason bees, mining bees, and flies
Al_iNaturalist
APRIL
Early forage critical to early emerging bees—
SPRING EPHEMERALS: Twinleaf, Trout lily, Bloodroot, Skunk cabbage, Dutchman’s Breeches,Virginia Bluebells
FLIES, GNATS, MIDGES
LONGTONGUED BEES
BUTTERFLIES
FLIES, BEETLES
BlueRidgeKitties
BEES, BUTTERFLIES, BEETLES, FLIES
FLIES, BEETLES
BEES, HUMMINGBIRDS
Dan Mullen
Erin and Lance Willett
MAY
Flowering dogwood, Mayapple, Trillium, Pawpaw, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Golden groundsel, Dwarf crested iris
Dan Mullen George F Mayfield
D.Gordone.Robertson
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JUNE
Lupine, Foxglove beardtongue, Golden Alexanders, Spiderwort, Grey dogwood
Tall coreopsis, Summersweet, Butterfly weed, Gayfeathers, Purple coneflower
Sue Mcgaw
Raffi Kojian
Peter Gorman
JULY
Peter Gorman
Phillip Merritt
Rob Curtis
Illana S.
Illana S.
AUGUST
Joe Pye weed, Sneezeweed, Mountain mint, Winged sumac, Great blue lobelia
Prairie Moon Nursery SB Johnny Creative Commons
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Dan Mullen
KENPEI, Creative Commons
SEPTEMBER
Important late season forageâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; new queen bumble bees
Blue wood aster, False ageratum, Bottle gentian, Showy goldenrod, Ironweed
US Fish and Wildlife
H. Zell Wikimedia Commons
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OCTOBER
Witchhazel, Brown-eyed Susan, Aromatic aster
ADDITIONAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS • nesting requirements • larval food sources
IMPORTANT HOST PLANTS • 90% of insect herbivores are host plant specialists • specially evolved to break down plant phytochemicals
Larry Mead
• usually plant family specific • 12 species of lepidoptera reproduce on milkweed
NESTING SITES • 70% of native bees are ground nesters
bellouccello.wordpress.com
• Hollow stems of plants • Snags and fallen trees • Abandoned rodent nests, bunch grasses
CONSTRUCTED NESTING SHELTERS
Chris Beardshaw, Hampton Court Flower Show in 2008
dragonfli.co.uk
• Solitary bee habitats • Insect hotels • ground nesting bee boxes
Managed Native Bees Blue Orchard Bees —Osmia lignaria Effective pollinators for early spring blooming fruit trees 5/16” diameter 3-6” deep lined
•pollinate in cold and wet weather
Visit flowers nearest the nest
beesource.com
•<75 flowers in a single forage trip •~60,000 blossoms in her lifetime
Solitary bees that like to build nests near one another
Managed Native Insects Bumble Beesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bombus a queen, nesting box, and sugar water
pencilandleaf.blogspot
Used commercially to pollinate greenhouse tomatoes
Fliesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for carrot pollination
Bees &â&#x20AC;¨ Climate Change
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Researchers are finding that North American bees are adjusting their biological calendars to accommodate earlier bloom timesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;emerging 10 days earlier than in the 1800s.
INSECTS—“The Little Things That Run The World”
resources:
—E.O.Wilson
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Nurseries: Prairie Moon Nursery Prairie Nursery Ernst Conservation Seed Project Native Nasami Farm Nursery Earth Tones Native Plant Nursery Rainbow’s End Butterfly Farm For more information: The Xerces Society Doug Tallamy books Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve US Forest Service