pollinators tagged posts

Thanks to the University of Maryland/Maryland Grows this informative article on beetle pollinators.

As we mentioned in previous posts, when we think about pollinators, we tend to think of butterflies and bees. However, we rarely consider the super-important hoverflies or other groups of organisms. In today’s post, I want to tell you about another of those little-known pollinator groups. Let’s talk about beetles that act as pollinators!

Beetles: “hard-shelled” pollinators

From a taxonomic perspective, beetles are a group of insects that belong to the Order Coleoptera. Among other important characteristics, they are recognized by their extremely well-protected body, in particular by structures called “elytra...

Thanks to the University of Maryland/Maryland Grows this informative article on local ecotype plants.

With the planting season upon us, many of us are starting to think about what flowers may be the best for our gardens and pollinators. We may have started to look into floral mixes or even flower starts. Probably there are too many choices and now we’re overwhelmed and don’t know what to do. In previous posts, we talked about the importance of diverse floral choices. Native species are appropriate when choosing plants for pollinators. There is, however, an extra twist that is becoming more mainstream in this story. Today I want to talk about it. Let’s chat about local ecotypes. What they are. What they contribute. And, how to get them (and how to not get them).

What are local ...

Thanks to the University of Maryland/Maryland Grows this informative article on helping pollinators.

Spring is almost almost here, and if you’re like me, you have already started visualizing what flowers will grow where and what pollinators you’ll need to keep an eye out for. Unlike in other posts, where we talked about how to help pollinators in large spaces, today we’ll talk about how to help them in very small yards, balconies, porches, or other small spaces.

Small yards

If you have access to a small yard, plenty of opportunities are available! Of course, you will not be able to plant lots of large plants, but that doesn’t mean you cannot p...

Thanks to the University of Maryland / Maryland Grows this informative article on how pollinators feed us.

You may have heard that pollinators are suffering. We need to support them so they can continue to stay around us. You may also have heard that as humans, we need pollinators. If we lose them, we also will lose our ability to feed ourselves. How is this so? In this blog post, I want to take some time to think about the importance of this. We will visit two examples of foods very familiar to us: apples and strawberries. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will be sending loving thoughts to pollinators every time you take a bite of these delicious fruits.

Do apple trees need pollinators?

Like for all fruits, apples form after the fertilization of the ovules present in...