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Pollinators 101: What are pollinators and why do they matter?

By: Claire Yu

Reviewed by: Rebecca Newbold

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In an ideal garden, buzzing bumblebees and fluttering butterflies would be found almost everywhere. These insects are some of the many types of pollinators, which are essential contributors to our agricultural economies and food supply by providing plants with pollen, acting similar to angelic messengers. But their populations have declined over the years. So where have the pollinators gone? 


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What are pollinators?

Pollinators are responsible for bringing us one of every three bites of food and help plants reproduce (1). This is done through an interaction where pollinating animals travel between plants, carrying pollen that allows for a transfer of genetic material important to the reproductive systems of most flowering plants. Flowering plants, such as sunflowers, rely on vectors to move pollen. These could be wind, water, insects, butterflies, bats, and other animals. Pollinators visit flowers seeking nourishment, shelter, and nest-building materials (2). Some collect pollen on purpose while others bring it along by accident.


Examples of pollinators

Pollinators come in different forms. Some prominent examples are insects like ants, bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, moths, and wasps (3). Other mammals, such as bats and birds, are also pollinators. During the pollination process, pollen from a plant’s anthers (the male part) rubs or drops onto a pollinator (10). The pollinator then brings this pollen to another plant, where the pollen sticks to the stigma (the female part). The fertilized plant then yields fruit and seeds. There are also quite a few unusual animal pollinators on our planet, such as black and white ruffed lemurs in Madagascar, which are the main pollinators of traveler’s trees (4). This lemur uses its nimble hands to pull open flower bracts, sticks its long snout and tongue through flowers, and is given the award of the world’s largest pollinator! Another category of unusual pollinators are reptiles, including the Noronha skink found in Brazil, which crawls inside the flowers of the leguminous mulungu tree.

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Why are pollinators important?

Pollinators are vital for numerous aspects of our world, including food supply and agriculture. About 80% of all flowering plants and over 75% of the staple crops that feed humankind rely on animal pollinators (4). Visits from pollinators result in larger, more flavorful fruits and higher crop yields as well (5). Globally, pollination services for agricultural crops seem to be worth more than 3 trillion dollars, a staggering amount (5). The total annual value of U.S. honey bee products is also 700 million dollars (9). Without pollinators, food supply costs and therefore grocery costs will spike, which would be detrimental to our agricultural economy. 


Besides food supply and agriculture, pollinators have significant environmental benefits. Since flowering plants provide breathable air by utilizing the carbon dioxide produced by plants and animals as a byproduct of respiration, pollination helps decrease the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by the burning of fossil fuels ,the burning of forests, and other anthropogenic activities (5). Moreover, pollinators are necessary for the reproduction of wild plants in our fragmented global landscape; without them, plant populations would drop, even if they had soil, air, nutrients, and other life-sustaining resources available. In addition, by helping flowering plants thrive, pollinators in turn purify water and prevent erosion. Plants have roots that hold soil in place and foliage that buffers the impact of rain as it falls to the ground. The water cycle depends on plants to return moisture to the air, and plants rely on pollinators for reproduction. Beyond this, pollinators contribute to ecosystem biodiversity (6).


In a cultural context, pollinators also are crucial. Indigenous peoples recognized that pollinators are important for cultural symbolism, food plants, medicinal plants, and plant-based dyes (5). To the Haida, the butterfly is the Raven’s spokesperson, and to the Ancient Mexicans, the butterfly is related to Flame, Teotihuacan (Palace of the Butterfly). The moth represents knowledge and is a guardian of gold dust of eternity for the Yaqui peoples in Mexico. For Navajo populations, the caterpillar of the Sphinx moth is a guardian of tobacco too.


Pollinators in danger

Unfortunately, despite their significance for food, culture, and ecosystems, the population of pollinators is declining rapidly. Bee populations have dropped dramatically across the United States, and the iconic monarch butterfly has plummeted in population from one billion to only 34 million in the past 25 years (7). Some causes of this loss of pollinators may be dwindling habitat, diseases, parasites, and environmental contaminants (7). Years ago, it seemed like butterflies were at every corner, but with the population decreasing from one billion to just 34 million in the past two decades, it is clear that the pollinators are at risk. Natural landscapes and spaces with flowering plants have become empty nests that were once alive with the spirit of pollinators. 

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What you can do to help

Luckily, there are action items you can take to save this disappointing decline in pollinators! Read ahead for more specific information.

  1. Plant native pollinator plants. Native plants are plants indigenous to an area. This resource displays lists of plants that provide a number of benefits to a diversity of pollinators!

  2. Plant flower varieties that have lots of nectar and pollen (8). This list of 13 colorful nectar plants for pollinators is a helpful guide, and includes the red beardtongue, purple catmint, pink spider flower, and more.

  3. Convert your lawn or backyard into a pollinator garden. If you’re stuck on how you should build your pollinator garden, you can use this resource created by the Pollinator Partnership to search for planting guides and ideal types of plants for pollinators based on zip code. 

  4. Embrace “weeds” which are beneficial to pollinators. Check out this article for some examples of these weeds!

  5. Provide a water source for pollinators like a birdbath. Water gardens or fountains work too. 

  6. Avoid pesticides or find sustainable alternatives, and buy organic food when possible.

  7. Advocate for sustainable agriculture practices that can create healthy habitats for wildlife. A study from Montana State University found that rest-rotation grazing, in which a portion of the pasture rests for an entire year while the remaining pastures are grazed seasonally, produced better habitat for native pollinators than having no livestock grazing (7). 


Hopefully the information provided in this resource has given you a sound understanding of how important pollinators are to our environment, culture, and health. Make sure to spread the word of this significance, and keep in mind our tips so you can take initiative to alleviate the decrease of pollinators!




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