Why spend a whole week celebrating pollinators? There’s a lot to celebrate, and think about!

A.) Butterflies, bees, bats, beetles and birds (all pollinators) serve our ecosystem, EVERY SINGLE DAY. Pollination happens when pollen is moved within a flower or carried from one flower to another of the same species. This leads to fertilization. The transfer of pollen is more than just important… it’s necessary for a healthy and productive ecosystem. Roughly 1/3 of our foods and beverages is delivered by pollinators. And in the U.S., an estimated $20 billion worth of products annually are the result of pollination. To put it simply, we wouldn’t have very many crops without pollinators, and we NEED crops to survive.

B.) Pollinator populations are rapidly declining. In Kylee Baumle’s new book THE MONARCH, Kylee notes that monarchs, arguably North America’s most recognized and beloved butterfly, once numbered in the billions. But in the last 20 years, the monarch population has dropped by 90%. Other pollinator populations continue to decline as a result of loss of habitat, the use of pesticides, pests and diseases and more.

The good news is that you don’t have to be a scientist or pollinator expert to help keep monarchs and other pollinators safe. Here’s a few easy ideas and projects you can complete in 15 minutes, a day or a weekend:

• Contact your Governor. All 50 states declared Pollinator Week last year, but continue to remind your gov’t about the importance of these small but mighty creatures! You can more more info at: http://www.pollinator.org/pollinatorweek/#pw-action 
• Fill your Garden with Native Plants. Not sure what natives and non-native are? The National Wildlife Federation has a great online Native Plant Finder tool. You might already have a garden filled with native plants.
• Avoid Pesticides. That’s a given!
• Plant More Milkweed. Kylee’s THE MONARCH is the perfect resource to learn more about monarch butterflies, milkweed and citizen science projects. You can even adopt a monarch.
• Create Butterfly Watering Stations and Bee Nesting Spaces. Fun and easy to make! Look for inspiration online and in books.
• Take the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge. Turn your garden into a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Spread the word about your habitat on social media and with certified signage in your garden.

Want to learn more about Pollinator Week and ways to get involved? Visit http://www.pollinator.org/pollinatorweek/ .

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