Bee the Change!

Coordinates for Geocache: N 39° 39.430/  W 084° 07.140

Difficulty level: easy

Clue 1: It lies beneath the flowers!

What’s a pollinator?
A pollinator is an animal that causes plants to make fruit or seeds. They do this by moving pollen from one part of the flower of a plant to another part. This pollen then fertilizes the plant. Only fertilized plants can make fruit and/or seeds, and without them, the   plants cannot reproduce.

Why are bees and other pollinators so important?
Bees are some of the hardest working creatures in existence, and are responsible for pollinating about one-sixth of the flowering plant species on the planet and approximately 400 different agricultural types of plant.

Why are pollinators struggling?
The main challenges facing bees, butterflies, and other pollinators are habitat loss, diseases like parasites or pathogens and pesticide use.

What can we do to help?

Here are seven ways to make your garden a haven for native pollinators:

Use pollinator-friendly plants in your landscape. Shrubs and trees such as dogwood, blueberry, cherry, plum, willow, and poplar provide pollen or nectar, or both, early in spring when food is scarce.

Choose a mixture of plants for spring, summer, and fall. Different flower colors, shapes, and scents will attract a wide variety of pollinators. If you have limited space, you can plant flowers in containers on a patio, balcony, and even window boxes.

Reduce or eliminate pesticide use in your landscape, or incorporate plants that attract beneficial insects for pest control. If you use pesticides, use them sparingly and responsibly.

Accept some plant damage on plants meant to provide habitat for butterfly and moth larvae.

Provide clean water for pollinators with a shallow dish, bowl, or birdbath with half-submerged stones for perches.

Leave dead tree trunks, also called “snags,” in your landscape for wood-nesting bees and beetles.

Support land conservation in your community by helping to create and maintain community gardens and green spaces to ensure that pollinators have appropriate habitat.