The Pollinator Puzzle: Who They Are and How to Help

Pollinators are the unsung heroes of Florida’s ecosystems, supporting the reproduction of our flowering plants in urban, suburban and natural areas. Pollinator populations are declining, and organizations are urging people to take action to support pollinators in their areas of influence. There is a lot of buzz around the topics of pollinators these days, but who are they? What are they doing? Where do they go? Find out this and more in today’s episode.  

Learn More:

• Insect Pollinators - https://www.fnps.org/plants/pollinators

• Know your native pollinators - https://www.flawildflowers.org/pollinators/

• Pollinator Plants: Florida - https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/17-046_03_XercesSoc_Pollinator-Plants_Florida_web-3page.pdf

• Creating a Native Wildflower Garden in Your Central Florida Yard - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creating-a-native-wildflower-garden-in-your-central/id1724213516?i=1000648747914

How You Can Help:

• Support pollinators in your yard by spreading wildflower seeds and planting a variety of native plants - https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/media/sfylifasufledu/osceola/documents/agriculture/Pollinator-Plants-for-Osceola-County-Urban-Landscapes.pdf

• Consider leaving a patch of bare, open ground or install a bee house/hotel for nesting - https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/how-to-manage-a-successful-bee-hotel/what-is-a-bee-hotel

• Create a no-mow area in your yard and leave area unmown November-May - https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/orangeco/2022/07/26/no-mow-lawns-in-florida/

• Use pesticides as a last resort, learn integrated pest management - https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pests-and-diseases/pests/management/integrated-pest-management/

Sources for this Episode: 

• Attracting Bees and Other Beneficial Insects with Florida’s Native Wildflowers -https://www.flawildflowers.org/attracting-bees/

• The Importance of Pollinators - https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden/pollinators

• Pollinator Syndromes - https://www.pollinator.org/pollinator.org/assets/generalFiles/Pollinator_Syndromes.pdf