Marietta Daisies Garden Club

Meet Your Pollinators

Who are the pollinators?

PART 2

We continue our pollinator education in the second half of

Meet Your Pollinators...

Beetles

Beetles: The Original Pollinators

They may not have the charm of butterflies or the reputation of bees, but beetles have an impressive claim to fame: they are among the world's most ancient pollinators.

“Did You Know? Magnolias evolved before bees and their sturdy flowers

reflect their ancient relationship with beetles.”

Long before bees appeared, beetles were crawling across some of Earth's earliest flowering plants, feeding on pollen and flower parts and carrying pollen with them as they moved. Millions of years later, beetles are still doing the job including right here in Georgia.

With more than 30,000 species of beetles found in the United States, they represent an enormous and diverse group of insects. Many can be found crawling across flower heads, where they feed on pollen, nectar, or parts of the flowers themselves.

Pollination Can Be a Messy Business

Beetles don't always approach pollination with the finesse of a bee or butterfly.

Rather than carefully moving from one flower to another in search of nectar, many beetles crawl around inside flowers, eating pollen, petals, and other plant tissues along the way. Pollen sticks to their bodies and is carried to the next flower they visit.

They may even leave a few chewed petals behind.

For this reason, beetle pollination is sometimes described as “mess and soil” pollination. It may not always be pretty, but it has worked successfully for millions of years.

Beetles also tend to be less particular about which flowers they visit than some specialized pollinators. They may wander among different plant species, losing some pollen along the way. Even so, their sheer numbers and diversity make them an important part of the pollinator community.

Flowers Built for Beetles

Plants pollinated by beetles often have flowers that are sturdy enough to accommodate visitors that may crawl, eat, and explore while they are there.

Look for large, open, bowl-shaped, or flat flowers that provide easy landing and crawling surfaces. Their pollen-producing structures are often readily accessible.

Scent is another important attraction. Beetle-pollinated flowers may produce strong fruity, spicy, fermented, or other distinctive fragrances that beetles can detect from a distance.

Flower colors vary, but white, cream, green, and yellow are common.

One of the best-known examples is the magnolia. Magnolias belong to an ancient lineage of flowering plants, and their large, sturdy flowers are well suited to beetle visitors.

Here in the Southeast, beetles also help pollinate plants such as sweetshrub (Calycanthus), pawpaw, and yellow pond lilies.

Beetles You May Find Among the Flowers

You probably won't find many garden centers advertising a “beetle garden,” but take a closer look at your flowers and you may be surprised by how many beetles are already there.

• Lady Beetles (Ladybugs)  Gardeners usually welcome these familiar beetles because many species feed on aphids and other garden pests. While moving among flowers in search of prey, they may also pick up and transfer pollen.

• Longhorn Beetles  Recognizable by their characteristically long antennae, many adult longhorn beetles visit flowers to feed on pollen or nectar and can carry pollen as they move between blossoms.

• Tumbling Flower Beetles  These tiny, active beetles are aptly named. They can be found scrambling across flowers and may tumble away when disturbed. Their bodies can become dusted with pollen as they move from blossom to blossom.

Other beetles encountered on flowers may also contribute to pollination simply through their normal feeding and wandering behavior.

More Than Pollinators

Beetles perform many other important jobs in a healthy landscape.

Depending on the species, they may control garden pests, break down dead plants and animals, recycle nutrients, improve soil, disperse seeds, and provide food for birds and other wildlife.

That makes beetle diversity another sign of the complicated web of life operating within a healthy garden.

Give Beetles a Place in the Garden

Supporting beetles doesn't necessarily require creating a special beetle garden. Instead, think about creating a landscape with diversity and a few less-manicured spaces.

Plant a variety of native flowering plants. Leave some fallen leaves, logs, dead wood, and natural ground cover where appropriate. Reduce unnecessary pesticide use, particularly broad-spectrum insecticides that can kill beneficial insects along with garden pests.

And before assuming every beetle nibbling on a flower is an unwanted visitor, take a

moment to identify it.

That little insect wandering around your magnolia may be participating in a relationship between beetles and flowering plants that began

millions of years before humans ever planted the first garden.

Beetles may not be our most glamorous pollinators,

but they certainly deserve recognition as some of the originals.

Flies

Flies: The Pollinators We Often Overlook

Flies may not be the first insects that come to mind when we think about pollination, but they are among the most important and under

appreciated pollinators in Georgia and across the Southeast.

True flies, especially hoverflies in the family Syrphidae, visit a wide variety of flowers for nectar and pollen. In doing so, they help pollinate native wildflowers, orchard fruits, garden plants, and agricultural crops.

Their value becomes especially noticeable during cool, cloudy, windy, or damp weather, when many bees are less active.

Pollinators in Less-Than-Perfect Weather

One of the great strengths of flies is their ability to keep working when conditions are not ideal.

Many pollinating flies remain active on cool or overcast days, and some appear very early in spring. That makes them especially helpful around early-blooming plants and fruit trees, including crops such as apples and blueberries.

In some habitats, flies can be particularly important pollinators of small flowers growing in shady, moist, or woodland environments.

So while bees may receive most of the attention, flies help make sure pollination continues under a much wider range of conditions.

Generalists of the Flower World

Many flies are generalist pollinators, meaning they visit many different kinds of flowers rather than relying on just one or two plant species.

As they move from bloom to bloom, pollen clings to their bodies and is transferred to other flowers.

Plants known to attract or depend in part on flies include goldenrod, pawpaw, skunk cabbage, and members of the carrot family, including Queen Anne's lace.

Some plants have developed especially unusual relationships with flies. Flowers such as pawpaw may produce scents that imitate fermenting fruit or other organic material, attracting flies and beetles that then help move pollen between flowers.

Nature doesn't always rely on sweet floral perfume to get the job done!

Meet the Hoverflies

Among the easiest pollinating flies to notice in a garden are hoverflies, also called flower flies.

At first glance, many look remarkably like bees or wasps. Their yellow-and-black markings are a clever form of mimicry that may discourage predators from trying to eat them.

But hoverflies don't sting.

They are often seen hovering almost perfectly still over a flower before suddenly darting sideways and returning to feed.

Adult hoverflies visit flowers for nectar and pollen, while the larvae of some species provide gardeners with an additional benefit by feeding on aphids and other soft-bodied pests.

That makes many hoverflies valuable twice over: as pollinators and as natural pest-control helpers.

Fly, Bee, or Wasp?

A quick look can help distinguish a flower-visiting fly from a bee or wasp.

• Look at the wings. True flies have one pair of functional wings, while bees and wasps have two pairs.

• Check the eyes. Flies often have very large compound eyes that take up much of the head.

• Notice the antennae. Compared with bees and wasps, many flies have relatively short antennae.

• Watch the flight. Hoverflies can stop almost motionless in midair, then dart rapidly in another direction a distinctive flight pattern once you learn to recognize it.

Not Every Fly Is a Housefly

The word “fly” often brings to mind the familiar housefly, but the fly world is enormously diverse.

Thousands of species occupy different habitats and perform different ecological jobs. Some are pollinators, some help break down organic matter, and others serve as predators or important food sources for birds, frogs, and other wildlife.

Many flower flies are attractive insects in their own right, with metallic colors, patterned bodies, or convincing bee-like appearances.

Once you start looking closely, a patch of flowers can reveal an entirely different world of flies that most of us simply never noticed before.

Give Flies a Chance

Supporting pollinating flies is much the same as supporting other beneficial insects.

Plant a diversity of native flowers, including small, open blooms that make nectar and pollen easy to reach. Goldenrods, asters, mountain mint, and other plants with clusters of tiny flowers can attract an impressive variety of flower-visiting insects.

Avoid unnecessary pesticide use, provide some moist and natural areas in the landscape, and allow insects a little room to do their work before deciding they don't belong in the garden.

Citizen-science programs such as the Great Southeast Pollinator Census even count flies alongside bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects, helping researchers better understand their role in our landscapes.

So the next time you see a tiny insect hovering over a flower,

don't automatically wave it away.

It may be one of the garden's quietest and most dependable pollinators

working on a day when many of the others stayed home.

Birds

Birds: Pollinators on the Wing

Pollination isn't just an insect's job. Birds are important vertebrate pollinators around the world, and here in Georgia one tiny traveler stands above the rest: the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Hummingbirds are specially equipped for visiting flowers. Their long bills and extendable tongues allow them to reach nectar hidden deep inside tubular blooms. As a hummingbird feeds, its head, bill, and feathers brush against the flower's pollen-producing structures. Some of that pollen then travels with the bird to the next flower.

Considering how many flowers a hungry hummingbird may visit in a single day, these tiny birds can move a surprising amount of pollen around the landscape.

Georgia's Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the hummingbird most commonly associated with Georgia and the eastern United States.

These remarkable birds migrate between their breeding grounds in eastern North America and wintering areas in Mexico and Central America. During their time in Georgia, gardens filled with nectar-rich native plants can provide important feeding habitat.

Hummingbirds have tremendous energy requirements and may visit hundreds or even more than a thousand flowers in a day, depending on conditions and nectar availability. As they move rapidly from plant to plant, they can also serve as effective pollen carriers.

Flowers Designed for Birds

Bird-pollinated flowers often look quite different from flowers that primarily attract bees or moths.

• Color matters. Hummingbirds are particularly attracted to conspicuous flowers in shades of red, orange, and bright pink, although they will readily visit flowers of many other colors when nectar is available.

• Shape matters, too. Long, tubular blossoms are especially well suited to a hummingbird's bill and tongue. As the bird reaches inside for nectar, its head or bill can come into contact with pollen.

• Fragrance is less important. Unlike many insect pollinators that rely heavily on scent, hummingbirds have excellent vision. Flowers adapted to bird pollination therefore often rely more heavily on color and shape than strong perfume.

And, of course, the most important reward is nectar the energy-rich food hummingbirds are seeking.

Plant a Hummingbird Garden

One of the best ways to attract hummingbirds is to provide the flowers they naturally seek rather than relying entirely on feeders.

Several beautiful native Southeastern plants are excellent choices:

• Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)  Its brilliant red tubular flowers seem almost designed with hummingbirds in mind.

• Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans)  Large orange-red trumpet-shaped flowers provide abundant nectar, although this vigorous native vine needs plenty of room to grow.

• Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)  A wonderful native alternative to invasive honeysuckles, producing clusters of tubular red and coral flowers.

• Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)  Its dangling orange flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds, especially in naturally moist areas.

• Native azaleas are another excellent choice for Southeastern gardens, providing beautiful spring flowers that can attract hummingbirds along with other pollinators.

More Than Nectar

Although hummingbirds are famous for drinking nectar, flowers aren't their only food source.

Hummingbirds also consume tiny insects and spiders, which provide essential protein and other nutrients. A garden that supports a healthy insect population can therefore support hummingbirds in ways that a nectar feeder alone cannot.

This provides another reason to limit unnecessary pesticide use. A landscape filled with native plants and healthy insect life creates a more complete habitat for these energetic little birds.

What About Other Birds?

Hummingbirds are North America's best-known and most specialized nectar-feeding birds, but they aren't the only birds capable of moving pollen.

Orioles and some other birds occasionally visit flowers for nectar, while birds searching blossoms for insects or other food may accidentally pick up and transfer pollen.

In other parts of the United States, different relationships occur. For example, White-winged Doves (Zenaida asiatica) can help pollinate saguaro cactus flowers in the desert Southwest.

These relationships remind us that pollination can occur in many unexpected ways.

A Garden Worth Crossing Continents For

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Georgia's hummingbirds is the journey many make each year.

A bird weighing only a few grams may travel hundreds or thousands of miles during migration. Along the way, it depends upon a succession of places where it can rest and refuel.

Our gardens can become part of that network.

By planting native flowers that bloom at different times from spring through fall, providing shrubs and trees for shelter, maintaining a healthy insect population, and reducing pesticide use, even a small garden can become a valuable hummingbird stop.

And when a Ruby-throated Hummingbird darts into the garden and disappears into a cardinal flower or coral honeysuckle, you're seeing more than a beautiful bird having lunch.

You're watching pollination take flight.

Bats

Bats: Pollinators Elsewhere, Pest Controllers in Georgia

Bats belong in a discussion about pollinators but Georgia's bats come with an

interesting twist.

Around the world, bats are important pollinators of hundreds of plant species, particularly in tropical and desert environments. Georgia's native bats, however, are insect eaters rather than nectar feeders, so they do not serve as plant pollinators here.

Instead, they perform another tremendously valuable nighttime service: natural pest control.

Georgia's Nighttime Insect Hunters

Georgia is home to 16 species of bats, including familiar species such as the Big Brown Bat and Eastern Red Bat.

All of Georgia's native bats feed primarily on insects. After sunset, they take to the air in pursuit of moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and other flying insects.

This appetite makes bats valuable neighbors for gardeners, farmers, and forests. Many of the insects bats consume are agricultural or landscape pests, including moths and beetles whose larvae can damage crops and plants.

So while moths may be working the garden's nighttime pollination shift, bats are patrolling the skies above them.

Bats and Agriculture

The benefits extend far beyond our backyards.

Insect-eating bats provide valuable natural pest-control services to American agriculture by consuming enormous quantities of insects that might otherwise damage crops. By naturally suppressing insect populations, bats can help reduce crop losses and potentially lessen the need for some pest-control measures.

In Georgia, their insect-hunting behavior benefits agricultural landscapes, forests, and crops such as pecans and cotton.

Their contribution is a good reminder that a healthy ecosystem requires more than pollinators. It also needs predators that help keep populations in balance.

But Some Bats Really Are Pollinators

Travel west and the story changes dramatically.

In the desert Southwest and farther south into Mexico, nectar-feeding bats such as the Lesser Long-nosed Bat and Mexican Long-tongued Bat visit flowers much as hummingbirds do.

These bats have adaptations including elongated snouts and long tongues that allow them to reach deep inside large flowers for nectar. As they feed, their faces and bodies become dusted with pollen, which they carry to the next flower.

Plants adapted for bat pollination often bloom at night and produce large, pale-colored, strongly scented flowers with abundant nectar and pollen.

Among the best-known examples are agaves and giant saguaro cacti.

Bats, Agave, and an Unexpected Connection

The relationship between bats and agaves provides a fascinating example of how wildlife, plants, and people can be connected.

As nectar-feeding bats travel between flowering agaves, they carry pollen from plant to plant, helping the plants reproduce and maintaining genetic diversity among wild populations.

Agaves, of course, are also important to people. They are used for products ranging from agave nectar to tequila and mezcal.

So in parts of the Southwest and Mexico, protecting bat populations also helps protect the ecological relationships that sustain these remarkable desert plants.

Georgia Bats Need Our Help, Too

Although our bats aren't pollinating flowers, they still deserve a welcoming place in the landscape.

Bat populations face several challenges, including habitat loss and white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has devastated some North American bat populations.

Homeowners can help by protecting mature trees and natural areas where appropriate, reducing unnecessary pesticide use, maintaining healthy insect populations, and providing suitable roosting habitat. Properly designed and installed bat houses may also provide supplemental roosting sites for some species.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources monitors the state's bats and provides information about Georgia species, conservation, and ways homeowners can help.

Every Creature Has a Job

Georgia's bats teach us something important about pollinator gardening: supporting pollinators means supporting the larger ecosystem around them, too.

Our native bats don't carry pollen between Georgia's flowers. Instead, they spend their nights consuming insects and helping maintain balance in our gardens, farms, and forests.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, their nectar-feeding relatives are plunging their long tongues into agave and cactus flowers and carrying pollen across the desert.

Different bats. Different jobs. Both important.

So when you spot a bat darting through the Georgia evening sky,

you aren't watching a pollinator.

You're watching one of nature's nighttime pest-control specialists reporting for duty.