Pollinator Week
Image description: A monarch butterfly on a pink milkweed flower.
Image credit: NPS Gallery
Pollinator Week
The buzz around town is that it’s #PollinatorWeek!
Pollinators are animals (yes, insects are animals!) that distribute pollen from one plant to another. In most cases, this is done by feeding on the nectar of one flower and then moving to the next, carrying and distributing the pollen between flowers. Most people think of the classics when they hear the term “pollinator,” referring to insects such as bees and butterflies. However, animals such as birds, bats, wasps, rodents, marsupials, and even reptiles can all be pollinators as well!
A common pollinator that can be found on the Boston Harbor Islands is the monarch butterfly. Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed plants, which can be found on many of the islands, because their leaves are the exclusive food source for the caterpillars. Monarchs are unique because they make an incredible annual migration to overwinter in select areas of California and Mexico. They are the only species of butterfly known to make such a migration and scientists are still trying to learn how they can do so!
Pollination is essential to life on Earth and this week we encourage folks to find ways to promote pollination. One way to do so is to volunteer! National Park Service rangers host #StewardshipSaturdaysevery Saturday to work on habitat restoration and community science programs on the islands. You can visit Calendar – Boston Harbor Islands to register. You can also promote pollinators by planting your own pollinator garden. Ecoregional Planting Guide Cards – Pollinators (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) is a great resource for native pollinator-friendly plants for your region.