Butterfly Wings

I hope to be known as a Proponent of Pollinator Protection. So much so I belong to a group known as the Pollinator Committee.

We PPP’s (only slight traces to Urinary Tract Malfunction) are enthusiasts of educating the public about the perils pollinators are facing worldwide. We don’t wear large gossamer wings strapped to our backs to meetings but we do have ‘feelings’ for the decline of major pollinators of our food crops.

Insect pollination is nothing new. Insects have been assisting plant reproduction for at least a 100 million years. Certain plants attracted certain insects and you know the rest of the story. When food was available then humans showed up.

According to the National Academy of Sciences about 75 percent of flowering plant species depend on pollinators to set seed or fruit. At least one-third of this food feeds humans and even more percentage feeds wildlife.

Along with honeybees and their troubles with viruses caused by mites that infect the baby bees, (larva), insecticides and herbicides that farmers unknowingly, (I am giving them the benefit of the doubt), apply to their crops, the pollen gathering insects are affected. Bees become disoriented and often lose their way back to the hive and or aren’t able to transfer information to other pollen gathering bees in their colony. Native bees are affected as well as are other insects; the butterflies, moths and beetles that plants depend upon to produce the fruit of their species.

How can we help? We probably will not be able to save all pollinators but we can become more educated in using our purchasing power to change unhealthy choices for the friends of our plants. Legislation protecting our pollinators is not that difficult to accomplish. We just need lots of voices for law makers to hear the concerns of not only the health of pollinators but also the health and wellbeing of the human population.

A voice for the silent workers of our planet must be loud and clear.

There are alternatives to pesticides. By encouraging native beneficial insects to visit our plants the need for artificial pest control is reduced. For smaller gardens protective barriers can be installed to protect plants from invasive insect species. Pheromone traps can be distributed to disrupt specific insect’s reproductive cycles. And by incorporating Integrated Pest Management in school science and agriculture courses early conservation attitudes can be established.

There are many avenues to encourage the survival of pollinators. Some legislative and some ‘grass roots’ efforts. My backyard is my starting place and I must admit I have a pair of shoes with Glow in the Dark butterfly wings.

— Margaret A. Swenson is a Washington State University Master Gardener. Email her at margy62040@aol.com.