Athena Rayne Anderson

This content is based on a post originally published on July 26, 2011, on my blog “Pollinators Info” (no longer online).

I was fortunate to get an email interview this week with Dr. Scott Hoffman Black, co-author of the new book Attracting Native Pollinators. Doctor Black is the Executive Director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which published the book, and he’s also the Chair of the Butterfly Specialist Group for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

My goal with the interview was to get some insight into the background of the book, why it’s such a milestone in pollination literature, and how it can be a great resource for YOU! Below is the transcript of our interview…

Athena (ARA): What was Xerces main goal with the publication of Attracting Native Pollinators?

Dr. Black (SHB): The goal of the book is to get people to take action to improve habitat for pollinators.  Although there is a lot of information out there about the decline of pollinators there was no single resource that provided all of the information people needed to understand, start to identify, and work to protect pollinators.  Our goal was to produce just such a comprehensive resource.

ARA: What was your target audience for the book?

SHB: The target audience for the book is very broad.  Gardeners, farmers, park managers, land managers and average homeowners –everyone.  The neat thing about pollinator conservation is that it is equal opportunity.  Whether you have a window box, a backyard garden or you manage a park or a farm there are actions you can take to provide for these important animals.

ARA: From what I can tell, this is the first book with a beginner-friendly ID guide for native bees. Why do you think it took until 2011 for a book of this kind to be published?

SHB: It is only fairly recently that bees have come into the mainstream.  Although there has been a demand for guides for butterflies for decades it is only recently that there has been an interest in bees.  Also bees are harder to identify then most butterflies. Having more than 4,000 species in the US (butterflies have 800), with many of them hard to tell apart, provides a special challenge in producing a fully comprehensive guide to bee species.  In the end we developed a guide to the major groups of bees (Genera) what we hope will help people to start to identify these animals.  Once people start to look and see that there may be as many as a dozen different kinds of bees visiting flowers in their yards they may better appreciate their importance.

ARA: What was the biggest challenge in getting the book together?

SHB: This was a big undertaking.  One of the biggest challenges was to produce a book with this much information while still keeping it accessible and interesting.

ARA: What has been most rewarding about working on this book and/or getting it published?

SHB: What is most rewarding is the positive response.  We have heard from hundreds of people that have congratulated us on a job well- done.  Many of these responses include information on how people are using the book to improve habitat for pollinators.

ARA: Why do you think it’s important for people to learn about native pollinators, especially native bees?

SHB: Pollinators are vitally important to humans and to the ecosystems that we depend on. Pollinators – mostly insects — are needed for the reproduction of nearly three quarters of the world’s flowering plants. This includes more than two-thirds of the world’s crops whose fruits and seeds provide over 30% of the foods and beverages that we consume. Although many of our staples –corn, wheat, and rice – are wind- pollinated, many of our most nutritious and delicious foods – apples, berries and many vegetables- are insect- pollinated. Dinner would not be the same without them.

Unfortunately this service is at risk. Habitat loss, alteration, and fragmentation, as well as pesticide use, all contribute to pollinator declines. Honey bee declines remain in the news, but many native bees are potentially faring even worse. For example, in the past decade alone, several bumble bees, including several common species such as the rusty- patched bumble bee, have been pushed close to extinction.

ARA: What do you see as the biggest challenge in educating people about pollinators?

SHB: In my opinion educating people about pollinators is only really successful if you get people to take action for pollinators.  It is all well and good for people to understand the problem but if people do nothing it does not do much good. But getting people to take action can be difficult. People are busy.  Whether you are a farmer who is working extremely long hours to ensure your crops produce a maximum yield or a suburban family working while also getting kids to school and soccer practice many people do not have a lot of free time. That is why we try to make it as easy as possible for people to take the steps that will help pollinators.  If we can get people to take small steps these add up.  Also once people get interested they often do more and more.

ARA: Could you list 3-5 things that people could do on their property, or in their lives, to help pollinators?

SHB: The best way to attract and support healthy pollinator populations is to ensure a rich, diverse plant community.  By protecting existing habitat, restoring degraded areas, and creating new foraging and nesting sites, we can provide for the needs of pollinators. Whether you are working in a small yard or on a large expanse of land, the conditions that you will want to create all have these features:

• A diversity of native plants whose blooming times overlap to provide flowers for foraging throughout the seasons. In any location, native flowers, which are adapted to local soils and climates, are the best source of nectar and pollen for native pollinators. In residential yards and gardens, heirloom plant varieties can also be very beneficial.
• Nesting and egg-laying sites, with appropriate nesting materials. Bees require sites in the ground or woody vegetation as well as nesting materials, and butterflies need appropriate host plants for their caterpillars.
• A landscape free of poisonous chemicals. The use of pesticides in gardens, on farms, and in managed landscapes is a major threat to pollinators. Insecticides kill and injure pollinator insects directly, while herbicides can harm them by damaging the plants that offer them foraging and egg-laying opportunities. Avoid the use of pesticides in or near pollinator habitat.

You do not need to do all of this at once.  You can start by adding a few flowering plants and avoiding the use of insecticides.  Over time you can add more habitat until you have a diverse landscape that is both beautiful to look at and beneficial to pollinators.

Featured image copyright Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, 2011.

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