June is National Pollinator Month! Over millions of years, plants and their pollinators have developed a mutually beneficial relationship and are now inextricably linked. Plants attract pollinators with their colorful or fragrant flowers and offer them nectar and extra pollen as food. In exchange, pollinators carry pollen between flowers, helping them to reproduce despite the physical distance between individual plants.

You can tell what type of pollinator a flower associates with by its color and shape. Plants such as eastern columbine that are pollinated by hummingbirds have tubular red flowers; bees can’t see red, and a hummingbird’s long tongue can reach the nectar inside the tube. Orange flowers like lilies and butterfly-weed usually face upwards and provide a landing platform for large swallowtail butterflies that are their main pollinators. Maroon or brown flowers such as pawpaw smell like rotting meat and are pollinated by flies! Magnolias evolved before bees. Their oversized, unusually sturdy white petals stand out at night and resist damage from their nocturnal beetle pollinators.

Most of our fruits and vegetables rely on native pollinators. Tomatoes employ bumblebees for a technique called buzz pollination, where vibrations from the bees’ wings shake out pollen hidden inside the flower. Fruit trees like apples use tiny mason bees as well as bumblebees. Pumpkins and squashes are visited by squash bees, which are so specialized that they won’t collect pollen from other types of flowers. Without these pollinators our food choices would be more limited.

Pollinators are under threat. Scientists think one of the main causes of insect decline is the widespread spraying of pesticides on crops, which inadvertently harm or kill pollinators in nearby natural areas. In many areas, farms no longer leave fencerows, abandoned fields and other semi-natural habitats where native plants and pollinators can thrive, leading to fewer bees pollinating their crops. Honeybees are also suspected of causing problems for native bees. Originally introduced from Europe, they’re raised in such large numbers that they compete native bees for food from nearby wildflowers.

Oakland County Parks helps pollinators by protecting and restoring natural habitats where wildflowers thrive. You can help protect pollinators by planting native plants too! There are native plant sale events happening this year all across Oakland County.

Oakland County offers residents quality, affordable housing in welcoming neighborhoods with access to parks and recreation, public transportation, and healthy food as part of the Livable Neighborhoods goal in our five-year road map. Follow the Oakland County Executive Office on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

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