What are pollinators?

Pollinators are animals that move pollen from the anther (male part) of a flower to the stigma (female part) of a different flower. These animals help the environment by spreading the plant population. Without plants, pretty much nothing would live and that would suck. There are more types of pollinators than just European Honeybees which are the current most prominent pollinator in North America. Most people don't know that. There are bees, beetles, bats, flies, wasps, butterflies, and birds, just to name a few. You might be thinking, Why are there so many pollinators? The answer, for different climates, environments and plants. Every place has its own pollinators to adapt to the unique climate, flora and fauna. For example, the Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus.           

Why are they important?

One in three bites of food you eat is because of a pollinator. 

You may not know how much your daily life affects the health of these pollinators, that wide range of helpful species accountable for some of the most important connections in the world food chain. Pollinators may be the most important group of animals ecologically and economically on our planet. They provide stability for all ecosystems in the world because plants with wildflowers depend on these bees, flies, butterflies, beetles, moths, bats, birds and other native animals to reproduce. Other wild animals then eat the fruits and seeds that result from pollination, spreading the seeds that ensure future generations of that type of plant. Most of the other wild animals in the world (including insects), and more than 250,000 plants with wildflowers, need native pollinators to exist; and, of course, that includes us, humans. The important portions of the global food supply for humans depend on the health of native pollinator populations, particularly bees, one of the main pollinator groups, though, let's not forget all the other major groups as well. But despite the great importance of pollinators, astonishing diversity and frightful crisis, these extraordinary creatures are often neglected and misunderstood. Many people simply do not recognise or appreciate the intricate ecology of plant reproduction. And perhaps most importantly, we do not value native pollinators sufficiently, whose health is essential for the health of all-natural ecosystems on all continents.

Many wild plants have evolved specifically to be pollinated only by beetles or hummingbirds, so, although great, bees can't take over all pollinators' jobs. Not to mention they're going extinct.

There are more than 20,000 species of bees described globally, and more than 4,000 of them are native to North America. This includes 46 species of bumblebees in northern Mexico, we should be working extra hard to save these bees, versus solely the European Honeybees.