Passport to Texas

Bumblebee on bloom.

#POLLINATORWEEK: Praise for Pollinators Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

What do birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals and bees have in common? They’re all pollinators.

And June 18—24 is National Pollinator Week.

Pollinators visit flowers to drink nectar and to feed on pollen. When they go from bloom to bloom, pollen grains that have attached to their bodies travel with them.

When a pollen grain makes contact with the female part of a flower, pollination occurs. Some plants are self-fertile and do not require outside help. Once pollinated, flowers create seeds or fruits, and ultimately—more plants.

Approximately 1,200 food crops require the help of pollinators. Even the milk you drink had a passing relationship with pollinators via the alfalfa fed to dairy cows.

Because of changes in climate, pesticide applications, pollution, disease and especially land use, we’ve seen declines and even shifts in their populations…which can impact our native wildlife and our food security.

This National Pollinator week; we can be part of the solution by planting native flowering plants in our backyards, balconies, parks and businesses.

Find pollinator resources at passporttotexas.org.

Our show receive support in part by Ram Trucks: Built to serve.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.