You can help native pollinators in Wisconsin

WISCONSIN (CIVIC MEDIA) – It’s Pollinator Week. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages you to help native pollinators year-round with a few simple lawn care habits.

Most of Wisconsin’s pollinators are bees. Wisconsin has over 400 native species, including 20 bumble bee species, butterflies and moths. Wisconsin’s pollinators also include hummingbirds and some beetles and flies. These animals and other pollinators visit flowering plants and transfer pollen from flower to flower. This practice helps plants grow fruits and seeds and encourages genetic diversity.

In addition to supporting rare pollinators, flowering plants provide food to common pollinators, other insects, people and wildlife. They also support healthy ecosystems that clean the air and stabilize soil.

Despite the importance of native pollinators, many are facing population declines.

---