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Home , Augochlorella, Coelioxys, Phlox pilosa, Polemonium reptans, Polistes, Pollen basket

The of Native Heather Holm

Overview

Types of  Pollination  Access to Floral Resources  Features & Attractants  Flower Development & Presentation of Resources

Green Sweat  Agapostemon sp.  Types of Insect Pollinators

Bees Social Solitary Wasps

Butterflies Beetles Flies Types of Insect Pollinators

Bees

Over 4000 of bees in North America 300+ species of bees in Minnesota

Small Carpenter Bee Ceratina sp. Types of Insect Pollinators Bees - Common Genera in Minnesota

Mining Bees Long-Horned Bees Mason Bees Small Carpenter Bees spp. Melissodes spp. Osmia spp. Ceratina spp.

Leafcutter Bees Small Resin Bees Carder Bees Digger Bees spp. Heriades spp. Anthidium spp. spp. Types of Insect Pollinators Bees - Common Genera in Minnesota

Sweat Bees Green Sweat Bees Small Sweat Bees spp. Agapostemon spp. spp.

Sweat Bees Sweat Bees Cellophane Bees Yellow-Faced Bees spp. spp. Colletes spp. Hylaeus spp. Types of Insect Pollinators Bees - Common Genera in Minnesota

Cuckoo Bees Bees spp. Triepeolus spp.

Cuckoo Bees Cuckoo Bees spp. spp. Types of Insect Pollinators

Bumble Bees, Bombus spp. 18 species in Minnesota Types of Insect Pollinators Visit to Feed on Social Wasps - Colony (Paper Nests)

Bald-Faced Hornets Paper Wasps Dolichovespula spp. spp. spp.

Paper nests in trees Paper nests in trees Open paper nests on or in the ground horizontal surfaces, tree limbs, house soffits Types of Insect Pollinators MOST insect stings are caused Wasps by social wasps NOT BEES

Picnic Visitors Attracted to fruit, pop, meat

Ground Nesting Colonies  Aggressive

Flower Visitors Carnivores  Docile Types of Insect Pollinators Solitary Wasps Construct Solitary Nests NOT Aggressive

Great Golden Great Black Mason Wasps Digger Wasps pensylvanicus Euodynerus spp. Types of Insect Pollinators Solitary Wasps = Beneficial Hunt crickets, , katydids, sawfly larvae, , beetles and bugs

Potter Wasps Thread-Waisted Wasps Grass-Carrying Wasps Eumenes spp. Ammophila spp. Isodontia spp. Types of Insect Pollinators Visit Flowers to Butterflies and Moths Feed on Nectar

Long Mouthparts = Access to Deep Tubular Flowers Types of Insect Pollinators Butterflies and Moths

Large butterflies pick up on their wings

Butterflies prefer Small butterflies flowers with a large and moths pick landing platform up pollen on their head and mouthparts Types of Insect Pollinators Visit Flowers to Feed Beetles on Nectar and Pollen Soldier Beetles Long-Horned Beetles Chauliognathus spp. Cerambycidae Family

Beneficial Insect Some adults and most larvae are predators of aphids Visit Flowers to Feed Types of Insect Pollinators on Nectar and Pollen

Flies Beneficial Insect The larvae of many syrphid Syrphid Flies (Flower Flies) Family Syrphidae flies feed on aphids

Bumble Bee Mimics

Wasp Mimics

Bee Mimics Types of Insect Pollinators Flies Tachinid Flies Bee Flies Family Bombyliidae Family Tachinidae

Many have long, modified mouthparts Pollination Mutualistic Exchange FLOWER = Food/Nesting Materials Nectar • Pollen • Resin • Oil

INSECT = Transfers Pollen to Other Plants ~ Pollination Access to Floral Resources Tongue Length Long Tongued Short Tongued Bumble Bees Yellow-Faced Bees Bombus spp. Hylaeus spp.

Butterflies Syrphid Flies and Moths Family Syrphidae Access to Floral Resources

Size

Small Able to crawl into corollas of different widths to feed on resources

 Medium - Large Restricted by tongue length & flower access Floral Features Flower Forms - Simple to Complex

Easy Access Access More Restrictive Access Very Restrictive

Composite Bilabiate Closed ‘Daisy-Like’ Flowers Requires a bee strong Azure Aster Smooth Beard Tongue enough to pry flower open Symphyotrichum Penstemon digitalis oolentangiense Bottle Gentian Gentiana andrewsii Access to Floral Resources

Strength White Turtlehead, Chelone glabra Floral Resources Pollen Collection - Bees

Only female bees have pollen-collecting structures

Pollen Basket Pollen Collection Pollen Collection (Corbicula) on the Hind Leg on the Abdomen Bumble Bees & Most other bees Bees in the Leafcutter Bees Family () Floral Resources Pollen Collection - Packaged Pollen

Swamp Milkweed incarnata Floral Resources Pollen Feeding - Bees, Flies, Beetles

Pollen is a source of protein

Prairie , Phlox pilosa

Jacob’s Ladder New England Aster reptans Symphyotrichum novae-angliae Floral Resources Buzz Pollination

Prairie Smoke Solomon’s Seal Geum triflorum Polygonatum biflorum Floral Resources Attractants Nectar Guides Flower Color & Color Contrast Prairie Phlox New England Aster Phlox pilosa Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Wild Petunia American Pasqueflower Ruellia humilis Anemone patens

Stripes, spots or color contrasts on the flower Floral Resources

Attractants

Flower Color & Color Contrast

Yellow and A human’s view of A bee’s view of only visual attractant black-eyed susan flowers black-eyed susan flowers  Bees do not ‘see’ red Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis Flower Development Presentation of Resources

Sequential Development Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum  Offset development of reproductive flower parts limits self-pollination

Male Phase Female Phase = Protandrous Flower Development Wild Geranium Presentation of Resources Geranium maculatum

Sequential Development - Influence of Activity

Mason Bees Small Carpenter Bees Syrphid Flies Osmia spp. Ceratina spp. Pipiza spp. Collect Pollen Feed on Nectar Feed on Pollen Flower Development Bloodroot Presentation of Resources Sanguinaria canadensis

Sequential Development - Self-Pollinating Flowers

Self-compatible  Self-pollinates around the third day of flower opening  Flowers during fluctuating temperatures and potentially low pollinator activity Flower Development Presentation of Resources American Pasqueflower Anemone patens

Sequential Development

Low nectar reward  Flowers track sun throughout the day creating a warm place for pollinators to

Female Phase Male Phase = Protogynous Flower Development Presentation of Resources Canada Tick Trefoil Pollen Presentation Desmodium canadense

Keel Depressed Pollen Forcibly Flower Activated Ejected Leafcutter Bee Megachile sp. Flower Development

Presentation of Resources Harebell Pollen Presentation Campanula rotundifolia

Pollinators visit for pollen and nectar 

Male Phase Female Phase = Protandrous Flower Development Harebell Presentation of Resources Campanula rotundifolia

Pollen Presentation

Pollen is shed from anthers and drops into the bottom of the flower  As the style elongates, hairs pick up the pollen grains    

Male Phase Female Phase = Protandrous Flower Development Harebell Presentation of Resources Campanula rotundifolia

Pollen Presentation

Leafcutter bees collect/pick up pollen on their abdomen as they forage for nectar 

Bees feed on pollen presented on the style  Flower Development Harebell Presentation of Resources Campanula rotundifolia Pollen Presentation

Hairs eventually retract, pollen falls off and the becomes receptive

Pollinators visit for nectar

Female Phase Flower Development Presentation of Resources Nectar Production/Nectary Location- Influence on Foraging Behavior

Wild White Indigo Baptisia lactea

Flowers develop from the bottom of the raceme upward  Nectar production peaks during the female (pistillate) phase 

Male Phase Female Phase = Protandrous Flower Development Wild White Indigo Baptisia lactea Presentation of Resources Nectar Production/Nectary Location - Influence on Foraging Behavior

Flowers primarily visited by queen bumble bees in early spring  Bumble bees land on the lowest open flowers on the raceme  Lowest flowers are in the female phase producing more nectar  

Male Phase Female Phase = Protandrous Flower Development Nectar Production/Nectary Location Influence on Foraging Behavior Presentation of Resources

Enter Violets Upside Down to Feed on Nectar

Downy Yellow Violet Viola pubescens

Illustration redrawn from: Beattie, A. J. (1974). Floral evolution in Viola. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 781-793. Flower Development Presentation of Resources Nectar Production/Nectary Location- Influence on Foraging Behavior

Prairie Phlox Nectary at the base of the flower corolla Phlox pilosa  Anthers staggered - 2 near opening, 2 below  Anthers shed pollen first (protandrous) Flower Development Presentation of Resources Nectar Production/Nectary Location- Influence on Foraging Behavior Pollen Presentation

Initial visits after Prairie Phlox flowers open are by pollen-foraging pollinators Phlox pilosa  Flower Development Presentation of Resources Nectar Production/Nectary Location- Influence on Foraging Behavior Pollen Presentation

Prairie Phlox Butterflies and moths are the most effective and primary pollinators Phlox pilosa  Flowers are self-incompatible (require cross-pollination)  Top 10 Things YOU can do for Pollinators

Provide a Variety of Provide Larval Host Plants Flowering Native 6 for Butterflies & Moths 1 Plants That Overlap Through The Season Do Not Disturb Existing Nesting Leave Areas of Bare 7 Sites in your 2 Soil For Ground landscape Nesting Bee Species Create New Habitat for pollinators 8 and remove invasive plants Place/bundle hollow plants stems 3 in the landscape for Cavity-Nesting Pollinators Use Straight Native Species 9 Plant breeding can Leave Standing cause flowers to Tree Snags, Old Potter lose fragrance, 4 Wasp Nests, Standing nectar, pollen & Hollow Stems bee accessibility 10 Talk to Your Neighbors or friends 5 Do not use pesticides. about the importance of pollinators