Play scientist for a day, study bees and butterflies during local pollinator count events
This month, Indianapolis invites us all to take a break — a four minute break, to be exact — to stop and count the pollinators.
For the city’s third annual Wild Pollinator Count, the non-profit Keep Indianapolis Beautiful encourages everyone to get outside and pay attention to the myriad pollinating species — yes, bees, but so much more — that visit Indy’s green spaces.
KIB is providing materials to perform individual pollinator counts, and also has organized community events that run through July 22 to raise awareness about urban pollinators.
Pollinators are any species that transfers pollen between plants. Although bees are often the most conspicuous, a lengthy list of other pollinators — including butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, ants, birds, bats, and even rodents — help ensure plant survival and reproduction. More than 87 percent of the world’s flowering plants require animal pollination.
But it’s not just plants that depend on pollinators. We do, too.
“Without them, we would have a very empty plate,” said Kate Franzman of Bee Public, a local bee advocacy group. “I don’t think people realize how linked we are to the pollinator world.”
Indeed, we owe one of every three bites to a pollinator. And not just any bites, but some of the most delicious ones. The next time you eat a strawberry, apple, peach, watermelon, tomato, pumpkin, squash or almond, thank a pollinator. Or after your next sip of coffee. Or glass of wine. The list goes on. Even the alfalfa hay we feed to cattle is thanks to pollinators.
“Pollinators and plants are the building blocks of our ecosystem and the food that we eat,” said Ashley Haynes, director of marketing for KIB. “If we don’t do something to take care of them, it will impact each and every one of us.”
And pollinators do need our care. Managed honeybee colonies have shown annual losses of 29 to 45 percent over the past five years. Wild native pollinators are also in trouble, yet we know much less about them. Out of nearly 4,500 native bee species in North America, only 1,400 species have enough data for us to even assess wild pollinator population trends. Of these, more than half are declining, and one in four are imperiled.
There’s also much to learn about wild pollinator populations in Indianapolis.
“Are they holding steady? Are they increasing? Are they declining? These are things we need to know,” said Victoria Schmalhofer, the assistant director of the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
That’s where the Wild Pollinator Count comes in. To participate, simply go outside, find a 1-foot by 1-foot patch, and set a timer for four minutes. Then sit back, relax, and take note of what pollinators you see.
“We encourage people to do a pollinator count anywhere that they are,” Haynes said. “You don’t have to go somewhere special to do a count.”
If you have a smartphone, you can document your observations with the iNaturalist app. The app partners with KIB to create a database of pollinators, the plants they visit, and where they are documented. In addition to checking out the species observed by others nearby, you can upload photos of your personal pollinator sightings. Naturalist experts can then help you identify what you saw. Or if you’d prefer to do it by hand, the KIB website (www.kibi.org/KIBees) offers a downloadable Pollinator Count kit that you can print out to document your observations and send them in by mail. Counting sheets are also available at Indianapolis Public Library Branches.
Here in Indy, the data is used to track changes in pollinator populations over time and to assess the effectiveness of habitat restoration efforts.
“It gives us a citizen science level picture of areas that may need more native plants…and also areas where we have a lot of people engaged in science and in the community,” Haynes said.
On a broader scale, scientists can use the data collected in Indy’s Wild Pollinator Count for larger studies of pollinator populations. For example, by increasing the number of people that are out looking for pollinators, the count may increase documentation of rare species, such as the endangered rusty-patched bumblebee, which has previously been observed in Marion County.
“We can look at pollinators as the canary in the coal mine in terms of what’s overall going on in the environment,” Schmalhofer said. “When you start losing those pollinators, that becomes very concerning.”
Pollinator declines in urban areas are linked to both habitat fragmentation and the presence of non-native plants. Many native pollinators can only feed on specific native plants, which are often replaced with more colorful, non-native ornamental plants in urban landscapes. For example, monarch butterfly caterpillars feed specifically on native milkweed plants, and the butterflies cannot complete their life cycle without this plant.
“By putting in these tiny pocket parks or by planting native plants in your yard, you’re helping to defragment the city for the pollinators,” said Adam Schmutte, the urban naturalist manager for KIB. “You’re making a big connective highway for them to travel on where they have their food source in different areas all over the city.”
In addition to creating a valuable citizen science data set, the Wild Pollinator Count provides an opportunity to get outside, to learn more about our connection to pollinators, and in Haynes words, “to think of pollinators as more than just creepy-crawly things, but to think of them instead as part of the ecosystem and almost as neighbors.”
“As people learn more about the creatures and wildlife that they see everyday, it helps them feel more connected to the place that they’re living,” she continued. “It encourages them to plant more things in their yard to create a nicer home for the bugs.”
In addition to doing a pollinator count on your own, KIB will host several public events over the next few weeks where you can connect with others, learn more about native pollinators, and start observing them for yourself.
Rachel Smith is a 2018 American Association for the Advancement of Science Mass Media and Science Engineering Fellow. She is being hosted by IndyStar and working collaboratively with its environmental reporting team that is made possible through the generous support of the non-profit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Reach Rachel at email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.org.
More info on the upcoming events:
DigIndy Manhole Art (Saturday, June 30; 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.): Learn about the DigIndy project to improve the Indianapolis water system. Manhole beautification by local artists and a pollinator count along Mass Ave. Meet by “Ann Dancing” on Mass Avenue.
Pollinator Night at Sun King Brewery (Tuesday, July 10; 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.): KIB’s Urban Naturalists will lead pollinator counts, teach about the importance of native plants and habitat restoration. Sun King Brewery, 135 North College Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46202
IMPD East Community Day (Wednesday, July 11; 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.): Meet and greet with IMPD East, community fun, and pollinator count. Brookside Park, 3500 Brookside Pkwy S Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46201
Indiana Landmarks Treasure Hunt (Saturday, July 14; 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.): Hunt for pollinators and go on a treasure hunt. Pollinator counting tools and cool prizes. Indiana Landmarks, 1201 Central Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Happy Hour Weeding (Friday, July 20; 3 p.m.): Learn why planting natives is important and count the pollinators around KIB’s headquarters. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, 1029 Fletcher Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46203