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About this Poster
This illustration shows native pollinators from all over Canada interacting with their environment and foraging among cultivated and native plants at various times of the year. Some are favourites, others are less known or feared, but all are extremely important. Pollinators are animals that transfer pollen from one flower to another, mainly while drinking nectar and gathering pollen. They are critical for flowering plants to develop fruit with viable seeds that we (and wildlife) can eat.
From blueberries to cocoa beans, pollinators worldwide are responsible for some of the yummiest foods. It is estimated that their services contribute over a billion dollars annually to the Canadian economy. Equally important, they help to keep ecosystems healthy by maintaining a diversity of plants and keeping various insect populations in check.
Many of our pollinators are in decline. Challenges include habitat loss and degradation, pesticide use, various agricultural practices, infection, disease, climate change and introduced species.
You can help!
Share the wonders of these remarkable creatures with friends and neighbours. Grow regionally native plants that flower from spring to fall. Provide a shallow water dish with perching stones in your yard. Leave an undisturbed area of plants and fallen leaves in your garden and open areas of soil for nesting, mud-puddling, sheltering and overwintering. Maintain your outdoor spaces in an earth-friendly way, and remember to be patient with caterpillars that are eating their way to butterfly-hood.