The Value Of Birds And Bees
By Brianna Randall
NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife
Step outside this June and you’ll instantly see and smell the bounty of spring. Hummingbirds zig-zag through the warm air to sip nectar from fresh flowers, while bees and butterflies hover over budding farm crops. Even beetles, ants, and bats get in on the action, dining on a cornucopia of protein-rich pollen.
In return for a delicious meal, these animals help the plants reproduce by moving pollen between the male (anther) and female (stigma) parts of a flower. This act of pollination is the first step in generating seeds, which create new plants.