The Benefits of Bees and Other Pollinators

Program DescriptionBees, butterflies, and even bats provide the very important service of pollination, which supply people with a wide variety of food and commercial products. With natural habitat or living space for pollinators becoming scarce and some pollinator populations on the decline, conservation efforts in urban and agricultural habitats are becoming more widespread. In the Chicago region, planting native prairie species promotes local pollinator diversity by increasing livable habitat for plants that provide nectar and pollen resources to pollinators. Even new types of gardens, like green roofs, are now starting to include native plantings. Pollinating bees, birds, and other mobile animals move pollen between many types of gardens and landscapes, including those in which we live. Please join the Lake-to-Prairie Wild Ones for this presentation with Kelly Ksiazek, plant ecologist, as she describes the role of pollinators, provides an overview of their importance, defines how pollinator ecology research in cities and suburban areas are contributing to large biodiversity conservation efforts, and suggests how people of all backgrounds can get involved with pollinator protection in their local areas.