Heroes –Your Hardworking Pollinators
Imagine a world without flowers, plants, fruits, coffee, vegetables or chocolate. All of these items are a result of pollination and are a contribution of our hardworking pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Pollination is important to our society because it’s estimated that more than 1,300 types of plants are grown for food, beverages, medicines, condiments, species and even fabric. Pollination is a process in which pollen is transferred from the anther to the stigma of the plant. Pollination is the first stage of reproduction and is followed by fertilization, seed dispersal, and germination. In the pollination process, pollinators carry pollen with their long branch like hairs, legs or tummies and when they land on a plant this starts the pollination process and our human benefits.
There are many things that attract a pollinator to plants from their shape, color, scent, signals, structures of the pedal size and vision. The structures of the plant could describe if the pollinator attracts or detracts from the plant. Nectar and pollen are the key offerings that plants use to tempt pollinators once they have landed on the plant. Nectar and pollen grains are sources of energy to many pollinators.
Our society benefits from pollination in many ways, pollinators play a significant role in the production of more than 150 food crops in the United States. When pollen is moved within a flower or carried from one flower to another of the same species, it leads to fertilization to help our plants stay alive. There are many other pollinators like flies, wasps, butterflies and moths, beetles, nocturnal pollinators, and hummingbirds. We should think about the benefits that we receive from these pollinators the next time we try to or kill a fly, wasp or bee.
There are many things we can do to limit our effect on pollination. Our use of pesticides is hazardous to insects and has killed many insects outright. Pesticides also affect an insect’s ability to thrive and should be limited to evening hour usage. Due to society growth, we as people are destroying the lands for pollination. Our lands are being turned into buildings, parking lots, and factories in which are interrupting the pollination process. We must dedicate a certain portion of our land to remain in its natural form. Lastly, we can do our part by creating more pollinator-friendly gardens and protecting wildlife habitat.

References
Pollinator (2015, March 5). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollinator
Dowden, A.O.(1990). The Clover and the Bee: A Book of Pollination. New York: Harper Collins.
Meeuse, B.J.D. (1961). The Story of Pollination. New York: Ronald Press Company.