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years that plants and animals have existed together.
Are pollinators in trouble? The answer depends on whom you ask. But the general consensus is, “Yes.” Why are they in trouble? Look around you as you drive through suburbia, cities, towns, and farmland. What do you see? What do you not see? How is the change from forest to farm to commercial and residential development affecting biodiversity— the variety of species you see—through loss of habitat and through pollution?
We have drifted away from having a variety of habitats for pollinators into a world of monocultures. And these monocultures do not necessarily mean endless fields of grain. Look at the endless green lawns of suburbia and not a sheep in sight. George Washington would have thought those sheepless lawns quite strange, and today’s ecologists consider them “green deserts” because of the lack of natural habitat they offer.
As humans, we are learning more every day about the intricate, symbiotic relationship that pollinators have with plants. The more we know about pollinators, the more likely we are to appreciate their role and to help protect them.
The free program is sponsored by the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection’s Biodiversity Task Force. For more information, go to www.RLEP.org or contact Pam Owen at biodiversity@ RLEP.org or (540) 317-1449.
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