native pollinators - diversity and habitat...

Photo: Nancy Adamson

Native Pollinators Recognizing Their Amazing Diversity and Assessing Their Habitat Needs

Mace VaughanPollinator Conservation Program Co‐DirectorPartner Biologist, USDA NRCS 

Photos: James Cane; Jeff Adams; Dana Ross; Bruce Newhouse

Main Groups of Pollinators

Photos: Mace Vaughan, Bob Hammond, David Inouye, Bruce Newhouse

Meet the Pollinators: Butterflies

Photos: MJ Hatfield, Doug Tallamy, Jennifer Hopwood

Photos: Jennifer Hopwood, MJ Hatfield, Jolie Goldenetz Dollar

Meet the Pollinators: Moths

Photo: Doug Tallamy, © Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)

© Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)

Butterflies and Moths: Habitat Needs

Food• Different needs as larva and adults• Caterpillars require host plants• Adults need nectar plants

Photo: Jolie Goldenetz Dollar

Shelter and overwintering • Strategy varies by species• Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, or adult • Examples: caterpillars hibernate in rolled leaves on ground, in soil at base of host plant, under loose tree bark,…

Butterflies and Moths: Habitat Needs

Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)

Meet the Pollinators: Flies

Food: Larvae eat other insects, detritus, dung, carrion; Some adults eat nectar or pollenShelter: Protection from harsh conditions; overwinter in leaf litter, soil layer, etc.

Photo: Alex Wild

Flies: Habitat Needs

Photo: © Alex Wild

Meet the Pollinators: Beetles

Food: Larvae eat other insects, detritus, dung, carrion; many adults feed on nectar or pollenShelter: Overwinter in leaf litter, soil, bunch grass, rotting wood

Photo: © Betsy Betros

Meet the Pollinators: Wasps

© Bruce Newhouse

Meet the Pollinators: Wasps

Food: Many adult predatory wasps feed on nectar; adult females hunt prey to feed their carnivorous larvaeShelter: Nests in ground, structures, or in cavities

Bees are the only pollinators to consume pollen or nectar as larvae and adults.

Photo: Nancy Adamson

Bees: The Most Important Pollinators

Bees: The Most Important Pollinators

Photo: Edward S. Ross

• Bees actively collect and transport pollen• Bees exhibit flower constancy• Bees regularly forage in area around nest

Photo: Robert W. Matthews, University of Georgia; Bugwood.org

Honey Bees…Not the Typical Bee

Photos: Eric Mader, Rollin Coville,, Marlin Rice

The European Honey Bee • Introduced to the U.S.• Domesticated• Social, large colonies• Queen and workers• Perennial colony 

Honey Bees…Not the Typical Bee

Wild Native Bees: Amazing Diversity

Photos: Doug Walsh, Bob Hammond, Mace Vaughan, Eric Lee‐Mader, Nancy Lee Adamson

Source: Ascher and Pickering. 2015. Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila). 

There is a tremendous diversity of native bees • Nearly 3,600 species of native bees in the U.S.• Over 5,000 species of native bees in North America

Wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes (e.g. tiny mining bee vs. giant carpenter bee)

Photo: Stephen L. Buchmann

Wild Native Bees: Amazing Diversity

Photo: Rollin Coville

Native Bee Diversity: Leaf-cutter Bees

Photo: Mace Vaughan

Native Bee Diversity: Leaf-cutter Bees

Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society) 

Native Bee Diversity: Mason Bees

Native Bee Diversity: Carpenter Bees (Large)

Photo: Rollin Coville

Native Bee Diversity: Carpenter Bees (Small)

Photo: Rollin Coville

Native Bee Diversity: Striped Sweat Bees

Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)

Native Bee Diversity: Green Sweat Bees

Photo: Rollin Coville

Native Bee Diversity: Green Striped Sweat Bees

Photo: Rollin Coville

Native Bee Diversity: Miner Bees (Tickle Bees)

Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)

Native Bee Diversity: Long-Horned Bees

Photo: Rollin Coville

Native Bee Diversity: Sunflower Bees

Photo: Rollin Coville

Bumble Bees (social)Ground‐Nesting Bees (solitary)

Tunnel‐Nesting Bees (solitary)

Photos: Rollin Coville (top); Nancy Lee Adamson, The Xerces Society (bottom); Elaine Evans (right) 

Three Broad Groups of Native Bees 

Photos: Dennis Briggs

Life Cycle of a Solitary Bee

Mining bee (Andrena sp.): a year in its underground nest as egg, larva, and pupa before emerging to spend a few weeks as an adult.

Photos: Eric Mader, Rollin Coville,  Dennis Briggs

Ground‐Nesting Solitary Bees

~70% of native bee species nest underground• Very common bees• Resemble ant‐nests• Lined with waxy glandular secretions, resist flooding

© Dennis Briggs© Dennis Briggs

Tunnel‐Nesting Solitary Bees

Photos: Edward Ross, Darrin O’Brien, Matthew Shepherd

~30% of native bee species nest in tunnels• Hollow stems, beetle borer holes, snags, rotting wood, snail shells

• Nest tunnel partitions constructed of mud, leaf pieces, or sawdust

• Artificially managed for some crops

Tunnel‐Nesting Solitary Bees

Mud capPollen mass Egg Mud wall

Tunnel‐Nesting Bees

Photos: Eric Lee‐Mader (Xerces), Darrin O’Brien

Managed tunnel‐nesting bees:• Mason bees (Osmia lignaria, O. cornifrons)

Tunnel‐Nesting Bees

Photos: Mace Vaughan (Xerces), Eric Lee‐Mader (Xerces), Jennifer Hopwood (Xerces)

Managed tunnel‐nesting bees:• Leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.)

Bumble Bees (Social)

Photos: Elaine Evans, Nancy Adamson, Eric Mader

45 species in U.S.,~26 in East• Social colonies founded by single queen• Annual, last only one season• Nest may contain 100‐300  workers• Nests in abandoned rodent burrows, brush piles, tussocks, tree cavities

Winter: Hibernating queen

Spring: Queen establishes nest and lays eggs

Summer: Colony peakAfter mating, males die

Early Fall:Males leave nest, then new queens leave to find a mate

Fall: Mated queens seek overwintering sites, founding queen dies

Illustration: David Wysotski

Early Summer: Worker females help grow the colony

Bumble Bee Life Cycle

Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)

Questions?

Assessing Pollinator Habitat

Photo: Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society

Assessing Pollinator Habitat

Photo: Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society

Photo: Jessa Guisse

The Value of Habitat

The amount of natural habitat on or close to a farm has a direct influence on pollinator diversity and abundance.

Assessing a site or landscape for value to pollinators • Recognize existing habitat• Identify habitat deficiencies• Prioritize habitat improvements 

Assessing Habitat and Designing Improvements

Photo: Anna MacDonald

Assessing a Site or Landscape for Value to Pollinators

• Xerces’ Pollinator Habitat Assessment Form and Guide for Farms and Agricultural Landscapes 

• An assessment form and guide is also available for natural areas and rangelands

• A subjective tool

• Quantify characteristics• Landscape‐level• Site‐level 

The Habitat Assessment Process

Purpose: • Educate user (landowner and/or conservationist)

• Prioritize conservation actions

• Quantify habitat or management improvements on a single farm

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Photo: Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society

Section 1: Landscape FeaturesPercent of Natural Habitat Around the Farm

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Section 1: Landscape Features:Dominant Type of Vegetation 

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Photos: Eric Lee‐Mäder, Xerces Society; Kelly Gill, Xerces Society

Section 2: Farmscape Features:Amount of Habitat on the Farm 

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Photos: Jennifer Hopwood, Xerces Society; Matthew Shepherd, Xerces Society

Section 2: Farmscape Features:Additional Farm Features 

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Photos: Don Keirstead, NRCS; Jessa Kay Cruz, Xerces Society; Eric Lee‐Mäder, Xerces Society

Section 3: Foraging Habitat Overall vegetative cover

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Section 3: Foraging HabitatSpring Blooming Plants

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Section 3: Foraging Habitat:Summer Blooming Plants

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Photos: Gary Casabona; Nancy Lee Adamson, Xerces Society

Section 3: Foraging Habitat:Fall Blooming Plants

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Photos: Scott Seigfreid; Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Society; Jennifer Hopwood, Xerces Society; Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Society

Section 4: Nesting Habitat: Ground‐nesting bees 

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Section 4: Nesting Habitat: Wood‐ and Cavity‐nesting bees 

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Section 5: Farm Management Practices: Non‐chemical and pest management techniques used on the farm 

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Section 5: Farm Management Practices: Insecticide Use

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Section 5: Farm Practices: Land management techniques used in habitat on farm

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Photos: Jenn Vanuga, NRCS; Jennifer Hopwood, Xerces Society; Toby Alexander, NRCS

Sum it all up…

Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide

Habitat Assessment Guides

http://www.xerces.org/pollinator‐conservation/habitat‐assessment‐guides/

Additional Resources and Guidelineswww.xerces.org

Additional Resources and Guidelines

www.xerces.org/pollinator-

conservation/

Additional Resources and Guidelines

www.xerces.org/pollinator-

conservation/

Further Information: Resource Center

Pollinator Conservation Resource Center

Region-specific Information from Xerces, Cooperative Extension, USDA-NRCS, NGO, and other sources, including:

• Regional plant Lists• Conservation Guides• Nest construction guides• Links to identification guides• Pesticide Guidelines• Native Plant Nursery Directory

www.xerces.org/pollinator-resource-center

NRCS Technical and Financial Assistance Programs:• Conservation Technical Assistance• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)  

• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

• Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs (ACEP)

Farm Service Agency Financial Assistance Programs:• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

• Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Farm Bill Programs for Pollinators

https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/opennonwebcontent.aspx?content=38006.wba

Photo: Rollin Coville

Thank You!

Major support from the USDA NRCS Financial support from Xerces Society Members USDA Natural Resources Conservation

Service USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research

and Education program Turner Foundation CS Fund The Ceres Foundation Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund

Contact information:mace@xerces.orgwww.xerces.org