This article originally appeared in a June 2024 edition of the DNR News Digest

Summer is officially here, and soon the buzz of insect wings will fill the air. Many of those insects will bring beneficial aid to the flowering plants around them, helping them grow and mature through the process of pollination. Pollinators serve a critical function in our ecosystems, often acting as keystone species, meaning they support a large variety of other species through their natural function.

Many species of pollinators are generalists, visiting all manner of plants for nectar and pollen, while some, like Monarch butterflies, specialize in one plant. But there’s more to pollinators than first meets the eye. Let’s take a look at just a few of Michigan’s pollinator species.

Bees and butterflies

Bumblebees are some of the best pollinators in nature, their soft, fuzzy bodies perfect for “buzz pollination.” Unfortunately, many species of bumblebee are federally endangered.

Mason bees are excellent pollinators, giving a boost to fruit trees, berries and flowers. This solitary species nests in hollow stems, with the female creating as many egg chambers as she can before the end of her life cycle. In the process, she visits an enormous quantity of flowers, bringing back pollen and nectar for her brood to feast on when they emerge from their cells. Gentle and non-aggressive, these bees rarely sting.

Monarch butterflies are one of the most recognizable butterfly species, making their summer home here in Michigan. Monarch butterflies rely solely on milkweed to host their young and provide much-needed food sources. Due to a loss of habitat, the eastern Monarch population has declined by 90%, prompting an increase in conservation efforts. You can log your monarch observations with Journey North and learn how to make a monarch waystation.

Much like the monarch relies on milkweed, the tiny (and federally endangered) Karner blue butterfly hosts only on wild or blue lupine (Lupinus perennis). Karner butterflies and lupines are only found in oak barrens, pine barrens, dry sand prairies, and other open areas with sandy soil. These habitats are some of the rarest natural systems in the world, having slowly declined and becoming degraded since European settlement.

Michtell’s satyr is one of the world’s rarest butterflies and can only be found in Michigan and Indiana. The biggest threat to their continued survival is habitat loss and modification. Satyrs need a special kind of wetland habitat found in prairie fens, many of which have been altered or drained for agriculture or development, which have paved way for invasive species in those areas.

Birds

The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird found in the eastern United States. Hummingbirds are especially good pollinators of long, tubular flowers; their long tongues reach the tasty nectar and, in the process, their faces are coated in pollen, which they bring to the next flower.

Flies and wasps

Humans might find them annoying, but flies and wasps serve a vital ecological function. Besides being food for other species, they are also important pollinators.

Two-winged insects like flies, bee mimics and yes, even mosquitoes, are pollinators. While not as effective as other insects, they pollinate plants others can’t. Some plant species have evolved alongside flies, and instead of producing nectar they put out a scent like rotting meat. As flies are also natural decomposers, they find the scent of flowers like red trillium, jack-in-the-pulplit, skunk cabbage and more irresistible.

Wasps, too, are vital pollinators. In addition to acting as decomposers and prey species, wasps have miniscule hairs on their bodies, carrying pollen from plant to plant as it searches for nectar. Due to their high energy needs, wasps visit a large volume of pollen-producing plants, ensuring hearty pollination.

While any loud, buzzing insect can be frightening, most insects won’t sting without reason, so avoid nests and don’t swat at them if you can help it. 

Wind

One of the biggest pollinators is nature itself. Species that rely solely on wind pollination are usually small and inconspicuous, don’t produce nectar and don’t release a scent to attract animal pollinators. Their pollen grains are released into the air, where they’re carried to other plants by the wind.

Wind can also scatter seeds, helping beneficial plants like milkweed, but also can disperse harmful pesticides and air pollutants, which can seriously harm insect populations. 

Pollinators come in a variety of shapes, sizes and species, and many are facing challenges. Learning more about them and taking steps to help address those challenges is a key way to aid pollinator species.

Gardening for the future: How to help pollinators

One of the best ways to help pollinators now is to garden for the future; planting native species – especially perennials, which come back year after year – creates habitat for all sorts of beneficial creatures. Wherever you’re planning to install a pollinator garden, make sure you know what species will best thrive in the area you’ve chosen. Soil type and pH, light and water are key elements to note before you break ground.

Be intentional about what you plant, and plan ahead. 

Trees for bees

Native flowering trees like basswood, crabapple, catalpa and more are great nectar and pollen sources for pollinators. These trees also attract other wildlife 

Learn how to care for these beneficial and beautiful trees and how to add them to your yard or neighborhood.

Plant native

There are many resources online to help you design and install a pollinator garden, and familiarizing yourself with plants best suited for your local landscape can be immensely helpful when it’s time to visit the greenhouse.

Unfortunately, many nurseries, greenhouses and landscape companies still sell plants that are known to cause harm to local ecology. These ornamental plants are attractive but can escape from gardens and cause havoc on the surrounding habitat. Many times, they have misleading names that can cause confusion.

It’s easy to mix up species with similar names; plants like butterfly bush are often touted as great for pollinators but are actually invasive. Butterfly weed, on the other hand, is a native variety of milkweed and much better suited for pollinator gardens. If you live in an area suited for Karner blue habitat, make sure to plant blue lupine and avoid big leaf lupine, which can’t support Karner blue caterpillars. 

When looking for native species suited for your area, your local conservation district is a great place to start. Check out programs like Go Beyond Beauty dedicated to promoting native species while phasing out non-native ornamentals.

If your goal is to create a pollinator paradise, make sure you know what you’re planting! 

Become a community scientist

It can be hard to study bugs. Small, flit critters are difficult to track, especially if they’re solitary. Many species are lacking significant data, meaning we don’t really know much about them. That’s where you come in.

Databases like BeeSpotter and Bumble Bee Watch help track bee sightings and offer resources for identifying species. Other community science databases like iNaturalist can help identify and log sightings of all manner of species, especially when paired with the Seek app. 

Whether you live in the country, the city or anywhere between, here are a few things you can do right now to help pollinators and contribute to community science:

• Get involved in your local conservation district and volunteer for community science opportunities in your area. 

• Learn more about Michigan’s native species and how to identify them.

• Keep a pollinator journal.

• Download Seek and iNaturalist onto your smartphone.

• Leave your garden alone in the fall and spring – many insects overwinter in plant matter. Leave bare patches of earth, don’t rake leaves or trim back pithy-stemmed plants.

Keep an eye out for invasive species

Now that you have a good starting point for Michigan’s beneficial species, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with what to watch out for, too. 

Summer is the busy season for most creatures, including invasive species like spongy moth, box tree moth and Japanese beetle just to name a few. Many of these species are established in Michigan, meaning they’re here to stay, but it’s a good idea to know what to look out for and help mitigate their effects on local environments. While these bugs are just following their natural instincts, their presence can affect the delicate balance of ecosystems, making it harder for native species to thrive. 

Spongy moth caterpillars are emerging in some areas of the state, so know how to spot and manage them. This species is known for its defoliation, often leaving trees vulnerable to diseases and other pests, which may lead to tree mortality.

Box tree moth caterpillars feed mostly on boxwood, hence their name, and heavy infestations can defoliate host plants. Once the leaves are gone, larvae consume the bark, leading to girdling and plant death. Because there are no natural predators in Michigan, box tree moth can reach large population densities, limited only by available food sources.

Gardeners well know the sight of Japanese beetle, another prolific defoliator. Adults emerge from their grub stage in June and July, feeding on plants throughout the rest of summer. They can skeletonize leaves and flowers of ornamental plants and trees and can damage crops.

Make sure not to move firewood, too; it can transport invasive species and diseases into new areas. If you’re planning to have a fire, buy your wood locally to where you plan to burn.

Keep up to date with Michigan invasive species, including those on the watch list. If you see an invasive species that hasn’t been established, use the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) online reporting tool or download the MISIN smartphone app and report from your phone.

Want a more detailed look into invasive species? Check out the recent Showcasing the DNR story and sign up for a NotMISpecies webinar.

Find more information, including a full list of invasive species in Michigan and management practices, at Michigan.gov/Invasives.