Pollinator Blogs and Videos
Overwintering Pollinators
By Nancy Heinbaugh
While we are thinking of ways to thank nature for the bounty provided to us over the course of the year, understanding where and how our pollinators spend the winter months allows us to give them a helping hand to ensure their survival until springtime. Our winter gardens, mulched areas, soil and messy corners provide a safe haven for them. Read more here!
These Seven Lives
By Nancy Heinbaugh
It is October 22nd and we are at the Pollinator Preserve to host our final Pop-up Explainer Station for the season. Sharing this space and its inhabitants with our visitors is a highlight for us, as we get to talk about the worlds of plants, insects, gardening, biodiversity, and more! Read more here.
North American Native Bees: The Real Unsung Hero
By Louisa Romaine
Long before honey bees arrived in North America, over 4,400 different species of native bees were pollinating the indigenous vegetation. These bees are usually solitary creatures. They don’t live in hives, but instead build nests underground or use hollow stems or holes in trees. Read more here!
Animal and Insect Pollination
By Nancy Heinbaugh
Over 70% of plant species rely on animals or insects for pollination. These plants and trees need the ability to attract animals or insects to do their pollinating. Much effort is put into producing enticing flowers and/or scent in order to attract the pollinators, while much less effort goes into producing the small amount of necessary pollen. Read more here!
And we are the Dreamers of Dreams
By Steven Shanko, Butterfly House Intern 2021
I eagerly accepted the position as the Butterfly House Intern here at the John J. Tyler Arboretum in early March 2021, during the weeks when daylight began to extend its arms and the earth awakened from its cold sleep. My classes at Penn were being held virtually and a loose-fitting flannel and jeans were the outerwear. Read more here!
Pollen Records, Pollinators, and Climate Change
By Dr. Laura Guertin
An article was recently published by YaleEnvironment360, titled As Climate Warms, a Rearrangement of World’s Plant Life Looms (June 17, 2021). The article starts with two summary sentences: “Previous periods of rapid warming millions of years ago drastically altered plants and forests on Earth. Read more here!
Could it be More than a Dream?
By Nancy Heinbaugh
Just like many homeowners, a year of staying in and really studying my surroundings led me to consider the landscape in and near the Butterfly House at Tyler. We were facing a season where we weren’t able to share the antics of the caterpillars and butterflies in this space with our visitors. Read more here!
An Uncertain Future
By Nancy Heinbaugh
What is it about the monarch butterfly that fascinates so many people? The answer likely lies in the annual autumn migration that has been ongoing for millennia. Monarchs fly from as far north as Canada to a forest in Central Mexico each fall. Read more here!