Article and photo by kristy morley, senior naturalist
Name a pollinator. Any pollinator. Did butterflies come to mind, or maybe bees? What about flies or beetles? Probably not, but what we tend to think of as pests, are surprisingly important pollinators.
Flies visit flowers to drink nectar and eat pollen, and in the process collect pollen on their heads and bodies that is transferred to other flowers as they forage. Flies have a few advantages over bees where pollination is concerned.
Flies will feed in temperatures that are cooler than bees will tolerate, and they don’t mind flying in the rain. Flies also tend to have ranges that are much larger than bees, allowing a broader spread of pollen in the environment. The larval stages of flies are also beneficial in a garden, feeding on aphids and other pests.
Researchers have found that flies may give bees a run for their money when it comes to pollinating crops like avocados, mangos, leeks, and carrots!
Beetles make up a quarter of all animal species, with almost 400,000 species worldwide! Fossil records show that beetles were abundant when dinosaurs walked the earth. Around 100 million years ago, flowering plants appeared, and since bees and butterflies took another 20 to 30 million years to arrive, beetles were likely the first pollinators of these ancient plants.
Today, this history can be seen in the forests of the Wissahickon Valley. Tulip trees, members of the magnolia family, are a common tree in our area and are descendants of those ancient plants. Tulip trees (and other magnolias) are pollinated almost exclusively by a variety of beetles. Beetles are also pollinators of spicebush, crab apples, and goldenrod.
So put away that flyswatter! Next time you are on the trails or in a preserve, take some time to appreciate the flies and beetles you see. In your yard, plant native plants, eliminate the use of chemicals, and offer habitat, such as leaf litter or decaying logs, to provide for the needs of these underappreciated pollinators.
