Welcome to Wisconsin Pollinators
Wisconsin Pollinators is a comprehensive resource to Wisconsin native pollinators including bees, butterflies and birds. There is a catalog of Wisconsin native plants and flower garden plants to create your own pollinator habitat.
Why are pollinators important? Approximately three quarters of the world’s major food crops require or benefit from animal pollination. This includes many fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, currants, plums, apples, sweet cherries, pears, watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, squashes, and tomatoes. Pollinators also are beneficial for seed production in crops such as carrot, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and many herbs.
How do I attract and support native pollinators? Recent declines in honeybee populations have gained much attention, but there also have been notable declines in some native bees, including many species of bumblebees. Local populations of all types of bees can be supported by cultivating flowering plants, providing nesting sites, and eliminating the use of pesticides.
Please Help Native Pollinators
Ask the Wisconsin Dept of Transportation to replace the planting of non-native grasses with pollinator-friendly native plants along Wisconsin roadways. Provide a corridor for Bees, Butterflies and Birds to move through the State and restore the natural beauty of our roadways.
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Lake Michigan Warming: Climate Threats
You don’t expect to see 75- or even 80-degree water in the Great Lakes in early July or, in most years, anytime. But an exceptionally hot weather pattern has pushed water temperatures in most of the lakes to the highest levels on record so early in the summer. Over lakes Erie and Ontario, the water is the warmest it has been since records began being kept, and could warm more in the coming weeks.
Wisconsin Beekeeping Clubs
Joining a beekeeping club or association is a great way to learn more about bees and beekeeping. It is extremely useful to join a local beekeeping group. It is invaluable to meet other experienced beekeepers.
YIKES! Invasive Jumping Worms
Jumping worms grow more rapidly, reproduce more quickly and consume more nutrients than other earthworms in the State. Once jumping worms become established, they quickly transform soil into dry, granular pellets with a texture like discarded coffee grounds.