General Pollinators
Q What is most likely to pollinate a pale flower that releases a sweet scent in the evening?
A: Butterfly
B: Fly
C: Moth
D: Beetle
C: Moths! They make great pollinators with their furry bodies.
Q: What is the host plant of the Monarch butterfly?
A: Goldenrod
B: Milkweed
C: Low-bush Blueberry
D: Lupine
B: Milkweed! The Monarch caterpillars depend on the Milkweed plant for nutrition and protection.
Q: How many native bee species have been recorded in Maine?
A: 12
B: 48
C: 187
D: 278
D: We have 278 native bee species just in Maine alone! It’s often forgotten that there are many more species than just the European Honeybee. There’s over 4,000 native bee species in North America.
Q: How can you tell the difference between a fly and a bee? Contrary to flies, bees have:
A: A thorax
B: 6 legs
C: 2 pairs of wings
D: Yellow coloration
C: 2 pairs of wings. Flies only have one pair of wings, not two! Some flies, especially the syrphid flies, are great bee mimics and pollinators. One sure way to figure out if it’s a fly or a bee is to count its wings.
Q: How many eggs does a Monarch butterfly lay per Milkweed plant?
A: 20
B: 4
C: 1
D: 40
C:1! In good conditions, Monarch butterflies will only lay 1 egg per plant! They lay 100-300 eggs per day, so they need a lot of milkweed for their populations to survive.
Q: Are native bees usually solitary or social?
A: Solitary
B: Social
A: About 90% of North American native bees are solitary! The solitary female bees lay their eggs in dead trees, leaf litter, or the ground.
Q: What pollinates Jack in the Pulpit and Skunk Cabbage in Acadia? (Hint: Both release a decaying fungus smell)
A: Butterflies
B: Moths
C: Bats
D: Flies
D: Flies (especially fungus gnats) are attracted to these stinky plants and accidently take part in pollination.
T or F: All moths are nocturnal (active during the night)
False! Most moths are nocturnal but there are species of diurnal (day-active) moths. Here at Acadia, you might see a Black and Yellow Lichen moth or a Clearwing moth during the day.
Q: What are the “oldest” and most abundant pollinators?
A: Moths
B: Beetles
C: Flies
D: Bees
B: Fossil records show that beetles were around about 200 million years ago and were the first flower pollinators. Many beetles still pollinate today. It may seem crazy, but beetles make up 22% of all known species. All together, amphibians, mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish only make up 1%.
What can you do to help pollinators?
A. Build a Pollinator House
B. Plant Native Flowers
C. Don't Pick Flowers
D.All of the Above
D. All of the above!
Q: About how many species of moths are there in North America?
A: 150
B: 900
C: 3,500
D: 11,000
D: 11,000 in North America alone- 135,000 worldwide! Butterflies and moths are in the same order (Lepidoptera), but 90% of those species are moths.
Do Beetles have 4 wings?
Yes or No
Yes! All beetles have two sets of wings (4 total) – their body is covered by a hard shell (called an elytra) that protects the thin wings underneath that are used for flying.