{"id":14000,"date":"2020-05-20T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=14000"},"modified":"2021-04-02T18:01:26","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T22:01:26","slug":"climate-change-and-pollinators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/climate-change-and-pollinators\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change Disrupts Pollinator Buzz and Bustle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every spring our world blossoms with life: melodious bird song accompanies the bursts of growth in our plants, flowers, and trees. As our backyards and neighborhoods fill with bright colors and vivid aromas, a special group of animals work behind-the-scenes to ensure the survival of our flora: pollinators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Hairy-banded Andrena<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are Pollinators?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pollinators are animals that help plants reproduce by spreading pollen, a powdery material that fertilizes plants. By doing so, pollinators conserve and propagate the plants we have in our backyard and <\/em>the plants we depend on for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the US Department of Agriculture, over 75% of the world\u2019s flowering plants and about 35% of all food we eat require pollinators to reproduce! The busy-bodies behind these plants’ survival include birds, bees, bats, and even beetles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While pollinators have been supporting our lives for years and ensuring our local ecosystems thrive, they need our help now more than ever. Many species of pollinators are experiencing dramatic declines to their populations. For instance, three species of bumblebees in the eastern US have experienced a 90% decline<\/a> over the last 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change only heightens and multiplies other environmental threats such as pesticide use, habitat degradation, and the spread of non-native, invasive plants \u2013 here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warming Temperatures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Climate change gradually increases the overall temperature both around the world and in Massachusetts. To try and accommodate for shifting temperatures, many species have to scramble towards new habitats that meet their environmental needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, some pollinators (like bees<\/a>) are not as good at dealing with a warming world through such adaptations. When animals are stuck in unsuitable environments, many of their critical behaviors are negatively altered. Mating and reproduction are a few pollinator behaviors impacted by warming temperatures and inability to adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, parasites, diseases, or predators that require generally warmer environments to survive are now moving upwards to Massachusetts as the state\u2019s overall temperatures increases. Studies suggest that gut parasite Nosema ceranae<\/em><\/a> has shown to infect honey bees at higher rates during warmer temperatures, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier Springs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Climate change disrupts weather patterns across the world. In Massachusetts, that means shorter and milder winters and earlier springs. As climate change affects our seasons, flowers and plants are now blooming earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These plants, and their pollen, are a food source for pollinators and critical to their survival. Earlier springs means the timing of when plants produce pollen and when pollinators are ready to consume pollen might not align.  Pollinators can therefore have less access to food or might completely miss out on their food source because of shifting seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we can help<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now, it\u2019s our turn to protect our pollinators the same way they\u2019ve protected our ecosystems and plants! We can come together and fight climate change by reducing and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions so our pollinators survive, thrive, and continue their hard work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
When we act on climate change together, we can make an impact and protect the people and wildlife we love. Ruby-throated Hummingbird \u00a9<\/em> Kris Quinn<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sign up for our newsletter.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our world needs nature heroes, and we can fight climate change together. Sign up for our newsletter<\/a>, Climate Connection, to learn more about climate information, solutions, and community action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant a pollinator garden.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting a pollinator garden not only beautifies your yard and provides food for existing pollinators, it also fights climate change. Plants are carbon sinks: meaning they can soak up carbon dioxide, a common greenhouse gas, like a sponge. A garden, therefore, can be one of nature\u2019s climate-fighting tools. Learn how to plant a native pollinator garden to fight climate change.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every spring our world blossoms with life: melodious bird song accompanies the bursts of growth in our plants, flowers, and trees. As our backyards and neighborhoods fill with bright colors and vivid aromas, a special group of animals work behind-the-scenes to ensure the survival of our flora: pollinators. What are Pollinators? Pollinators are animals that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":14001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[178],"tags":[246,150,255],"class_list":["post-14000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","tag-climate-action","tag-climate-change","tag-pollinators"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/05\/IMG_8538.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3DO","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15439,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-native-plants-that-pollinators-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":14000,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Native Plants that Pollinators Love","author":"Ryan D.","date":"April 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It's not an exaggeration to say that the biodiversity of our entire ecosystem depends on pollinators. Animals like birds, bees, bats, butterflies, moths, and other insects feed on plants, and in doing so, help 80% of the world's plant species reproduce. Over the last few decades, pollinator populations have declined\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gardening"","block_context":{"text":"Gardening","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/gardening\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Milkweed \u00a9 Laura Ferraguto","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15948,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-pollinator-power\/","url_meta":{"origin":14000,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Pollinator Power","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It's National Pollinator Week! This is a time to celebrate pollinators and raise awareness about how to protect them. So what are pollinators? Pollinators are creatures that help plants reproduce by spreading\u00a0a powdery material called pollen among flowers of the same species when the sticky pollen attaches to their bodies\u2014many\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hummingbird Clearwing Moth on beebalm \u00a9 Lynne Harding","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/5643Lynne_Harding27773-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/5643Lynne_Harding27773-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/5643Lynne_Harding27773-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/5643Lynne_Harding27773-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7281,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/six-native-plants-to-grow-for-pollinators\/","url_meta":{"origin":14000,"position":2},"title":"Six Native Plants to Grow for Pollinators","author":"Hillary T.","date":"March 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"One major way to help pollinators thrive\u2014and beautify an outdoor space\u2014is to plant a native pollinator garden. Here are six native plants to grow for pollinators.","rel":"","context":"In "Gardening"","block_context":{"text":"Gardening","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/gardening\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/flowers_Red-Columbine_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/flowers_Red-Columbine_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/flowers_Red-Columbine_sm.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9370,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/protecting-pollinators\/","url_meta":{"origin":14000,"position":3},"title":"Protecting Pollinators","author":"Hillary T.","date":"June 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Mass Audubon has made it a priority to protect and promote pollinators\u2019 health. A rapid decline in pollinators like\u00a0bees,\u00a0birds,\u00a0butterflies, and\u00a0bats\u00a0is threatening biodiversity both globally and here at home. \u00a0The thousands of plant-pollinator interactions that sustain our food supply and natural environment are under threat by multiple, interacting factors including habitat\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Involved"","block_context":{"text":"Get Involved","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-involved\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/06\/kforesto_Tidmarsh-9256.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/06\/kforesto_Tidmarsh-9256.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/06\/kforesto_Tidmarsh-9256.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17525,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/ditch-the-lawnmower-this-spring\/","url_meta":{"origin":14000,"position":4},"title":"Ditch the Lawnmower This Spring","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"May 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Studies show that letting grass grow longer increases the abundance and diversity of native insects, so a change in how we approach mowing helps our native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators get a good start to the season. Fostering early growth allows flowers to fully bloom, letting native plants like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/05\/0074_FarmTrekkers_074-1200x800-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/05\/0074_FarmTrekkers_074-1200x800-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/05\/0074_FarmTrekkers_074-1200x800-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/05\/0074_FarmTrekkers_074-1200x800-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/05\/0074_FarmTrekkers_074-1200x800-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12683,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/dont-ditch-the-dandelions\/","url_meta":{"origin":14000,"position":5},"title":"Don’t Ditch the Dandelions!","author":"Ryan D.","date":"May 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Before you mow them down or, worse, reach for the herbicide, you might want to consider giving the dandelions in your yard a second chance. How They Got Here The ubiquitous dandelions that pop up in our yards this time of year are actually native to Europe and Asia. They\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dandelions \u00a9 Mass Audubon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/DSC_0010.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/DSC_0010.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/DSC_0010.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/05\/DSC_0010.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14000"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15455,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14000\/revisions\/15455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}