Pollinator Survey
On April 6th, Danielle, Paige, and Matson Mattocks volunteer Roger participated in a pollinator survey with Dr. Lora Morandin at the Matson Conservation Area. Dr. Lora Morandin is a lead biologist and pollinator specialist for Pollinator Partnership Canada. She has been doing research on bees and pollination since 1997!
Lora took surveys of two sites to understand the population density of pollinators at Matson. She also used quadrats to determine the flowering plant diversity to understand the relationships between plants and pollinators!
Fun fact: Meadow Death camas (Zigadenus venenosus) has a very special relationship with the mining bee (Andrena astragali), that is one of the few pollinators that visits death camas species.
Learn more about pollinators
A pollinator is an animal that helps many plants reproduce through pollination. This includes bees, hummingbirds, beetles, flies, wasps, and many more! Check out our Pollinator Stewardship Guide to learn more.
Island Pollinator Initiative has a wonderful pollinator webinar series where you can discover why bees and other pollinators are so important, common misconceptions that are hindering conservation, how to create and maintain habitat (with specific information for Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands), how to maximize benefits through outreach and education, and how to observe and monitor pollinators. Each webinar features local experts.
Pollinator week is coming up in June 20-26! Pollinator week is an annual celebration in support of pollinator health that was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership.
What can you do to help?
A great way to support pollinator conservation is to take photos of pollinators and record your observations using iNaturalist. iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help learn more about nature where you can record your own observations and get help with identifications. You can use this app anywhere, but we encourage you to visit Matson Conservation Area to record your observations! Now is a great time as the spring blooms are becoming more abundant!
Participate in Pollinator week, coming up in June 20-26! Pollinator week is an annual celebration in support of pollinator health that was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership.