The Pollinators

Ruby-throated hummingbird at a cardinal flower at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Credit: Bill Buchanan/USFWS

Pollinators play an essential role in the nation’s food supply chain, moving pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to fertilize the plant. Pollinators can also transfer pollen from one plant to another. In general, fertilization must occur in order for plants to produce fruit and seeds. We are dependent on bees, flies, moths and other insects and animals to help pollinate crops.

Learn more about pollinators in the pages below: