We often forget that insects are not the only pollinators needed to help keep our natural world alive. Birds and other mammals also play a crucial role in pollinating flowers and fruits/vegetables. In fact, without these pollinators many of the plants that we love would not be able to survive, especially since 90% of plant species need help with pollinating.
Of all the bird species, hummingbirds are actually the most ideal for pollination. Since they feed often, they are able to pollinate rapidly and on a larger scale than many other pollinators. This has led many flowers to actually evolve to attract hummingbirds better, so that they can take advantage of this very active pollinator. Over time, flowers will develop more vibrant colors or produce longer, tubular blooms to collect more nectar.
So, hummingbirds are a very popular pollinator and many flowers adapt to be better pollinated by hummingbirds, but how exactly does this pollination even work?
There are two main ways that a humming bird can pollinate, and that is by knocking the pollen loose in a flower, or by transferring it to a different flower. When a hummingbird is feeding off the nectar of a flower, they can sometimes bump into the pollen causing it to detach from the flower and pollinate it. This could also be done by the wind generated from a hummingbird's wings. The other route is that the hummingbird could pick up pollen from one flower and transfer it to another flower that it feeds from, thus pollinating the flower.
Hummingbird’s have a big appetite, and they feed approximately 5-8 times per hour, so it’s no wonder that they play a huge role in pollination. They visit countless flowers throughout the day, and help increase pollination, which in turns helps cultivate a vibrant natural world. This is just one of the many species that is crucial for pollination, and I hope that you will stick with us as we continue to talk about pollinators this month!
- Edible Landscape Initiative Team
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