Bees, Birds And Bats

COMMENTARY

• Bees needs
  • Prefer hollow stems, dead wood or open soil for nesting
  • Need pollen rich desert adapted flowers like desert lavender and marigolds
• Birds species including hummingbirds
  • Hummingbirds prefer red tubular flowers such as ocotillo, lady slipper and surprisingly eat insects and spiders
  • Popular desert-adapted low-water heat tolerant flowers for pollinators include desert lavender, marigolds and wolfberries
• Bats
  • Nocturnal pollinators attracted to night-blooming plants: Yucca, agave and saguaro
  • They rest in tree hollows or sheltered areas
• Events at Boyce Thompson include bat netting and bi-annual plant sales of arid adapted plants to attract pollinators

RESOURCE

• Boyce Thompson Events Calendar

Pollinators At Desert Botanical Gardens

GUEST

• Natalie Melkonoff/Plant & Insect Ecology Program Manager – Desert Botanical Gardens

COMMENTARY

• The Great Milkweed Grow Out program focuses on monarch and pollinator conservation
• Milkweed is the primary plant for monarch and queen butterfly life cycles
  • Supports egg laying
  • Food for caterpillars
• Monarchs exhibit unique winter breeding behavior in the Phoenix low desert
• The Gardens offer community events including yoga, art classes and night meditations

RESOURCE

• The Desert Refuge Program Monarchs & Milkweeds In Arizona

More Bat Facts

COMMENTARY

• Arizona ranks second nationally in bat diversity hosting 29 species
• The Underwood Mastiff bat has a wingspan of 22 inches
• Bats are the only true flying mammals and can fly at speeds up to 100 mph using echolocation to hunt
• Bat guano is “guano gold,” a fertilizer high in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
• Bat houses can attract bats for natural pest control and pollination.