Since 2019, UGA Extension, in collaboration with the Center for Urban Agriculture, has host the Great Georgia Pollinator Census. Last year’s census was a huge success, with 3,755 citizen scientists participating in 124 counties across the state. This year, you can be a citizen scientist, too, and join the fun, August 20 and 21.
The goals of the Great Georgia Pollinator Census are simple: create sustainable pollinator habitats across our state, to increase citizen entomological literacy, and generate useful pollinator related data to be used in future research. Pollinators, such as bees, butterflies and other insects are vital to our eco system. Over 80% of flowering plants rely on pollinators for reproduction. Seeds, nuts, fruits, and berries produced from pollination are used by a vast array of wildlife for food, and pollinators themselves are also an important food source for other animal and insect species.
For homeowners, children and even avid gardeners, it is important learn the difference between “good and bad bugs.” Its important to know that even some of our least favorite garden visitors, such as carpenter bees and wasps, help to pollinate our flowers and fruits! Evening garden visitors such as moths and bats, are also hard at work pollinating after the sun goes down.
Pollinator awareness, as well as creating pollinator friendly spaces in the home landscape, is one way to ensure pollinators continue to provide such a vital service to our environment. A pollinator friendly space is a great way to introduce gardening to kids or inexperienced gardeners. It can be as simple as a few square feet of wildflowers left to do what nature will do. Zinnia, Cosmos and Coreopsis are a great choice for seeds. Avoid spraying any insecticide, leave leaf litter for pollinators to use as nesting material and leave seed heads for birds to use later in the year.
Participating in the census is easy! Simply count bee, butterfly and insect visits for 15 minutes on just one plant, on either August 20 or 21. Finally, enter your information on the Georgia Pollinator Census website once your finish. That’s it! It is a great activity for children of all ages, and can be reproduced in classroom settings or at home! Resources for participating in the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, such as counting sheets, helpful instructional videos or tools for teachers, can be found on the census website. (https://ggapc.org/) This year, Paulding County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers are hosting a counting event at the UGA Extension-Paulding County office. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., August 20, you can join fellow citizen scientists to participate in the count! All counting materials will be provided, and data will be uploaded by volunteers. Just show up and count! If you have questions about pollinator-friendly gardening or how you can learn more or use the pollinator census in your classroom, contact the UGA Extension-Paulding County Office today
The author of this article, Christen Thomas, is the Paulding UGA Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Assistant and MGEV Coordinator. Master Gardener Extension Volunteers are trained to provide education for homeowners on horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information from the University of Georgia. For more information, contact University of Georgia Cooperative Extension in Paulding County to speak with a Master Gardener or County Extension Agent at 770-443-7616 or view our online resources at www.ugaextension.org/paulding.
