Finding Pollinators Around the World

Pollinators Around the World
Since our team is composed of people from around the world who love travelling, we thought it would be fun to share the different pollinators they've spotted during their adventures.

Monarch Butterfly

Danaus plexippus
Wisconsin, USA

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), Wisconsin’s state butterfly, are a common sight in Southern Wisconsin from mid-May to late October. Known for their vibrant orange and black wings, Monarchs are most famous for their remarkable annual migration. Each Fall, they travel about 4,023 kilometres from Wisconsin to central Mexico to reach their wintering grounds (World Wildlife Fund). This migration is one of the longest insect journeys, highlighting the resilience and strength of Monarch butterflies.

Monarch caterpillars, the early stage of these butterflies, feed on milkweed leaves and grow rapidly before entering the pupa stage  (MonarchWatch). After about two weeks, the caterpillar forms a chrysalis, where the transformation into a butterfly occurs. Metamorphosis is a stunning natural process, as the caterpillar emerges as a fully formed butterfly after its time in the chrysalis. All butterflies go through this metaphorical process. 

Monarch butterflies rely exclusively on milkweed plants (genus Asclepias) for feeding and laying their eggs. Milkweed contains toxic cardiac glycosides, which Monarch caterpillars store in their bodies, making them and adult butterflies toxic to predators. While Monarchs use milkweed for sustenance, they do not contribute to its pollination, as they avoid placing their legs inside the sticky flowers. Monarchs do pollinate many types of wildflowers. Carpenter bees play a key role in pollinating milkweed, ensuring the plant’s reproduction when Monarchs do not. 
While Monarchs are native to North America, their reach extends globally. Monarchs are known to migrate to Australia for approximately six weeks during the summer. They are commonly found along the East Coast from Queensland to South and Southwestern Australia (Backyard Buddies). Their adaptability and migratory instincts allow them to thrive in different regions, making them one of the most widely recognised butterflies in the world.

Red Milkweed Beetle

Tetraopes tetrophthalmus
Missouri, USA

The red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) is a striking and essential pollinator. Known for its vibrant red colour and unique biology, these beetles also feed on milkweed. Along with other insects, red milkweed beetles play a key role in milkweed pollination by transferring pollen as they move from plant to plant. They are found primarily in the Great Plains, Midwest and Northeastern states of the USA. The beetle's name, tetrophthalmus, means "four-eyed” (BugGuide). Each of the red milkweed beetle's compound eyes is divided by its antennae, giving the appearance of four eyes rather than two. 

Red Milkweed Beetles are known for their ability to communicate through sound (UWM). When threatened, they emit a high-pitched noise to deter predators, and they produce a ‘purring’ sound during social interactions, possibly during courtship or when interacting with other beetles. This form of acoustic communication adds to their intriguing behaviours. 

In mid-summer, female red milkweed beetles lay their eggs in clusters at the base of milkweed plants, typically near the stem and either on or just below the surface of the soil. After the eggs hatch, the larvae bore into the stem and make their way down to the plant's roots, where they will stay over winter. During this stage, the larvae feed on the roots, staying hidden underground throughout the colder months. As spring approaches, the larvae pupate, completing their metamorphosis, and emerge as adult beetles in early summer. This cyclical life process ensures the continued presence of these beetles during the warmer months when milkweed is most abundant.

Broad-Handed Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa latipes
Bali, Indonesia

Another beautiful pollinator spotted by a PlantingSeeds member was the broad-handed carpenter bee (Xylocopa latipes). This unique and striking bee was found in Bali, Indonesia. With its bold presence and shimmering wings, the broad-handed carpenter bee stands out as a fascinating species in the tropical landscape.

The broad-handed carpenter bee is a large, solitary species of carpenter bee found widely across South-east Asia. It is particularly known for its ability to burrow into wood, creating long tunnels in dead or decaying trees, wooden rafters, and telephone poles (iNaturalist). However, it avoids living trees. Coming from the same family as honeybees and bumblebees (family Apidae), this species is easily recognised by its robust size, shiny black body, and metallic blue-green or purple wings that shimmer in sunlight. Though not the largest bee in the world, broad-handed carpenter bees rank among the largest, with a loud, low-pitched buzz that can be heard as they move between flowers or return to their favoured perches.

Broad-handed carpenter bees play a significant role in pollination, particularly in the pollination of passionfruit flowers (Passiflora edulis flavicarpa). In the Philippines, they are even used commercially, as their foraging rhythms are synchronised with the blooming patterns of passionfruit flowers.


Buff-Tailed Bumblebee

Bombus terrestris
Dublin, Ireland

This buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) was spotted in a garden in Dublin, Ireland. The buff-tailed bumblebee, also known as the large earth bumblebee, is one of Europe's most prominent bumblebee species and is easily recognised due to its distinct physical traits (Wikipedia). 

These bees emerge in early spring and are often spotted in gardens, grasslands, and urban areas across the United Kingdom. Populations of buff-tailed bumblebees have also been observed in the Near East, the Mediterranean islands, and Northern Africa.

Buff-tailed bumblebees are the largest of their kind, with a distinctive appearance that includes a yellow collar near the head and another on the abdomen (The Wildlife Trust). The queen’s buff-coloured tail contrasts with the almost white tails of the worker bees, making it easy to confuse them with the white-tailed bumblebee. Buff-tailed bumblebees emerge in early spring, taking advantage of the blooming flowers around them. They particularly favour open, daisy-like flowers, where they can easily access nectar with their short tongues. Their social structure allows them to form colonies that can consist of up to 600 bees, often nesting underground in abandoned rodent dens or other suitable sites.

Pale Swallowtail Butterfly

Papilio eurymedon
Glacier National Park, USA

This Pale Swallowtail, also known as the Pallid Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon), is a relatively common butterfly found throughout much of the Western United States (iNaturalist). Its range extends along the Pacific coast from Northern Baja, California to Southern British Columbia, and it can be seen inland as far east as New Mexico and the Black Hills of South Dakota. The butterfly is prevalent from the coastlines to the mountainous regions of Western Montana, Wyoming, and Northern New Mexico.

The Pale Swallowtail thrives in open woodlands and forest clearings, especially near permanent water sources like ponds. It can also be found in urban parks and, on occasion, in suburban areas. Pale Swallowtails feed on a variety of host plants, including shrubs and small trees like ceanothus, alder, cascara, and buckthorn (Butterflies of Oregon).

Pale Swallowtails are often spotted in large numbers at ‘puddling’ parties, where groups of a dozen or more males gather to sip nutrients from damp soil. These gatherings provide essential minerals that help in the mating process. 

Red Dwarf Honey Bee

Apis florea
Bangkok, Thailand

The red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea) is a small species of wild honey bee native to Southern and South-Eastern Asia. The species spans across Asia and parts of Africa, with populations concentrated in countries like Thailand, India, China, and the Middle East (iNaturalist). 

One distinctive behaviour of the red dwarf honey bee is its method of selecting a new nesting site. These bees combine dance communication with auditory signals, allowing them to quickly coordinate their movements,

which is uncommon among bees. After foraging scouts identify potential sites, they perform specific dances to indicate direction. What makes this behaviour so unique is the rapid consensus achieved through piping sounds produced by the bees. These sounds prompt the entire swarm to relocate swiftly and efficiently.

The red dwarf honey bee’s foraging behaviour is unique as it often builds combs on lower branches of trees and bushes, away from direct sunlight. The bees use these open-comb platforms to communicate important foraging information to other members of the colony through dance. Due to their small size, Red Dwarf Honey bees require more time to forage, as they can only carry limited amounts of pollen or nectar. However, their high mobility and long foraging durations allow them to cover large areas, ensuring they collect enough nutrients for the colony. This extended foraging time is seen as beneficial due to the access it provides to rich food sources, making their efforts worthwhile despite the increased energy expenditure.

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