The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
annual
Texas Pollinator BioBlitz 2024
October 11 – 27, 2024
“The Texas Pollinator BioBlitz is important because it helps to educate the public about the importance of pollinators and the need to protect them. Pollinators are vital for biodiversity and ecosystem services, and they support food security for humans. Here are some reasons why the Texas Pollinator BioBlitz is important:
Educates the public
The Texas Pollinator BioBlitz teaches the public about pollinators and why they are important to protect.
Helps scientists
Participants in the Texas Pollinator BioBlitz help scientists by sharing their observations.
Promotes citizen science
The Texas Pollinator BioBlitz encourages participants to participate in citizen science by observing and tracking pollinators.
Helps identify pollinators
Participants can learn how to use their phones to identify pollinators in their area.
Promotes habitat protection
The Texas Pollinator BioBlitz aims to provide pollinators with the habitat they need."
You’ll be surprised at the number of pollinators but first be sure to register at this link so you get fun daily challenges during the BioBlitz: https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/bioblitz
When you open the link, click on the blue word, Register, at the top of the page.
Pollinator BioBlitz participants observe and identify pollinators.
All ages and abilities are encouraged to find pollinators and nectar-producing plants, take photos, and share with friends!
Share observations by posting a photo or video to Instagram, iNaturalist, or the Facebook event page.
Pollinator observation challenges and informative links will be emailed to all registered participants regularly to add to the fun.”
I registered so I can get the fun list of daily challenges – they’re like a good treasure hunt that you can do on your own or with others – together or geographically distant.
I post my observations to www.iNaturalist.org. If you’re not signed up, do so. It’s fun, it’s easy.
Once registered on iNaturalist, or already registered, log in and “join” the project at this link
Read about the project in the green box at the top and click on the “join."
Check out the Project Requirements in the middle of the large white space, that long list of all the exciting species that count as pollinators, including flowering plants as well as winged creatures and crawly things, like cuckoo wasps, superfamily Chrysidoidea. Seriously, there are cuckoo wasps; one visited my moth sheet last month. Cuckoo wasps are important pollinators.
Here are some of the other pollinators to find, photograph and include in the BioBlitz:
June bugs and scarabs are essential pollinators. They feed on nectar and pollen. Other beetles include longhorn, leaf, soldier, tumbling flower beetles and click beetles like the Texas eyed click beetle on the right, below with a chafer bug and scarab.
Ichneumon wasps, including Enicospilus wasps are pollinators. "They are able to pollinate plants by clambering across multiple flowers in a single visit," according to the website beyondpesticides.org, "a nonprofit organization promoting a world free of toxic pesticides." I liked their use of the word clambering, so I took their exact wording and credited them.
Tarantula hawk wasps pollinate different milkweed species, including our local zizotes, Asclepias oenotheroides, as well as other flowers and flowering trees. I did some interesting research in 2017 about the tarantula hawk wasp. Check out an old “Anita’s Blog” posting and scroll down to the wasp section at this link:
Since then, I’ve photographed tarantula hawk wasps in my yard – phone camera close – but always in a stance ready to flee. It seems the wasps are single minded when feeding, and I surely count on that, but don’t take my word for it. Proceed with caution around these big wasps. Last year, a tarantula hawk wasp spent a couple of days at a rotting bunch of bananas that had fallen to the ground. Below photo, left and center, tarantula hawk wasps, at right, an interrupted spider wasp
Flies are amazingly beautiful. Check out the Aschizan flies and lanternflies groups, just to see all their amazing colors. Click on the scientific name and go to “View More” at the two examples here: Aschizan Flies Zoosection Aschiza and Lanternflies Family Fulgoridae
I’m always thrilled when I can get sharply focused photographs of soldier and robber flies. There are also sawflies, horntails, wood wasps and deer flies. Of the deer flies, only male deer flies feed on nectar and pollen and are pollinators, female deer flies feed on blood. Below from right, Chrysops flavidus deer fly, Poecilanthrax lucifera bee fly and Odontomyia cincta, a soldier fly.
Lacewings and mantidflies are pollinators. Mantises don’t seem to be included in the BioBlitz list, although a quick artificial intelligence search claims that praying mantises are pollinators. I have a question in to one of the project's administrators to see if mantises are included. Some mantidflies are casual pollinators; they are more closely related to lacewings than mantises. Below left, a four-spotted green lacewing, center, Chrysopodes collaris (a lacewing), right, and a four-spotted mantidfly.
Hummingbirds – if you don’t have a Turk’s cap, Malvaviscus drummondii, shrub, buy one that’s flowering, plant it where it will get the best visibility (from you) and watch the hummingbirds partake of the nectar whilst pollinating the flowers.
New World Orioles are pollinators on the list. Our locals count, like the hooded orioles, as do those passing through. They eat nectar and pollen from flowers. As they feed, their head gets dusted with pollen and in turn, transfers pollen from flower to flower. Albeit accidentally, due to their messy nectar-feeding habits.
Gnats – yes, those pesky things are pollinators, if you can imagine – good luck photographing gnats and thrips.
Lady beetles are pollinators – always. No matter their color. Below, ashy gray, spotted pink and cactus Lady beetles.
And of course, moths and butterflies. Below, from left, a beautiful Tyrissa multilinea moth from this morning's moth sheet, the interesting Texas wasp moth (an amazing mimic) and at right, a white peacock butterfly.
Check the list out for yourself. Now might be a good time to buy a black light bulb, hang a cheap white sheet and try your luck at a moth sheet set up to attract moths, night flying insects and other pollinators. Our chapter Webmaster, Joseph Connors, has a great tutorial about easy moth sheet set ups. The black light attracts much more than moths. Check it out here:
Below is a photo of my current set up. A white sheet stretched over 2 X 4 frame 4 feet by 3 ¾ feet. Two large eye hooks at the center top on the back frame allow me to bungy-cord it around the palm tree. A pre-digital era camera tripod holds three shop clamp lights, metal reflectors removed. For more ideas, Google: moth sheet setup
The Texas Pollinator BioBlitz runs for 17 days. The observations and prospective data collected during the BioBlitz are important to Texas. Sometime during that 17-day period -- October 11-27 -- every Texas Master Naturalist should try to commit to make a date with him or herself to spend a few minutes, an hour, or half a day or more wandering outdoors and contributing to the project. You never know, you might discover a new hobby.
All Texas residents are encouraged to get involved. It just might be an initial step to point you toward becoming a Texas Master Naturalist. If so, check out our Website at www.stbctmn.org
to see how to sign up for the next training class.
If nothing else, spending time in nature is good for your health, whether in your own yard, in the midst of McAllen or other Valley cities, or in the countryside or our local nature parks and preserves, being in nature clears the mind, lowers stress, improves cognitive function and allows for creative problem solving. You can’t go wrong.
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