The Texas Pollinator BioBlitz is being held through Oct. 22 by Texas Parks and Wildlife, encouraging people to photograph, record, and post pollinators such as bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and nectar-feeding bats.
The eighth annual BioBlitz is a partnership among Parks and Wildlife, the National Butterfly Center, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the National Wildlife Federation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to celebrate the importance of pollinators.
“Documented declines in insect populations, particularly pollinators, have brought to the forefront the need to better understand these species and the support they provide Texas rangelands, agriculture, and native ecosystems,” said Ross Winton, invertebrate biologist for TPWD. “Texas is home to thousands of pollinator species from the iconic monarch down to the smallest solitary bee.”
Students, citizen scientists, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages are encouraged to look for pollinators as well as nectar-producing plants, photograph or take videos of them, and share their discoveries on social media using the hashtag #TXPollinators, or on the iNaturalist mobile app.
Signup and more information are available at tpwd.texas.gov/education/bioblitz.
