The birds and the bees, and the BioBlitz

The news hasn’t been great about the health of our pollinators, which make possible a huge number of our food products from almonds to vanilla.

The City of Newport Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a BioBlitz during September in support of the national Parks for Pollinators campaign.

During the event, community members will work with park staff and their smartphones to observe and identify pollinators and pollinator plants in the environment in and around Newport. The data will be used to provide information to help the parks department understand how to better protect pollinators and other important wildlife in the community.

An introductory event at the Newport Recreation Center from 9 am to 1 pm on Friday, Sept. 3, will arm participants with information about the project as well as plants and animals they might find on your observations.

During a BioBlitz, participants use an app called iNaturalist to see and contribute to a database of pictures of plants, insects and animals present in the area. After downloading the app, participants can search projects for “Parks4PollinatorsNEWPORT2021” to join the local project.

For more information, go to newportoregon.gov or call 541-270-4967.

• Just what is a pollinator?  It’s not just bees. Ants, beetles, butterflies, moths, flies, bats, bees, hummingbirds and even slugs can be pollinators. Any plant that does not spread pollen on the wind can be a pollinator plant. For example, conifers spread pollen on the wind, but flowering plants need pollinators.