Pollinators and Crocus
With spring on its way, early blossoms begin to poke up through the cold dirt, serving as early food for our pollinators. Crocus, a genus of flowering plants from the iris family, is one of the first bloomers seen on campus in March. In total, there are about 75 species of crocus. Crocus has a single, cup-shaped flower that arises from a long tube. The flower is composed of six petals usually lilac, white, mauve, or yellow in color depending on the species. Their habitat consists of alpine meadows, rocky mountain sides, scrublands, and woodlands but they can be found in the lawns of many of the houses here in the student neighborhood.
Crocus itself is not a native species to North America however, it attracts a large variety of native pollinators. Since crocus are some of the earliest blooms, pollinators that come out of hibernation depend on this flower for food. The flowers provide nectar and pollen for bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies, flies, and many other pollinators in the area.
Can you find crocus on campus? What pollinators do you see visiting these flowers? Spend some time getting to know these flowers and the pollinators that come to visit them in early spring. Show us what pollinators you spot on the early blooms of spring.
Check out these pictures of pollinators on crocus species!
https://images.freeimages.com/images/large-previews/307/bee-on-crocus-1-1369801.jpg
https://centretownbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/McGuire-Solitary_Mining_Bee-rotated.jpg
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