We hope you’ve been out spotting wild pollinators in your local area over the summer!
The autumn count is fast approaching (one week to go!). So if you participated in the spring 2017 count, this is your chance to see what’s changed in your backyard.
The next count runs from 8-15 April 2018 – same rules apply, watch a flower for 10 minutes on a warm sunny day and tell us what you see via the form on our website.
Our last autumn count in April 2016 collected over 200 observations from 86 localities across the eastern and southern states. But in spring 2016, we extended our records to Western Australia too. Hopefully we will get some observations from the Northern Territory this year!
Autumn is the season for winding down and preparing for the winter hibernation. And it’s an important season for pollinators. Many insect pollinator species are provisioning their last nest cells or laying their last eggs before winter. So plants that flower in autumn can be important resources for the next generation of pollinators we will see in spring.
If you’re not sure what is flowering in your local area, start scouting for potential flowers to observe now. With lots of rain in some parts of the country over summer and early autumn, you may be surprised at what plants are enjoying a renewed burst of colour!
If you can’t contribute this time round, the national count is on again in the second full week (Sunday to Sunday) in November and April every year.
Wild Pollinator Count starts this weekend, on Sunday November 13. You can do a pollinator count in your backyard or local park any time until next Sunday November 20. All you need is a spare 10 minutes to watch a flower!
The fifth national Wild Pollinator Count runs from 13-20 November and the count organisers anticipate more than 400 observations will be submitted from around Australia.
The Wild Pollinator Count is a national citizen science project that provides an opportunity to step outside and enjoy spring in your backyard, while also contributing to science. The project encourages people to record local pollinators by watching a flower for 10 minutes during the count week and recording what insects land on the flower during that time. Continue reading “Media Release: Spring 2016 Wild Pollinator Count”→
Thank you to everyone who participated in the April 2016 Wild Pollinator Count! Just over 200 observations were submitted from 86 locations, all the way from Buckleboo in South Australia to Cairns in North Queensland.
Participants counted almost 2000 insects during flower observations. Some people included insects that flew past the flower without landing, but we haven’t included those numbers here. We also haven’t included ants, as these are often more likely robbing nectar rather than pollinating. European honey bees were the most abundant pollinator insects, followed by our native bees, butterflies and moths. And don’t forget the flies and wasps! Continue reading “April 2016 Count Results”→
The autumn 2016 count is now over. Thanks to all who contributed observations!
The submission form will remain open until Sunday April 24 for you to submit your observations. From a quick glance through the observations we’ve received so far, residents from at least 5 states have participated. We’re looking forward to finding out what wild pollinators they’ve seen!
The next spring count will be on between 13-20 November 2016. In the meantime, you can still share any wild pollinator sightings and resources on social media using the #ozpollinators hashtag. We also have a Bowerbird project and a Flickr album you can view all year round.
The autumn Wild Pollinator Count continues until Sunday 17th April, so there’s still time to join in or have another go!
Thanks to those who have already completed a count (or a few!) and submitted your results. You still have time to count until Sunday evening, and you have until next weekend to submit your observations via our website.
More than just bees … some pollinator insect images submitted during the count by Laurie M, Erica Siegel, Vivien Naimo and Karen Retra.
Some contributors to this season’s count have noted that there are fewer flowers in bloom and less pollinator insects than are usually seen in spring and summer. This is to be expected in autumn, as many insects decrease in numbers and some disappear altogether as the weather cools. Why don’t pollinators like cooler weather? Click here to read our blog post on this.
We’re enjoying some wonderful photos that are also being shared as part of the count. You can view some of them here and we’ll continue to add to them as they come in. Remember that you don’t have to take photos to participate in the count, but we’d love to see them if you do.
We’ve successfully proved that the Wild Pollinator Count is not a one hit wonder! Thank you to everyone who took part in the second count. The number of observations we collected was 59, almost double the number from the first count last spring. And our geographical range expanded dramatically too, with observations submitted from 25 locations in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Thank you for contributing to our inaugural wild pollinator count! We had a total of 33 responses from the Albury/Wodonga greater region for our little trial run, with a grand total of 391 insects observed on a wide array of flowers. Below, we’ve included a short summary of some of the observations you contributed. And thank you for the positive feedback. It’s wonderful to find out how much interest there is in wild pollinators and how many people are keen to enhance their identification skills. The exciting news is you can watch flowers again next year! Continue reading “Inaugural results are in!”→
Wild Pollinator Count 