Monarch by Janette Slack

Butterflies pollinate many of our flowering plants

Monarch, 12" X 16"; Watercolor

Normally, we tend to think of insects as pests. But in truth, we can't survive without them! Mother Nature has created these lilliputian creatures to pollinate many of our food sources. Only 10% of flowering plants do not require pollination.

Too much rain, wind, or the use of pesticides can intefere with the job that insects do. Among the plants they pollinate are: herbs, spices, seeds and grains, as well as peas, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, melons, peaches, pears, peppers, lemons, limes, carrots, onions, cashews, celery, figs, sunflowers, blueberries, clover, and squash - not to mention coffee and chocolate!

Habitat loss, fragmentation, manicured lawns, non-native gardens, and the cultivation of modified corn (monarchs) are the greatest threats to pollinators.

Ladybug Landing

It's lunchtime here and little creatures
are everywhere in the garden. Eating, munching, and
just lounging around wherever they
choose.

Ladybug Parade by Janette Slack

Ladybug Parade

by Janette Slack

Watercolor, 3 1/4" X 9 1/4"

Ladybugs are a welcome visitor to any garden. In fall, they will bury themselves under leaf litter, and emerge again in spring. They have a voracious appetite for aphids and scale insects. In the Mall of America, thousands of these small beetles are released into the indoor park as a means of pest control.