If you're allergic to it, you might curse pollen. But the process of pollination is essential to plant, animal, and human life. All sorts of insects and animals can be pollinators including bats, bees, moths, butterflies, birds, and even lemurs!
This hour, we take a deep dive into the world of pollination, the animals that make it happen, and the plants that benefit.
Also, a recent study of Monarch butterflies populations questions the perception that a lack of milkweed is to blame. If that's the case, what is impacting this iconic butterfly?
GUESTS:
- David Wagner - Entomologist and professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut
- Patrick Skahill - WNPR's science reporter and blogs at TheBeaker.org
- Charlie Nardozzi - Horticulturist and host of WNPR's Connecticut Garden Journal
- Jason Prosek - Artist, writer, and naturalist
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Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 27, 2016.
