Wild insects play a crucial role in pollinating crops, forests and gardens across Australia. Many people would recognise European honeybees as pollinators, but there are also thousands of pollinator species of native insects! The Wild Pollinator Count gives residents the opportunity to contribute to a national database helping scientists understand pollinator species behaviour.
RiverConnect Project Officer Meg Pethybridge says, “Warm, sunny and calm days in autumn create the perfect environment for pollinators to visit flowers in your backyard. No special gear or expertise is needed for this activity, just a keen set of eyes and an open flower!”
“This is a great activity during COVID-19 isolation and for the whole family to get involved, learning to count and learn about insects all while being on a great adventure in your own backyard”.
Residents can become citizen scientists for the week and join pollinator enthusiasts across Australia in counting local insects in 10 minute blocks over eight days. There’s no limit on time of day or frequency of counts, but please record your observations on wildpollinatorcount.com.
RiverConnect are hosting an online introduction session for residents to learn about the Wild Pollinator Count on Monday 13 April 2020 at 10:00am. Tune in via the Facebook group.
The Wild Pollinator Count website also has resources to help you identify the insects visiting your garden and a printable tally sheet to assist with your observations.
Join one of Australia’s most important citizen science projects at wildpollinatorcount.com or join the conversation with #OzPollinators.
