Pollinators

Florida is home to a  total of 187 butterfly species, the most of any state east of the  Mississippi River. Learning to identify even the most common of these  butterflies may seem challenging at first.  Pollinators require both food plants and host  (breeding) plants to survive.

Unlike non-native honey bees, Florida's bees are amazingly diverse with six primary families — Andrenidae, Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, and Melittidae. Even within those families, there is tremendous diversity not just within families but within species.

The Florida Blister Beetle, depicted,  represents a host of species of insects lured to flowers seeking  their nectar, and end up picking up pollen on their bodies and pollinating surrounding flowers.  Florida hosts 26 species of this beetle, out of 2500 total related species around the world.