Wild Bees: Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

Wild Bees is a plea to save our pollinator species before it is too late.  Between the wide spread use of pesticides and habitat loss, wild bee and many other pollinator populations are in extreme peril.  The introduction of pesticide and chemical resistant crops has paved the way for an enormous jump in the use of not just neonicotinoids, but dozens of other chemicals.  Dramatic declines in the populations of wild bees have been documented and coincide with the jump in the use of these agents.  Along side of this and perhaps an even more important factor in the crash of pollinator populations is the dramatic loss of habitat.  Pollinator habitat is disappearing at rates on par with that of the deforestation of the Amazonian rain forest. More than 36,000 square miles of wetlands and prairie in the American Midwest has been converted to cropland since 2008.  And with the widespread use of pesticides and chemicals on these converted croplands, our pollinators are seemingly in a losing battle.  We must come together to reduce or completely stop the use of chemicals and pesticides and demand that we set aside currently intact pollinator habitat and restore those areas that have been damaged. Each of us can play a part in our own yards by setting aside a portion of it to native plants and species that will attract pollinators.  We don’t want to live in a world where Pete Seeger’s words take on another meaning. When all the flowers are gone, we are not far behind.

Artist: Rob Whitehair

Digital mixed media: Pencil on Procreate, Photoshop