Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Sunday - February 20, 2005

From: Beaumont, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pollinators
Title: Smarty Plants on pollinators
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I am researching threatened pollinators in Texas and elsewhere - bees, butterflies, hummingbirds. I would like your input on the subject.

ANSWER:

The US Fish and Wildlife Service web page shows all animals and plants listed under the US Endangered Species Act. There are no bees or hummingbirds listed as threatened or endangered anywhere in the United States. There are several species of butterflies in California, a few in Colorado and a few in the eastern United States that are on the list, but there are no threatened or endangered butterflies listed in Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department web page also lists animals and plants under both the federal and state threatened and endangered species regulations. Again, no bees, butterflies, or hummingbirds appear on the Texas list. You can find a list of Butterflies of North America on the USGS, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center web page and read the Nature Conservancy Global Rank for conserving individual butterfly species. You can search through the list and find several that the Nature Conservancy deems "threatened throughout its range" that are not on the USFWS Threatened and Endangered Species list.

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Sunday - February 20, 2005

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