Counting the Things with Wings for the Great Southeast Pollinator Census
UNC Charlotte students joined other citizen scientists across Georgia, Florida, Alabama and North and South Carolina to participate in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census last weekend.
The goal of the census was to capture a point-in-time data set of the number and variety of pollinators, and the flowers that attract them. The census was organized across the southeast by the University of Georgia Extension, and led in North Carolina by the NC State Extension. More than 200 events were planned across the states to conduct the count. Census takers hope the data collected will inspire others to create sustainable pollinator habitats.
The campus event was led on Aug. 22 by Carrie Wells, associate teaching professor of biological sciences. She met the students in the afternoon at the Pollinator Garden, located behind McEniry, to count the things with wings.
Wells was excited to join other events across the region to participate in the count.
“Last year, my Pollinator Club students and I participated in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census for the first time, and it was such a great experience that we decided to do it again this year,” said Wells.
Zarah Rahman Blythe and Marie Spiridon, undergraduate students majoring in biology and leaders of the Pollinator Club, helped prepare the garden for the count earlier in the week and publicize the event.
During the census, students paired off in teams and each picked an area of the garden to count the number of pollinators that visited the plants in a 15-minute window.
Sal DeAndrea, a doctoral student pursuing a degree in biology, helped the students to identify the various bugs that visited the garden, to ensure an accurate count for the census.
Wells sees the event as a way to connect with students on something meaningful, and a way to help them connect to each other.
“Because I teach online asynchronous courses, it can be hard to find new ways to connect with students outside of a screen,” said Wells. “This event, and others like it, gives us a chance to do just that — it’s an outlet to teach where the pollinators actually are and what they are doing to our campus environment.”
“I focused both my M.S. and Ph.D. research on butterflies, so I have a special place in my heart for sharing my love of pollinators with students, and a census in the garden we tend is the perfect way to do it,” said Wells. “It allows for a connection that no textbook can ever touch.”
