MAY 2015 • NEBRASKAland 41
diseases add to life's perils. As if all
that wasn't enough, pollinators still
have to worry about whether or not
death is lurking by every flower they
find.
And yet, pollinators are still here.
Their numbers are lower than they used
to be, but the survivors are out there
collecting food for themselves and their
kids while simultaneously ensuring
future generations of the plants they
harvest from. It's a lucky thing for us
they're still there. We need the plants
they pollinate for our own food, as
well as for the roles they play in the
ecosystems we depend upon for life.
However, there is another
constituency that is glad for the
continued survival of pollinators. They
find them very tasty! ■
Left: A windflower in sand prairie along
the Platte River turned out to be a great
place for this crab spider to catch a fly.
Middle: This Chinese mantis is busily
consuming the remains of a sphinx moth
it captured on a pitcher sage plant.
Bottom: A common checkered skipper
feeds on ragwort flowers in a Nature
Conservancy prairie along the Platte
River. Despite an abundance of predators,
pollinators still abound in many natural
areas as long as they have sufficient
habitat quality.
