Celebrating Pollinators at Audubon Insectarium

Have you ever thought about how important birds, butterflies, and bees are for your daily life? Not only are they pretty to see, but they play a critical role in our environment’s health by pollinating our crops, flowers, and forests. This Saturday, some of these tiny creatures will be the big focus of Pollination Celebration at Audubon Insectarium. The event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is free with admission.

Party for the Planet sponsored by Entergy: Pollination Celebration helps guests learn about pollinators, how to attract them to our own yards, and what we all can do to take care of them so they will continue doing their jobs for our environment.

Guests can take part in a special conservation “Passport to Action” game that will take them through the Insectarium as they learn about Monarch butterflies, bees, and songbirds, all very important pollinators! There is even a cool prize for those who complete the passport tour – a coupon for Dippin Dots on the Aquarium plaza.

Pollinator species pollinate over 90% of the planet's flowering plants and one third of the food humans eat. While many people think of bees as the only pollinators, there are many other animals like beetles, butterflies, birds, bats, and other small mammals that also serve as pollinators. Unfortunately, many pollinator populations are declining due to habitat loss from urban development, pollution, chemical misuse, and climate change. With these threats, pollinators are losing the food and nesting sites they need to survive.

Helping pollinators can be as easy as planting native plants at home, buying bird safe coffee, turning off outdoor lights at night to help birds migrate safely, using fewer pesticides, or applying stickers to windows to keep birds from colliding with them.

Support for Pollination Celebration and other events in the Party for the Planet conservation series come from Entergy’s Environmental Initiatives Fund, which directs $1 million annually to environmental improvement projects.

A visit to an Audubon Nature Institute attraction is a great first step to learn about and protect the environment. Audubon joins many other Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoos and aquariums across North America in throwing a Party for the Planet, making it the largest combined Earth Day, Endangered Species Day, and World Ocean Day celebrations. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums spend $230 million on field conservation alone, supporting projects benefiting more than 800 species in 130 countries. To date, the AZA Conservation Grants Fund has provided nearly $8 million in support for 400+ projects worldwide.