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The Importance of Insects in the Ecosystem

6/20/2023

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What if all the insects decided to go on strike? If they unionized and buzzed/ flittered/ flew or crawled off, refusing to pollinate another plant until people started paying attention, would we listen to them?
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June 19-25 is National Pollinator Week. We love you, pollinators! We appreciate you 52 weeks a year, but we also need to remember the other bugs that work just as hard.

Have you ever wondered what it’d be like if all the insects decided to go on strike? Could you blame them? Look at how humanity has treated them — polluting the air, water, and land, destroying native habitats, overusing pesticides, and even changing the climate — making it more and more difficult for the hardworking creatures to find food and shelter. If they unionized and buzzed/ flittered/ flew/ or crawled off, refusing to pollinate another plant until people started paying attention, would we listen to them? Hope so! If not, humanity would be the losers.

Insects are important because of their diversity and influence on the environment, agriculture, human health, and natural resources. They not only pollinate eighty percent of our planet’s trees, bushes, and crops, but they also play a necessary function in the health of the Earth’s ecosystems.

Ecosystems are comprised of living things such as plants, animals, and other organisms, nonliving features like rocks and dirt, and environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. Whether they’re in the rainforest, deserts, or prairies, all the elements within an ecosystem have evolved to work together for their mutual benefit.

While all organisms in the ecosystem are essential, the role played by insects is particularly crucial. According to National Geographic, there are about 1.4 billion insects for every human on Earth, and all of them play a significant role in the ecosystem as pollinators, seed dispersers, pest patrol, and decomposers.

Insects Keep Everything in Check
We are already familiar with the insect’s ability to pollinate most of our fruits, flowers, and vegetables. We wouldn’t have the abundant produce we rely upon without the pollinating services of insects. Plus, we need to add nuts, honey, coffee, tea, chocolate, silk, and other useful products they provide.

The relationship between plants and insects is very complex. For example, some plants can only be pollinated by a single species of insect. Other plants have adapted unique colors, shapes, and sizes to be more attractive to pollinators. In turn, pollinators have evolved characteristics over the millennia that make obtaining nectar more accessible and efficient, thereby allowing the bugs to visit and pick up pollen from more plants.

It’s tough work flying around from blossom to blossom, and the effort burns a lot of energy. Pollinators love the sweet rewards they sip at each stop but cannot live on nectar alone. Many insects enjoy munching on plants or are predatory or parasitic and feed on insects. Mother Nature’s form of pest patrol not only nurtures her winged friends but also keeps the populations of unwanted bugs and weeds down to a manageable level.

We must keep in mind that pollination isn’t the only way to ensure the propagation of plants, though. Industrious ants, beetles, and other ground-dwelling insects disperse fruits and seeds by muscling the food from its source to different points throughout the ecosystem. The small bits of food that aren’t eaten on the spot are transported elsewhere, with some tiny morsels falling by the wayside where the seeds and fruit can germinate. By using these earth-bound insects, plants ensure that their seeds are distributed over long distances without having to rely on the wind.

And you can’t keep an ecosystem tidy without the clean-up crew. These bugs feed on fungi, dead animals, decaying organic matter, and nearly any other recyclable garbage they encounter in their environment. Their labor as decomposers helps break down and dispose of wastes, dead animals, and plants that otherwise would accumulate in the ecosystem. Another bonus is that while they burrow through the soil, beetles and ants aerate the dirt creating nutrient-rich topsoil complete with channels for water to soak into the rich loam.

To maintain nature’s balance means there’s an unfortunate downside to being a bug. They can wind up as a mid-day snack for a hungry animal or bird. After all, insects are very delicious and nutritious.

Predatory insects eat a lot of pests, but a dragonfly will snatch beneficial insects as well, as do bats and some birds.

Birds depend on insects to provide nearly all their food. A single clutch of Carolina Chickadee chicks can feast on upward of 9,000 caterpillars in the weeks between hatching and taking flight.
Danger lurks on the ground as well from vertebrates such as lizards, frogs, toads, mice, and salamanders. It’s hard to stand by and watch a beautiful, delicate butterfly being eaten, but it’s all part of nature’s balance.

Conserving and Managing Insects in the Ecosystem
Insects are fundamental components of our ecosystems, where they perform many essential functions. Along with pollinating, pest control, and keeping the environment clean, they also make our world enjoyable. It’s fun to watch bees buzzing around and dragonflies patrolling for mosquitoes. Can you imagine how boring life would become without butterflies or lightning bugs brightening up the landscape? We benefit in so many ways by sharing our world with insects.

The management of ecosystems and their inhabitants in a sustainable manner is necessary for the survival of all organisms. Unfortunately, many folks lack appreciation for insects because they’ve never been told about the benefits of bugs. Likewise, they’re unaware that the consequences of a dying ecosystem can result in famine, threats to human health, and economic disruption.
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Scientists predict that over forty percent of insect species could go extinct in the not-so-distant future due to habitat loss. Therefore, it’s up to us to educate, encourage, and empower ourselves and our neighbors to enhance local landscapes and yards with native vegetation and create habitats where insects can thrive. This simple act will slowly but surely restore the ecosystems to the way Mother Nature intended.
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How to Begin an Environmental Revolution

6/6/2023

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 Conservation is more than planting flowers. We have to be stewards of the environment as well.

We moan, groan, and complain about pollution and rightfully so. Landfills are overflowing; plastic waste chokes our lakes, rivers, and oceans. Cigarette butts litter the roadways; old vehicles, appliances, and unwanted items clutter forested areas. Not only is all this garbage an eyesore, but it’s also detrimental to the environment.  

I am on a mission. A mission to make a difference in this small sphere I call home. I have no grand dreams of conquering the corporate dragons that pollute the land, water, and air with their industrial run-off. My quest is to:
  • Avoid contributing to the increasing pollution problem.
  • Make a dent in cleaning up some of the accumulated waste.
  • Impress others about the importance of not littering and the benefits of recycling.

​Suppose my idea catches on and more and more people join in my campaign. In that case, we could begin an environmental revolution where recycling becomes the norm and non-recyclables are replaced with environmentally friendly items.
Who knows, we may even be able to shame the corporate dragons into submission.

 Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time, life was simple. Humans lived in harmony with nature. Well, maybe not precisely simple or in perfect balance, but at least humans showed some respect for nature by only taking what they needed, and leaving behind only unusable items that would decompose into their component parts.

Then, our forefathers began to create non-biodegradable machines and materials to make our lives easier without considering the possible consequences of all these incredible inventions. Since the Industrial Revolution and especially during the last century, humans have continuously manufactured more and more items that last long beyond their usefulness.

 After World War II, mobility and convenience became the preferred mode of life. We became a throwaway society. The idea of ‘toss it away and buy another’ applied to nearly all consumer products. It was cheaper to buy a new kitchen appliance or a children’s toy than to fix it. Plastic bottles replaced more durable and reusable items like glass milk and soda bottles.  And now we’re left with figuring out how to get rid of all the garbage.

Much of that trash consists of materials with limited recycling programs available like tires, electronics, batteries, appliances, and cigarette butts. These items along with other consumer and industrial waste products add up to a massive amount of trash with nowhere to go except landfills.

As conscientious citizens, you and I do our part by recycling some of our plastic, glass, and cardboard and taking steps to lessen our carbon footprint. But are we doing enough? What do we do about items that are not recyclable? Is it possible to make a dent in all the accumulated garbage while keeping up with the waste we create now?

Earth 911
A new chapter has been added to our recycling the unrecyclable sage in recent years - E-cycling. Computers, monitors, telephones, and other electronic gadgets are no longer left in limbo when recycling.  Some retailers like Best Buy, Office Depot, and Staples have a drop-off service for used electronics, and most cell phone providers offer recycling programs. Some of these services are free, some charge a fee. Using Earth911, you can find an e-cycle center near you, whether it is a store or a recycling center specializing in electronics.

This website also has listings for recyclers of other waste such as tires, automotive parts, paints, batteries, construction materials, and metals.  Earth911 has a database of 100,000+ recycling centers across the United States, and their blog has interesting articles to help answer questions about green living.

What Else Can We Do?
We can play an ongoing role in recycling. See trash along the side of the road? Please pick it up and dispose of it properly. Separate your garbage into cardboard, plastics, glass, and paper and take them to a recycling center. Use Earth 911 to find programs that accept other items. There are hundreds of ways to show your respect for our environment.

We can also do our part by making wise decisions about the products we purchase. It doesn’t require a significant life change. It can be a small step—recycle something you haven’t before, purchase less of something, or change the brand of an item you are buying because they do something different with their packaging.

Small steps lead to bigger steps and change.

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    Greta Burroughs

    I am passionate about cleaning up our environment and restoring the habitats/ecosystems necessary for pollinators and wildlife to flourish.
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    Yet, Pollinator Conservation and Environmental Restoration involve more than just planting trees, flowers, and shrubs. In order to regain the balance Mother Nature intended, we need to also counter pollution, global warming, overuse of pesticides, and destruction of ecosystems.

    ​By publishing articles, essays, and resources on this blog, I hope to Educate, Encourage, and Empower others to find a niche where they can make a difference in this world.

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I will read forever because it lets me visit in my mind the worlds that I will never be able to see; it helps me put away the stresses of the day and relax into the rhythm of the story before me; it lets me bring to the surface and experience without regrets those feelings I hide away; it lets me re-experience the thrill of first love through someone else's eyes; it keeps my mind juiced so that it will never desert me; it is always there for me even when there's no one else. I will read forever no matter whether it is print or digital because the words will always call to me. ~ A Sassy Scribbler