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Community Corner

Peters Library Brings Sexy Back with Frank Discussion

Professor Candy DeBerry talks about the birds, bees, the flowers and the trees.

The 's Go-Green Club offered a free lecture entitled, “Plant Sex: How The Birds and the Bees Are Responsible for One-Third of the Food You Eat (and What You Can Do to Help Them)” on Thursday.

The slideshow and lecture focused on the importance of pollination, why it’s important, which animals pollinate plants and how your garden can support pollinators.

Candy DeBerry, associate professor of Biology at Washington & Jefferson College, talked about the birds, bees, the flowers and the trees.

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DeBerry discussed the many ways plants are pollinated.

“Some plants are pollinated by wind—corn, pine trees and ragweed are blown around in the wind," she said. "Other plants are pollinated by insects and animals.”

“Fruit is a by-product of the pollination," she explained. "If you have a particularly juicy fruit, an animal will eat it, and the seeds will be released from the animal, sometimes miles from the location of the original plant.”

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Bright, pretty flora is usually pollinated by animals. The colors and scents attract them, she said.

“Eighty-five percent of flowering plants are, at least, partially pollinated by animals.”

She listed bees, wasps, hornets, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, and in the southwest, bats, as major pollinators.

During her lecture, she talked about the various types of bees. There are 4,000 species of bees native in the U.S. The honeybee is not one of them; they were brought over from Europe, she said.

Many species of bees are not aggressive and will only attack if threatened. DeBerry seemed particularly enthralled by the bumblebee.

She cited a quote from the late Cassandra Danz—aka "Mrs. Greenthumbs," a humorous horticulturist who wrote two books on gardening, “Mrs. Greenthumbs,” and “Mrs. Greenthumbs Plows Ahead.”

The quote read: “Most people tend to assume that the bees have no knowledge of the plant's use of them and are only after the nectar. In other words, they are a bunch of unwitting stooges, slavishly servicing the carnal appetites of the flowers and getting no fun out of the experience at all. I don't think so. I have observed bees going from flower to flower in the garden, and they seem to be enjoying themselves enormously. I wouldn't presume to know the thoughts and feelings of bees, but if I saw a bunch of teenagers sipping nectar, rolling around with their feet up in the air, covered with fragrant pollen, and then racing off to do it again and again, I would assume they are having a wonderful time and would probably call the police.” 

The eco-friendly professor warned, "Climate change, pesticides, disease, displacement by invasives and even light pollution are causing the pollinating population to diminish."

She encoraged people not to leave outside lights on as moths will circle about, instead of hunting for nectar.

DeBerry is passionate about providing a sustainable ecosystem for her pollinating friends. Her home has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation as backyard wildlife habitat.

In her lecture, she stressed the importance of providing nesting areas for everything from bees to butterflies.

She cited Douglas Tallamy, author of “Bringing Nature Home,” with a salient point about ecologically responsible gardeners.

“Gardening has taken on a role that transcends the need of the gardener—gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife," she read. "It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to 'make a difference.' In this case, the 'difference' will be to the future biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them.”

On Aug. 25 at 7 p.m., DeBerry will return to the library for a discussion entitled, “Plants for the Pollinator Garden.”

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