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Pollinators are animals that help plants reproduce by moving pollen between flowers. They sustain wild ecosystems, food crops, and biodiversity.
Pollinators are animals that help plants reproduce. As they visit flowers for nectar (a sugary fuel) or pollen (a protein-rich food for many insects), they can move pollen from one flower to another. This pollen transfer helps plants produce seeds and fruit. Without pollinators, many wild plants would struggle to survive, and a lot of the foods we eat would become harder to grow.
Pollination is the process of moving pollen to the part of a flower that can receive it (the stigma). Pollination can happen in different ways (by animals, wind, or water), but this site focuses on animal pollinators because they support wild ecosystems and essential food crops.
Most pollination is done by insects, but pollinators can include other animals too. The main pollinator groups you will see in North America are:
Bumble bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, sweat bees, and many other native bee groups. Honey bees are pollinators too, but they are typically managed by people.
Butterflies pollinate by day. Many moths work at dusk or at night. They need host plants (the plants their caterpillars eat), not just nectar flowers.
Flower flies (hoverflies) can look like tiny bees and are excellent pollinators. Many also help gardens because their larvae eat pests like aphids.
Many wasps visit flowers for nectar and help ecosystems by hunting pest insects.
Beetles can pollinate as they crawl through flowers while feeding. They are an often-overlooked part of the pollinator community.
In some regions, certain birds and bats pollinate flowers, especially plants with tubular blooms or night-blooming flowers.
Not every plant relies on animal pollinators. Some plants are wind-pollinated or self-pollinated. But animal pollination is essential for many wild plants and many food crops that people grow.
Wildflowers, shrubs, and trees often rely on pollination to produce seeds. Those plants support insects, birds, and mammals, stabilize soils and shorelines, and build habitats that keep ecosystems healthy.
Many fruits, berries, vegetables, and seed crops depend on pollination. Examples include apples, cherries, plums, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons.
Pollinators are not a nice-to-have. They are part of how nature works.
Pollinators help wild plants reproduce. Wild plants stabilize soils, protect water systems, feed insects, birds, and mammals, and build habitats that keep biodiversity strong.
When pollinators are healthy, farms and gardens are more reliable. That matters for families, communities, and local food systems.
Many pollinators visit many different flowers. That network creates resilience when one part of the system is stressed.
Pollination is how plants make seeds, and seeds are how landscapes renew.
When pollinators lose habitat, lose food sources, or are harmed by pesticides and other pressures, plants can fail to reproduce as effectively. Over time, that can lead to:
The good news is that pollinator recovery is one of the clearest places where small actions multiplied make a real difference.
Pollinators need three basics:
Flowers that bloom across the whole season (early → mid → late).
Soil patches, stems, natural debris, cavities, and safe places to overwinter.
Avoid pesticides, especially insect sprays and systemic products that can affect nectar and pollen.
Metro Prep's Impact Program is student-led learning turned into real-world action, and A Billion Small Steps is Metro Prep Impact's pollinator habitat movement where small actions -- planting pollinator-friendly flowers, avoiding pesticides, and sharing & inviting others -- add up.
Alongside habitat action, we also educate, raise awareness, and fundraise to support pollinator protection, so the movement grows through what we plant, what we teach, and what we help resource.
Three simple steps make a real difference:
Choose native, region-matched plants that bloom from spring through fall. The Bloom Kit is Metro Prep’s charity fundraiser, offering region-specific native seed mixes that support pollinator education, awareness, and conservation.
Skip insect sprays and systemic products, especially on or near anything in bloom.
Pin your patch on the Bloom Map (add a photo and sign the pledge) to help build a visible, North America-wide habitat network. Invite one person to plant too.
Find native plants, bloom calendars, and garden layouts tailored to your region.
Explore regional guidesSearch plants by region, bloom season, sunlight, and pollinator type.
Browse the plant databaseIdentify local pollinators and learn how to support them year-round.
Meet the pollinators
