The Baldwinsville Public Library is installing a pollinator-friendly micro-garden in memory of Doris Cross, a library donor and avid gardener. The garden is situated behind the library and contains native pollinator-promoting plant species.

The Baldwinsville Public Library’s website uses silhouette images of common pollinators as placeholders and accents to highlight the importance of these species to our environment, and to the survival and enjoyment of Baldwinsville residents.

The Featured Pollinators:

Moth

There are over 1,000 moth species in Central New York. Here are a few common pollinating species you may see.

    Sphinx Moth – Members of this family are commonly called “hummingbird,” “sphinx,” or “hawk” moths, and some can be mistaken for hummingbirds. Most are medium to large moths, with heavy bodies; wingspread reaches 5 inches or more in some species. They are strong and fast fliers, with a rapid wingbeat. Most species in the group are active at dusk, and most feed much like hummingbirds, hovering in front of a flower and sipping nectar through the extended proboscis. The proboscis rolls up when not in use.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy/Sphingidae
    Photo credit: Paul Smiths
    Giant Silk Moth – These species are medium to very large in size, and this family includes the largest moths in North America. Adults have a wingspan of 3 to 15 centimeters, relatively small heads, and densely hairy bodies.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/region/new-york
    Photo credit: Uncredited

Beetle

    Soldier Beetle – Look for Solider Beetle adults on flowers and plants prone to aphid attack. Most Soldier Beetles are sentries in the garden, eating insects that harm plants. Soldier Beetles secrete a defensive toxic chemical that deters predators from pursuing them. Some species feed on aphids; some eat the sticky honeydew that aphids secrete after ingesting the juices from a plant. Certain Solider Beetles eat both, which is a bonus. Aphids are a fast-breeding insect that can quickly infest a plant and drain it of its resources, weakening it to the point of death. Soldier Beetles are a friend to gardeners, living up to their name by protecting plants. The wings of this beetle are soft, like leather.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Soldier-Beetle-Podabrus
    Photo credit: Ophis
    Checkered Beetle – A colorful banding pattern on the elytra (wing covering) helped to name this beetle. Legs and segmented antennae are black. Adults are likely to be seen around flowers and weeds from late spring to early summer. Both life stages of this beetle are exceptionally good at eating insects like weevils, borer beetles and bark beetles. The adult Checkered Beetle feeds on various adults. They can be found resting on flowers, maybe even drinking the nectar while they are there.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Checkered-Beetle
    Photo credit: Tom Bentley

Bird

    Ruby-throated Hummingbird – A flash of green and red, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is eastern North America’s sole breeding hummingbird. These brilliant, tiny, precision-flying creatures glitter like jewels in the full sun, then vanish with a zip toward the next nectar source. Feeders and flower gardens are great ways to attract these birds, and some people turn their yards into buzzing clouds of hummingbirds each summer. Enjoy them while they’re around; by early fall they’re bound for Central America.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird/overview
    Photo credit: Mark Sak
    Baltimore Oriole – The rich, whistling song of the Baltimore Oriole, echoing from treetops near homes and parks, is a sweet herald of spring in eastern North America. Look way up to find these singers: the male’s brilliant orange plumage blazes from high branches like a torch. Nearby, you might spot the female weaving her remarkable hanging nest from slender fibers. Fond of fruit and nectar as well as insects, Baltimore Orioles are easily lured to backyard feeders.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Baltimore_Oriole/overview
    Photo credit: Fernando Sequeria

Fly

    Syrphids (Flower Flies, or Hover Flies) – The body of many adults is black with bands or stripes of orange, yellow, or white, resembling stinging bees or wasps. Some species are mostly brown, metallic blue or green, yellow, or combinations of these or other colors. Most species are predaceous in the adolescent stages, commonly feeding on aphids or mealybugs. Some syrphids prey on ants, caterpillars, froghoppers, psyllids, scales, other insects, or mites. Adults are not predaceous. They consume honeydew, nectar, pollen, and water.
    For more details, please visit: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/syrphids
    Photo credit: Viktor Kunz
    Tachinids – Tachinids are the most important of the parasitic flies that provide biological control. Tachinids are one of the most common groups of flies. They occur in field and tree crops, gardens, landscapes, and wildlands. They pollinate by preying on pollinators such as beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, among many other types of unsects. Adults range from 1/12 to 4/5 inch (2–20 mm) long, and most are 1/8 to 1/2 inch (3–12 mm) long, varying by species. Many are blackish to gray. But some are more colorful; for example, those that resemble (mimic) bees or wasps.
    For more details, please visit: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/tachinid-flies
    Photo credit: Uncredited

Butterfly

    Monarch Butterfly – Monarchs are native to the Americas and are primarily found across the United States, Mexico, and southern Canada. Adult monarchs are easy to recognize. Their bright orange wings are traced with bold black veins and framed by a black border studded with white spots.
    Without milkweed, there are no monarch caterpillars. Planting regionally native milkweeds in gardens, schools, parks, and roadsides restores the essential link between monarchs and their only larval host.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.gardenia.net/guide/monarch-butterfly
    Photo credit: Sue Zellers
    Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly – The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, a majestic butterfly, predominantly inhabits the Eastern United States. Its range extends from New England down to the Gulf Coast and as far west as the Great Plains.
    These butterflies are versatile in their habitat preferences, thriving in diverse environments. They are commonly spotted in deciduous woodlands, lush forests, riversides, and swamps. Their adaptability to different habitats makes them a familiar and beloved sight in their geographical range.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.gardenia.net/guide/eastern-tiger-swallowtail
    Photo credit: Uncredited

Bee

Central New York has around 450 native species of bee. NY apple orchards show that over 120 species of wild, native bees contribute to pollination, often more effective per bee than honeybees.
For more details, please visit: https://cals.cornell.edu/pollinator-network/ny-bee-diversity

    Bumble Bee – Central New York is home to several native bumble bee species (Bombus genus), which are critical, docile pollinators that build annual ground nests. Bumble bees are annual. Only mated queens survive winter, emerging in spring to establish new colonies, which grow to include sterile female workers and eventually new reproductive individuals by fall. They build nests in the ground, often using abandoned rodent burrows, or in soft soil/organic matter. Known for “buzz pollination,” where they vibrate their flight muscles to release pollen from flowers.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.nycgovparks.org/learn/wildlife-in-new-york-city/pollinators
    Photo credit: Andrea Koenig
    Mason Bee – Mason bees are solitary, cavity-nesting pollinators that play a crucial role in your garden’s health. Known for their gentle nature and impressive pollination abilities, these bees are incredibly efficient—pollinating up to 95% of the flowers they visit. Unlike Honeybees, Mason bees don’t live in colonies, but instead, each female builds her own nest to raise her young. By welcoming Mason bees to your garden, you’re not only supporting the local ecosystem but also boosting your garden’s productivity with exceptional natural pollination.
    For more details, please visit: https://crownbees.com/pages/masonbees
    Photo credit: Rusty Burlew

Bat

Although bats in tropical and desert biomes are vital pollinators, in New York their main role is keeping other insect populations in check. Local bats, such as the Little Brown Bat and Northern Long-eared Bat, are vital for agricultural and ecological pest control, eating 20-50% of their body weight in insects.

    Little Brown Bat – The little brown myotis is abundant throughout forested areas of the U.S. as far north as Alaska. n addition to day roosts in tree cavities and crevices, little brown myotis seem quite dependent upon roosts which provide safe havens from predators that are close to foraging grounds. Little brown myotis forage over water where their diet consists of aquatic insects — mainly mayflies, midges, mosquitoes, and caddisflies. They also feed over forest trails, cliff faces, meadows, and farmland where they consume a wide variety of insects — mainly beetles, crane flies, and moths. Individuals can catch up to 1,200 insects in just one hour during peak feeding activity.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.batcon.org/bat/myotis-lucifugus/
    Photo credit: Jason Corbett
    Northern Long-eared Bat – The northern long-eared bat is a wide-ranging, federally endangered bat species, found in 37 states and eight provinces in North America. The species typically overwinters in caves or mines and spends the remainder of the year in forested habitats. As its name suggests, the northern long-eared bat is distinguished by its long ears, particularly as compared to other bats. Numbers of northern long-eared bats, gathered from hibernacula counts, have declined by 97 to 100% across the species’ range. Due to continued and increased population declines and impacts from threats and diseases such as white-nose syndrome.
    For more details, please visit: https://www.fws.gov/species/northern-long-eared-bat-myotis-septentrionalis
    Photo credit: Michael Durham