The animals that we call pollinators are not grouped under that term because of a shared genetic heritage, but because of a shared function they perform in the ecosystem. Just as we often do not recognise the full breadth of the weird and wonderful creatures pollinating the flowers around us, they don’t know they are pollinators - they are just busy living their best lives.
Pollination is the essential process in plant reproduction where pollen grains are deposited on a receptive flower, fertilising the flower and leading to the production of seed. Not all plants need to be pollinated to proliferate, but most plant populations rely on pollination to persist because the mixing of genes gives them greater resilience to changing conditions.
Looking after our native pollinators requires more than just planting wildflower mixes; they need thriving populations of the native flowering plants that they have evolved alongside, their habitats need to be protected and restored, and careful use of agrichemicals is required to minimise their negative impact on these special creatures.
The Native Pollinators stamp issue highlights four crucial critters – the kawakawa looper moth, the native bee/ngāro huruhuru, the flower longhorn beetle and the large hoverfly.
$2.30 Kawakawa looper moth - Kawakawa looper moths, Cleora scriptaria, lay their eggs on the leaves of a wide range of native plants, including their namesake kawakawa, leaving the characteristic holes in the leaves. On warm summer nights, the adults can often be found visiting clusters of simple, scented flowers, such as rangiora (Brachyglottis repanda).
$3.60 Native bee/ ngāro huruhuru - Leioproctus pango is one of 18 species of our Leioproctus bees, which dig nest holes in the ground. Native bees can be great crop pollinators, including for our vegetable seed crops that export seeds around the world.
$4.90 Flower longhorn beetle - A tiny, colourful relative of the large brown huhu beetle, the flower longhorn beetle (Zorion guttigerum) is a treasure worth searching for. Although we still know little about their role as pollinators, they can be quite common on flowers in summer, including hebes and avocado and kiwifruit flowers.
$7.20 Large hoverfly - The poorly-named large hoverfly (Melangyna novaezelandiae) is a small but striking fly that is common throughout Aotearoa-New Zealand. This fly, and its relatives, are not just excellent pollinators; their larvae are predators of plant pests like aphids.
