| There are many important issues filling our newsfeed and demanding our attention right now. With so much happening, it can be difficult to shift our focus to other issues, but this week is National Pollinator Week, a chance to celebrate the importance of bees, butterflies, and many other animals that are central to the health of our environment.
Biodiversity loss is a critical issue. Firefly meadows are going dark. The beauty of butterflies is fading from our gardens and parks. Darting dragonflies are absent from our ponds and creeks. The hum of bees is being lost from our farms and prairies. We are losing animals at an astonishing rate, yet most of the reporting on this issue does not highlight the loss of insects and other invertebrates.
Why should we focus on these small creatures? Insects and their allies are vital for ensuring we have viable food systems through pollination, pest control, and soil health. They are also vital as food for wildlife: If you like birds or fish, you can thank an invertebrate. Without invertebrates, our world would collapse.
The Xerces Society is working to change that, working to protect the little things that run the world. Our goal is to keep pollinators in our fields, monarchs in the sky, and freshwater mussels in our streams. We want to ensure healthy soil ecosystems and fight to keep the most imperiled invertebrates gracing our planet.
You can help. Please consider giving a donation this Pollinator Week. With your help, we can have a healthy world for invertebrates and for all of us.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Scott Black, Director |
North Carolina Small Farm Association 