As the days got longer and the skies sunnier, nature has finally come back to life, entirely! After a long winter and a shy spring, we are all eager to enjoy once again our summer activities. Blooming flowers, birds and wildlife normally keep us entertained on a daily basis, but today I will focus on the pollinators who have found our backyard garden attractive again, this year. Summer feasts are in full swing for the little ones as they can’t seem to satisfy their insatiable appetite!

While we are trying to stay cool during the heat wave that has hit the southern Ontario these days, the pollinators in my garden seem to enjoy the pollen, regardless of the high temperatures. Many bees, insects, butterflies and, more recently, hummingbirds visit our flowers to drink the nectar. Without knowing it, they spread the pollen stuck to their bodies to other plants, thus pollinating them.

When a pollen grain moves from the anther (male part) of a flower to the stigma (female part), pollination happens. This is the first step in a process that produces seeds, fruits and the next generation of plants. Butterflies, moths, birds, flies, beetles, wasps and most importantly, bees are some of the nature’s primary pollinators, but also certain types of insects, the wind and even the bats can also help the process.

June 16-22 was the Pollinator Week in 2025, highlighting the importance of these creatures. Pollinators are essential for plant reproduction, therefore for our entire food supply and ecosystems. They help move pollen from one part of a flower to another, enabling fertilization and the formation of fruit and seeds. Without pollinators, many of our crops would not be able to produce fruit.

Many pollinator populations are in decline, and this decline is attributed mostly to a loss in feeding and nesting habitat. Pollution, inappropriate use of chemicals, disease, and climate change are all contributing to shrinking and shifting pollinator populations.

Found on every continent except Antarctica, bees are known for their role in pollination. There are over 20,000 known species of bees, organized in seven biological families. Some of them live socially in colonies, while most species are solitary.

A bumblebee is any of over 250 species in the genus Bombus, one of the bee families. Like their relatives, the honeybees, bumblebees feed on nectar, using their long hairy tongue called proboscis.

I recently spotted a Green sweat bee. They are a group of solitary bees known for their metallic green or blue-green coloration. A green sweat bee with no stripes likely refers to a species of the genus Agapostemon, specifically Agapostemon virescens. While some of them have black and white (or yellow) striped abdomens others are entirely metallic green.

The Bicolored Agapostemon is found in North America, and it was designated as Toronto’s official bee in 2018, in order to raise awareness of Toronto’s diverse native bee population and to promote the city’s Pollinator Protection Strategy. 

We have so much fun watching them, but we are also very grateful to see them thriving in our garden🥰

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow” – Audrey Hepburn