Pollen
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Pollen
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SPECIALIST INSECTSWhile the most famous insect specialist that visits our gardens is the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), between 19% and 37% of native bee species that occur in central and eastern United States are pollen specialists. That is an astounding figure given there are more than 3700 species of native bees in the United States and Canada. The monarch butterfly is a fairly strict specialist, in its summer range, the larvae (caterpillars) feed only on host plants from the genus Asclepias (milkweed). Similarly, pollen specialist native bees have native host plants.
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