Discover which plants Alaska pollinators prefer in webinar

Discover which plants Alaska pollinators prefer in webinar

While flowers like bird vetch and white sweetclover may be pretty, they are invasive, and their spread can be harmful to pollinators, according to an entomologist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.

Alex Wenninger studies how insects interact with native and invasive plants in Alaska. She set up a study to compare pollinators visiting six native flowers with those visiting invasive bird vetch and white sweetclover flowers. She found that bird vetch and white sweetclover do not support diverse pollinators.

In a free statewide webinar, Wenninger will discuss the study's results and explain how she researches insects. She'll also suggest which native plants can be good replacements for invasive species.

The Zoom webinar is from noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30.

Register using the online formor visit https://bit.ly/ChoosyPollinators.

For more information, contact Molly Johansson at 907-786-6313 or mjohansson@alaska.edu.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris@alaska.eduor 907-474-1909. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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