•  Worldwide, approximately 1,000 plants grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices and medicines need to be pollinated by animals in order to produce the resources on which we depend.

•   Foods produced with the help of pollinators include apples, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate, melons, peaches, figs, tomatoes, pumpkins & almonds.

•   In the United States, pollination by honey bees and other insects produces nearly $20 billion worth of products annually!

• About 75% of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators for fertilization and over 200,000 species of animals act as pollinators. Of those, about 1,000 are hummingbirds, bats and small mammals, such as mice. The rest are insects, such as beetles, bees, ants, wasps, butterflies, and moths.

In 2023 we purchased a 3 acre lot next to our home to prevent it from being cleared and built on. We have worked many weekends removing invasive plant species, removing vines that were choking out young trees and doing controlled burns. Suddenly we have wild bergamot beginning to grow again, prairie rose popping up and young trees growing like crazy especially the red buds that we didn't even know were in there because they had been covered in invasive vines. The goal is to return it all to a healthy eco system that benefits wildlife.