Pollinators on the endemic flora of the Azores

April 11, 2022

With the arrival of Spring, pollinating insects also arrive. These petite living beings essential to life promote the plants' reproduction, inclusive of the endemic flora of the Azores! 

It is the case of this tree of 𝘗𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 that was visited by a bee of the species 𝘈𝘱𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢, whose hind feet are adapted to the transportation of pollen – as is noticeable in the images. 

These photographs were taken on Flores island, where there is only one known specimen of Prunus azorica in its natural state, in the peri-urban area of Lajes das Flores, on one of the LIFE BEETLES' intervention areas. 

The project intends to promote the spreading of this and other endemic plants throughout the intervention area to improve the quality of this 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵. 

Bees collect pollen and spread it from flower to flower, allowing plan crossbreeding, resulting in the production of better-quality fruits and a higher number of seeds that posteriorly will produce new plants! This entire process contributes to maintaining our biodiversity and various goods and services on which we depend, such as agriculture and our food.