POLLINATOR IDENTIFICATION

BugGuide
https://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
Identification, images, & information for Insects, Spiders & their Kin, United States & Canada

iNaturalist
http://www.inaturalist.org
Where citizen scientists upload their pictures, questions, or observations, and discuss them with fellow naturalists.

Insect Identification For The Casual Observer
https://www.insectidentification.org

BEES

Sam Droege, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Biologist
Specialist Bees Need Special Plants
https://vnps.org/specialist-bees-need-special-plants

Jha Lab at University of Texas
http://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/jha/about-native-bees
Bees of Central Texas General Guide
https://www.houstonnativebees.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bees-of-Central-Texas-Jha.pdf

Wild Bees of the National Butterfly Center, Mission Texas
https://www.wildbeestexas.com
Website has beautiful photographs.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extesion – Texas Apiary Inspection Service
https://txbeeinspection.tamu.edu/public/bee-identification
Although for apiary industry (honey bees) TAIS provides a native bee and wasp ID page.

The Bees In Your Backyard by Dr. Olivia Carril and Dr. Joseph Wilson
https://www.beesinyourbackyard.com

Texas Bee Identification Guide
by Wizzie Brown, Dodie Stillman, Jose Madrigal, Reed Lievers; Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service; Texas Beekeepers Association; JMad Images; Pollinator Partnership
Texas Bee Identification Guide

Bee Walls, Habitats, and Nesting Blocks 
https://www.houstonnativebees.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/BEE-WALL-and-HABITAT-5-page.pdf
Fantastic habitat designs from Tim Heard and the Sugarbag team in Australia.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
https://www.xerces.org
A science-based nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats, see their Citizen-scientist Bee Monitoring Guide

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Native Pollinators and Private Lands
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/nongame/native-pollinators/native-bee-id.phtml

BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS 

The Houston Museum of Natural Science
Cockrell Butterfly Center
https://www.hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center

Butterfly Enthusiasts of Southeast Texas BEST
https://www.naba.org/chapters/nababest
Host and Nectar Plants for Butterflies of Southeast Texas
North American Butterfly Assn. https://www.naba.org

Houston Wilderness
Monarch Flyway Strategy Program
https://houstonwilderness.org/mfs

Texas Butterfly Ranch
https://texasbutterflyranch.com/page/2

Butterflies and Moths of North America
https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
https://www.fws.gov/savethemonarch
How to build a butterfly garden, monarch migration map, and more.

National Wildlife Federation
Comprehensive list and pictures of butterflies and moths, set your location.
https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/Wildlife/Butterflies-and-Moths

How To Grow Your Own Butterfly Garden
Easy to follow instructions by BillyOh, UK; forwarded to us with thanks to Olivia and all Mr. Fuller’s students. https://billyoh.com/resource/grow-butterfly-garden

BIRDS & HUMMINGBIRDS

Wild Birds Unlimited
https://www.wbu.com

All About Birds, The Cornell Lab
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news

HummingWorlds
https://www.hummingworlds.com

BATS

Bat World Sanctuary
https://batworld.org

Texas Tech Natural Science Research Laboratory
https://www.depts.ttu.edu/nsrl/mammals-of-texas-online-edition/Accounts_Chiroptera/index.php

INSECTS

Galveston County Master Gardener Association
Search for this article: Beneficials In The Garden and Landscape

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Insect Identification
http://texashighplainsinsects.net/texas-insects-identified

Identifying household ants
https://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/household/ants-house/ent-2013

Firefly Conservation and Research
https://www.firefly.org/

NATIVE PLANT IDENTIFICATION

Native Plant Society of Texas NPSOT
https://npsot.org/wp
Educational comprehensive website, current info and events, native plant resources, native seed bank and library, and more, with chapters in Houston, Clear Lake, and Montgomery. See their Houston Area Plant List. 

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database
https://www.wildflower.org
Resource to search for native plants in your region.

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Grass, Weed and Wildflower Guide
https://www.houstonnativebees.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TxDOT-Grass-Weed-and-Wildflower-Guide-2022.pdf 

Texas Invasive Plant Database
https://texasinvasives.org/

TREE INFORMATION RESOURCES

Houston Wilderness
Super Trees for Sustainability
Houston Ship Channel Trees Program
Chart of Houston’s Super Trees

Trees For Houston
https://www.treesforhouston.org/

Tree Peace
https://tree-peace.org/

Kinder Foundation 
https://kinderfoundation.org

Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research
How Houston plans to plant 4.6 million new trees by 2030

Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter 
https://www.sierraclub.org/texas/houston

American Forests
https://www.americanforests.org/

Tree Equity Score
https://treeequityscore.org

Tree Equity Score Map
Cool interactive map showing U.S. locations of shade inequities.

Environmental Protection Agency
Urban Heat Island Effect

Tree charts shown in Top Native Plant and Tree Lists:

• 8 tree chart, published in the following study:  A simple tree planting framework to improve climate, air pollution, health, and urban heat in vulnerable locations using non-traditional partners.  Loren P. Hopkins, Houston Health Dept.; Deborah J. January-Bevers, Houston Wilderness; Erin K. Caton, Houston Health Dept.; Laura A. Campos, Rice University; New Phytologist Foundation, December 2, 2021.
• 6 tree chart, story written by Geneva Diaz, published in Houstonia Magazine May 2023  (houstoniamag.com)

GARDENING

Urban Harvest
https://www.urbanharvest.org
https://www.urbanharvest.org/gardening-advice/gardening-basics-and-planting-guides/
Wonderful resource for regional community agri-garden programs and classes, school gardens and youth education, and farmers markets.

Nature’s Way Resources
https://www.natureswayresources.com
Gulf Coast gardening experts, Lazy Gardner and Friends newsletter, with calendar of current gardening events. 

Heights Garden Club
https://heightsgardenclub.org/
Map of neighborhood habitats, and comprehensive Freeze List 2021 of plants that survived.

Kingwood Garden Club
https://kingwoodgardenclub.org/

Galveston County Master Gardeners
https://txmg.org/galveston/

Texas Master Gardener Association
https://txmg.org

National Wildlife Federation Garden for Wildlife
https://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Create.aspx
You can certify your kingdom as pollinator-friendly! Use your Zip Code to find regional native flowers, plants, grasses, trees and shrubs.
https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder

Homegrown National Park
https://homegrownnationalpark.org
Get on the Homegrown National Park map. Doug Tallamy: “In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water.”  

Pollinator Partnership
https://www.pollinator.org
Pollinator protection for the entire American continent; Bee Friendly Farm certification; download their ‘Pollinator Garden” signs, and their Pollinator Friendly Cook Book, and watch their Pollinator Habitat Technical Training Workshop series. 

Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes
https://wildones.org
Promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices, and provides butterfly garden certification, plus plans for native garden designs in many ecoregions.

SEEDS & NATIVE PLANTS

Houston Wilderness
Southeast Texas Native Seed Mix Initiative 
https://houstonwilderness.org/nsm

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
https://www.wildflower.org/suppliers/
Enter your zip code to find local businesses that sell native plants and seeds.

Botanical Interests
https://www.botanicalinterests.com
Quality seeds and prettiest seed packets, with tons of info and lots of e-books to download.

Native American Seed
https://www.seedsource.com
In Junction TX, native seeds on a large scale, wonderful native wildflower mixes, can help you build native, low-mow grasslands.

Wildseed Farms
https://www.wildseedfarms.com
Wildflower farm and habitat, wildflower seeds, native grass seeds, herb seeds.

PESTICIDES

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA – Pollinator Protection from Pesticides
https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection

Pesticide Info 
Information on natural pesticides and organic solutions for gardeners; links to environmental health organizations with info on toxic pesticides.

There are many nature preserves in and around Houston to explore! Listed below are only a few of them. 

Hana and Arthur Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center, Houston
https://naturediscoverycenter.org/

Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
https://houstonarboretum.org/

The Houston Zoo
https://www.houstonzoo.org

The Houston Museum of Natural Science
https://www.hmns.org/c

Galveston Bay Foundation
https://galvbay.org/

Houston Wilderness
https://houstonwilderness.org/

Houston Audubon Edith L. Moore Sanctuary
https://houstonaudubon.org/sanctuaries/edith-moore

Katy Prairie Conservancy
https://www.katyprairie.org/

Armand Bayou Nature Center
https://www.abnc.org

St. Julian’s Crossing Wildlife Habitat
http://www.stjulianscrossing.com/
I highly recommend this educational page, by local naturalist and educator, Lauren Simpson.

EDUCATION RESOURCES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Citizens’ Environmental Coalition
https://cechouston.org/
Environmental advocacy in the Houston/Gulf Coast region.

Prairie View A&M University
Local info, pollinator garden info

Ranger Rick, NWF
https://rangerrick.org/nature/create-a-pollination-station
Create a Pollination Station

Kids Gardening. Helping Young Minds Grow.
https://kidsgardening.org/

The Bees Waggle
https://www.facebook.com/thebeeswaggle/

PUBLICATIONS

Texas Parks & Wildlife
For download: “Management Recommendations for Native Insect Pollinators in Texas” developed by Michael Warriner and Ben Hutchins
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/nongame/native-pollinators/media/TPWD-Native-Pollinator-Management.pdf

Books by Doug Tallamy
https://homegrownnationalpark.org
See a listing of his books, including “Nature’s Best Hope,” “The Nature of Oaks,” “Bringing Nature Home” and more

A USDA Forest Service and Pollinator Partnership Publication
“Bee Basics An Introduction to Our Native Bees”

By Beatriz Moisset PhD and Stephen Buchmann PhD. Beautiful and informative, with gorgeous photos and illustrations. Published in 2011, some reference links at end of article may not be active.

Mother Earth News
https://www.motherearthnews.com

EcoBeneficial LLC, Kim Eierman
The Pollinator Victory Garden
https://www.ecobeneficial.com/

Yale Environment 360, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Urban Refuge: How Cities Can Help Rebuild Declining Bee Populations
Will Putting Honey Bees on Public Lands Threaten Native Bees?
https://e360.yale.edu/features/will-putting-honey-bees-on-public-lands-threaten-native-bees

U.S. Geological Survey Bee Inventory Monitoring Lab
Amazing bee close-up Photos by Sam Droege
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml

Press release: Pollination loss removes healthy foods from global diets, increases chronic diseases causing excess deaths. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Dec. 14, 2022

Margaret Osborne: Forensic Scientists Are Testing Whether Honey Bees Can Help Locate Human Bodies. Smithsonian. April 4, 2022.

A simple tree planting framework to improve climate, air pollution, health, and urban heat in vulnerable locations using non-traditional partners.  Loren P. Hopkins, Houston Health Dept.; Deborah J. January-Bevers, Houston Wilderness; Erin K. Caton, Houston Health Dept.; Laura A. Campos, Rice University; New Phytologist Foundation, December 2, 2021.

Sam Droege. A Very Broad Overview of the Role of Native Bees in Landscapes: Patterns, Biology, Conservation, Management, Agriculture, and Surveys. USGS. 2016.

Michael D Warriner. New Bumble ID Graphic and Upcoming Article. Retrieved from Texas Bumblebees. 2012.

Damon Hall. Can cities save bees? How can urban habitats be made to serve pollinator conservation? How can that story be better told? http://www.thenatureofcities.com

Jack Neff, Director at Central Texas Melittological Institute (In-person interview).

US Department of Agriculture. The annual value of pollinators to U.S. agriculture is over $15 billion. USDA. 2016.
https://beeinformed.org/citizen-science/loss-and-management-survey

M’Gonigle L, Ponisio L, Cutler K, Kremen C. Habitat restoration promotes pollinator persistence and colonization in intensively managed agriculture. Ecological Applications, 25(6). 2015.

Baldock KCR, Goddard MA, Hicks DM, Kunin WE, Mitschunas N, Osgathorpe LM, et al. Where is the UK’s pollinator biodiversity? The importance of urban areas for flower-visiting insects. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 282(1803). 2015.

Sirohi M, Jackson JI, Edwards M, Ollerton J. Diversity and abundance of solitary and primitively eusocial bee in an urban centre: A case study from Northampton, U.K. Journal of Insect Conservation 19:487–500. 2015.

ATTRA National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Accessed from January-June 2012.

Pollinators have declined due to habitat loss, intensification of agriculture, pesticides, disease. Potts SG, Biesmeijer JC, Kremen C, Neumann P, Schweiger O, Junin WE. Global pollinator declines: trends, impacts and drivers. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 25(6):345–353. 2010.

Mader E, Vaughan M, Shepherd M, Black S. Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees. 2010.

Winfree R, Williams N, Dushoff J, Kremen C. Native Bees Provide Insurance Against Ongoing Honey Bee Losses. Ecology Letters. 10,1105-1113. 2007.

John Losey and Mace Vaughan. The economic value of ecological services provided by insects. BioScience 56(4). 2006.

Shepherd M, Buchmann S, Vaughn M, Black S. Pollinator Conservation Handbook. Portland, Oregon: Island Press. 2003.