A recent publication by Abnova’s Michael Curran and others was covered in the Casper Star Tribune: Restoration work helps pollinators all season long, study finds
It is widely accepted that pollinator conservation will benefit from the creation of spatial and temporal mosaics of native flowering plants. This study looked at how insects responded to ecological restoration efforts in the Jonah Infill natural gas field in Sublette County, WY. Well pads which had western yarrow, blue flax, and native penstemon species in bloom during the early growing season contained 3x more insects and higher insect diversity than adjacent reference areas, whereas well pads which had Rocky Mountain bee plant in bloom in the late growing season had 22x more insects and greater diversity than reference areas. Plant-pollinator networks are critical to establish for ecological restoration projects. Additionally, insects serve as the primary source of protein for ~96% of terrestrial bird chicks.
