By HELEN PAPATHANASIOU

Special to The Press

Karen Campbell, a naturalist and macro photographer presented the program, “Discovering our Pollinators,” at the Parkland Garden Club’s May 8 meeting.

Karen and her husband, Gary, have transformed their four-acre property into a haven for butterflies and other pollinators by creating meadows with native plants.

Karen said they have discovered a diversity of insects and spiders.

Her passion is to document the interaction of native plants and insects with macro photography, which she showed to club members.

One photo was of a native cuckoo bee, drinking nectar from a flower.

She explained the bee is not interested in pollen, but as shown in a close-up picture, pollen gets on the bee’s body.

The bee then goes to next flower to drink more nectar and deposits the pollen on that flower.

This interaction of insect and flower is crucial to the survival of both.

And it is crucial to wildlife and humans.

Karen suggested gardeners practice supportive gardening practices.

These include providing native plants and accepting some munching from beneficial insects.

In addition, eliminate or minimize insecticides. Delay spring cleanup. Leave the leaves in the fall and remove invasive plants.

Karen also teaches photography classes.

To learn more, go to FocusOnNatives.com.