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Plants & Farm StoriesJun 11, 2024
Interview with Sayaka Lean: Host of Oregon Pollinator Conservation Day
At Herb Pharm, we cherish the pollinators that help us grow our beautiful herbs, and love helping people learn more about them. Learn more about Oregon Pollinator Conservation Day with Sayaka Lean, a Master Gardener and the Garden Education Coordinator at Herb Pharm. In this interview, Sayaka shares how she got involved with organizations like The Oregon Bee Project.
1. Can you tell us more about your work with the Oregon Bee Project cataloging bee species?
My journey started to involve the Oregon Bee Project in 2017. This citizen scientists-based native bee survey is now a part of OSU extension service's Master Melittologist program. Over the years of their effort, there are new discoveries of bees and they assume that nearly 700 species of bees exist just in Oregon. Part of their mission is to create and maintain a comprehensive publicly accessible inventory of the state's native bees and their plant-host preferences. They also educate Oregonians on the state's bee biodiversity.
2. Why are pollinators so important?
The simple truth is that we can't live without pollinators! It is an essential ecological survival function. Without pollinators, the human race and all of Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive. Around three-quarters (75%) of the different crops we grow for food depend on pollinators to some extent. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the United States alone, pollination of agricultural crops is valued at 10 billion dollars annually.1
3. Do you have a favorite pollinator?
I love them all, but especially one of the indigenous native bees called squash bees Peponapis pruinosa. Unlike honeybees, squash bees only collect pollen in the genus Cucurbita, which includes Winter Squash, Zucchini, and Gourds. Squash bees have existed for over 10,000 years in Central Mexico. Since Squash was domesticated by the Native Americans in the U.S., the squash bees traveled West. Squash bees were cited in Oregon for the first time in 2016. Since then, we have discovered squash bees right here at the Herb Pharm farm. If you grow Squash at home, you might see these beautiful and useful squash bees, which have a rich natural history.
Take a Closer Look
See past Pollinator Conservation Day events and get a glimpse of both our Regenerative Organic Certified® farms and our Botanical Education Garden - perfect for a day of learning.
[1] Why is pollination important? US Forest Service. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildflowers/pollinators/importance.