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Article: The plight of the bumblebee: with bees and other pollinators disappearing at an alarming rate, our fruits and vegetables may be in jeopardy. (includes a related article on pollinators and the food we eat)
- Article from:
- Popular Science
- Article date:
- November 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Bonnier Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Each fall, Hawaiian biologists from the National Tropical Botanical Garden rappel over the edge of some of the world's tallest sea cliffs. Dangling from ropes 3,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, they carefully brush pollen onto a few trumpet-shaped flowers clinging to the cliffs.
The Hawaiian flowers are two rare species of Brighamia, of which only about 200 plants remain in the wild. Scientists believe the blossoms were once pollinated by a type of moth that is now extinct. No other pollinator has taken its place, so without the annual intervention of death-defying human pollinators, the plants face extinction.
If the Hawaiian moth were the only missing ...