Many people think of honeybees and butterflies as pollinators, but many other insects are pollinators as well. Bumblebees, like the one pictured above, are pollinators. Wasps are pollinators. Beetles are pollinators. Some flies are even pollinators!
If you want to learn more about insect pollinators, our friends at the Pollinator Partnership have some lovely full-color printable guides to help you with identification. Here is a bee identification guide and another, similar, guide for swallowtail butterflies.
Mammals and birds are also pollinators. For example, bats pollinate night-blooming plants. The long-nosed bat of the American Southwest pollinates agave plants, making tequila possible. Hummingbirds are some of my favorite pollinators. We love to watch them flitting about the garden in search of Monarda (bee balm) and runner beans.
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