Drummond speaks with BDN about roadside pollinator study
Frank Drummond, a professor of insect ecology at the University of Maine, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for an article about the Maine Department of Transportation’s Roadside Invasive Plants and Pollinator Study. “Basically we go out and assess the density of flowering plants and assess the density of butterflies and bumblebees and bring samples back to the lab to identify what species [of butterflies and bumblebees] we are seeing,” Drummond said, adding he is seeing a strong relation between the density of flowering plants and increased numbers of butterflies. Drummond is looking at 10 sites in which DOT decided to reduce mowing this summer, allowing wildflowers to grow, according to the article. “DOT made a conscious effort to reduce the intensity of their management in those study sites. It’s a cost savings to them, but it also helps enhance native plants and native pollinators,” Drummond said, adding roadside habitats in Maine cover between 10,000 and 12,000 acres. “When habitats become fractured and isolated, fewer individuals are able to find them so the diversity in those spots becomes lower,” he said. “But if you have an uninterrupted large expanse of habitat — even if it’s just narrow strips along the freeway — those can essentially be highways for bees and habitat for mixed, diverse species.”