Monarch butterflies feeding from blazing star wildflowers

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Butterfly, fly away. Pollinator Week

Pollinators Week honours the life and work of the important animals that help transfer pollen grain from the male parts (stamen) to the female parts (stigma and egg) of a flower. Why is pollination important, you ask? Many of our daily fruits and vegetables, which comprise around 75% of flowering plants, need some kind of animal pollination. Pollination is good for biodiversity, and it also improves the quality and quantity of crops and raises harvest yields. Thousands of crores worth of goods such as mustard, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables are produced in India each year because of pollination. You can celebrate this week by limiting or eliminating the use of pesticides while creating a pollinator-friendly habitat for our wandering friends.