Today's quiz focuses on plants and the pollinators they attract. Let's get started!

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1. Our native flowering dogwood -- North Carolina's state flower -- plays a vital role in supporting a wide variety of pollinators, including numerous species of bees, butterflies, moths, flies and beetles. Among these visitors are several species of specialist bees that rely almost exclusively on dogwood pollen to feed their larvae. This close relationship makes these bees essential to the dogwood tree's reproductive success. Which of these bees feeds only on dogwood pollen?

close-up of a white dogwood blossom
Poll question: 1. Our native flowering dogwood -- North Carolina's state flower -- plays a vital role in supporting a wide variety of pollinators, including numerous species of bees, butterflies, moths, flies and beetles. Among these visitors are several species of specialist bees that rely almost exclusively on dogwood pollen to feed their larvae. This close relationship makes these bees essential to the dogwood tree's reproductive success. Which of these bees feeds only on dogwood pollen?. Select one option.
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2. Buttonbush is a native shrub commonly found along ponds, streams and in swampy areas. But it's also remarkably adaptable to a variety of soil types. As a result, it thrives across all regions of North Carolina. Its unique, spherical flowers provide an excellent source of nectar for a wide range of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. According to entomologist Doug Tallamy, how many species of moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) use buttonbush as a larval host plant?

a white round spiny plant with a bee on it
Poll question: 2. Buttonbush is a native shrub commonly found along ponds, streams and in swampy areas. But it's also remarkably adaptable to a variety of soil types. As a result, it thrives across all regions of North Carolina. Its unique, spherical flowers provide an excellent source of nectar for a wide range of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. According to entomologist Doug Tallamy, how many species of moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) use buttonbush as a larval host plant?. Select one option.
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3. Spring ephemerals are a group of early-blooming wildflowers that emerge in shady woodlands or along forest edges before trees fully leaf out. These delicate plants are called "ephemerals" because their life cycle is brief -- they bloom quickly in early spring and fade away soon after the forest canopy returns and shades the understory. Despite their short appearance, spring ephemerals play a vital role in forest ecosystems by providing essential nectar for early-emerging pollinators, such as bees, at a time when few other flowers are in bloom. Which of the following spring ephemerals supports a native North Carolina mining bee called the Spring Beauty bee?

a cluster of small delicate pale purple flowers with five pedals
Poll question: 3. Spring ephemerals are a group of early-blooming wildflowers that emerge in shady woodlands or along forest edges before trees fully leaf out. These delicate plants are called "ephemerals" because their life cycle is brief -- they bloom quickly in early spring and fade away soon after the forest canopy returns and shades the understory. Despite their short appearance, spring ephemerals play a vital role in forest ecosystems by providing essential nectar for early-emerging pollinators, such as bees, at a time when few other flowers are in bloom. Which of the following spring ephemerals supports a native North Carolina mining bee called the Spring Beauty bee?. Select one option.
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4. Did you know that aquatic plants can also play an important role in supporting pollinators? This plant is a hardy, long-lived perennial aquatic wildflower that thrives in water up to two feet deep, reaching heights of three to four feet tall. It produces striking spikes of violet-blue flowers that are not only beautiful but also highly attractive to a variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. While dragonflies aren’t great pollinators, they’re frequent visitors to this plant as well—and they offer their own benefit by helping control mosquito populations. Which plant is it?

a tall stalk in a garden covered with light purple flowers
Poll question: 4. Did you know that aquatic plants can also play an important role in supporting pollinators? This plant is a hardy, long-lived perennial aquatic wildflower that thrives in water up to two feet deep, reaching heights of three to four feet tall. It produces striking spikes of violet-blue flowers that are not only beautiful but also highly attractive to a variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. While dragonflies aren’t great pollinators, they’re frequent visitors to this plant as well—and they offer their own benefit by helping control mosquito populations. Which plant is it?. Select one option.
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5. Here’s another fascinating native plant you can find carpeting the forest floor across North Carolina. Growing just four to six inches tall, it features stiff, heart-shaped evergreen leaves that can be quite striking—sometimes mottled with silvery or pale green patterns. Its unusual flowers are hidden at ground level beneath the foliage, so you’ll need to gently move the leaves aside to find them. Blooming from spring into early summer, the flowers range in color from deep purple to a bronze-crimson brown. They don’t have traditional flower petals—instead, they consist of a leathery, three-lobed calyx. Because the blooms sit so close to the soil and are often concealed, the plant relies on ground-dwelling insects like beetles and ants for pollination. What plant is this?

Bright green leaves close to the ground in a shady spot
Poll question: 5. Here’s another fascinating native plant you can find carpeting the forest floor across North Carolina. Growing just four to six inches tall, it features stiff, heart-shaped evergreen leaves that can be quite striking—sometimes mottled with silvery or pale green patterns. Its unusual flowers are hidden at ground level beneath the foliage, so you’ll need to gently move the leaves aside to find them. Blooming from spring into early summer, the flowers range in color from deep purple to a bronze-crimson brown. They don’t have traditional flower petals—instead, they consist of a leathery, three-lobed calyx. Because the blooms sit so close to the soil and are often concealed, the plant relies on ground-dwelling insects like beetles and ants for pollination. What plant is this?. Select one option.
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