SHORELINES

The latest bz ALABAMA POWER PROGRAM TURNS OPEN PLOTS INTO POLLINATOR HABITATS By Justin Averette Alabama Power employees have spent the past few months turning several open fields around the company's lakes into pollinator habitats. When most people think of pollinators, bees automatically come to mind. at's for good reason, as bees pollinate 80 percent of the world's plants, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, other insects, hummingbirds, lizards and bats are also all pollinators that plants depend on. Josh Yerby heads the pollinator project for the company's recreation group. He said a successful ecosystem and food chain depend on plants and pollinators. "Most plants cannot produce fruit or even seeds unless they are pollinated. at can happen by two ways: the wind carrying pollen from one flower to another or through pollinators as they move from one plant to another looking for food," said Yerby, a senior Real Estate specialist for Alabama Power. "Pollination is an important part of a plant's life cycle and for us, too. Much of the food we eat is the result of pollinators." Yerby said the seed-mix chosen for the lake plots will grow year-round and is made up of eight types of grass and more than 25 flowers. ose include popular varieties like black-eyed Susans, goldenrods and sunflowers as well as less common plants. e mix was designed to have at least two flowering plants throughout the year, including winter. Yerby consulted on the project with Dani Carroll, regional extension agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "Humans like to eat a variety of food, and we also like 9 apcshorelines.com

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