Metro Atlanta census underway of bees and butterflies

JONESBORO, Ga. — Amy Hudson was leading a team of census takers. The location was the Jonesboro Community Garden.

“Wow! I never thought to do this. Is not it cool that someone is thinking to do this,” Hudson said.

Hudson is with the nonprofit Food Well Alliance. On Friday they were counting all the butterflies and bees.

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“So, you pick a plant like this marigold. You pick a Hula hoop size area on this plant, and for 15 minutes you count every time an insect lands on that plant,” Alliance member Kalia Henry said.

It is called the Great Southeast Pollinator Census. UGA and Food Well Alliance are part of the effort across four states to track the health of the pollinator population.

“If we’re harming pollinators and spraying pesticides and not providing nutrient sources like these flowers, they in turn won’t pollinate our vegetables that we eat,” Henry said.

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The annual census was launched back in 2017, and the data shows that pesticides and development have taken a toll.

But by raising awareness, these Citizen Scientists as they are called, hope to reverse the trend.

“A third of the food we eat comes from pollinators. If we did not have them, we would be in big trouble,” Hudson said.

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There is another census on Saturday, August 24 at Legacy Park in Decatur from 10am until noon. To learn more about the Food Well Alliance, look here.

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