Our conservation work takes Xerces staff to many different places, on various types of projects! To fill you in on what we have been up to, we are featuring some of our staff’s updates from the field! Today, Sarah Nizzi takes us out to a prairie in Iowa to learn about pollinator conservation.

How would you describe the work you do at Xerces?

I have been working as a Pollinator Conservation Specialist, NRCS Partner Biologist in Iowa for over six years now. A large aspect of my job is to provide training to Iowa staff of the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and other partner organizations across the state. I cover various topics, such as pollinator and beneficial insect biology and ecology, habitat restoration, diverse native seed mixes, and native plant identification.

Although providing guidance documents to staff and hosting virtual training are great tools, these offerings do not compare to in-field, boots on the ground training. The best part of my job is getting outside with people to get them up close and personal with insects and their habitat.

Take us to the field! What is a conservation project you have been working on recently?

In early July I was able to co-lead a pollinator training for NRCS staff and partners. I partnered with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff to provide the training. The DNR and I collaborated to familiarize participants with important information related to native solitary and social bees, butterflies, and moths. After spending some time ensuring we all had a basic understanding of these insects, we equipped participants with insect nets and vials and explored a nearby prairie reconstruction. 

Thanks to its diverse mix of native plants, this prairie was home to many different insects. Native plants in flower at the time included lead plant (Amorpha canescens), purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea), showy tick trefoil (Desmodium canadense), compass plant (Silphium laciniatum), and more. We collected and examined many different types of insects, from robber flies, to moths and butterflies, and bumble bees.

Did you discover anything unexpected in the field?

The native plant that stole the show was certainly purple prairie clover. However, the real treat was who we found there. The plant was being visited by a small number of white-clothed longhorn bees (Xenoglossodes albata). Perhaps one of the most adorable midwest native bee species, which hadn’t been on our list of bees to expect here!

Since making this discovery Xerces and DNR staff are working to ensure this species is added to a comprehensive native bee list for the state of Iowa. The NRCS staff that attended the training were thrilled with the event and reported they were more interested in insects thanks to the experience. And of course, a day out of the office is always a good day. 

If there was one thing you wanted to make sure people knew about conservation, what would it be?

Conservation is a collaborative effort. It is important to not only educate the public, but also conservation professionals of the needs of pollinators. It is immensely rewarding for me to be able to spark joy and interest in the little things that run the world. There is so much life to see if we just look a little closer. 

Learn more about your local pollinators

• Find the right native plants to support pollinators in for your region 
• Learn how to build the habitat pollinators need to nest and survive cold weather 
• Get out in the field yourself and sign up with Bumble Bee Atlas to help track your local bees!