Forget Shark Week. In San Diego, Pollinator Week is something to see – and hear

After sunset these flower petals are enveloped by pulses of sonar.

It’s May, and the banks of the San Diego River are thick with life. In the day, the bees are at work pollinating the wildflowers. But at night, the work doesn’t stop.

That bats and moths pollinate flowers during the night shift may typically be a lesser known curiosity. Not this week.

This week is San Diego Pollinator Week, coordinated by the San Diego Pollinator Alliance. As a key member of the alliance, the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County, a public agency focused on conservation, has helped organize numerous events throughout the region educating guests about all things pollinating and pollinated.

From nature walks to farming demonstrations, the events aim to raise awareness about the interplay between pollinators and the land we coinhabit.

Aidan Ryan is the education and outreach coordinator for the conservation district.

“We have so much amazing diversity here, so many pollinators to support, but unfortunately, their populations are in danger,” she said.

Pollinators – which are animals that fertilize plants by moving pollen between flowers – are increasingly under threat. Populations have been declining for several reasons. There are fewer places to breed and feed; there has been an influx of disease-causing organisms such as viruses, fungi and bacteria, and exposure to pesticides is harmful.

Climate change is also another key stressor. As temperature rise, plant populations may blossom earlier and die out before insects arrive.

In the San Diego region, there are about 650 native bee species, Ryan said. With so many bees, it’s crucial that residents learn what pollinators need and how to support them. From planting native plants to providing water for pollinators by using shallow containers as watering stations, residents can provide resources in an increasingly urbanized city scape.

The conservation district runs a program that funds habitat restoration and provides financial support and technical assistance for farmers looking to grow plants that local pollinators need.

“We will be there to help be hands in the dirt, boots on the ground,” Ryan said. 

San Diego Pollinator Week opened with a nature walk at dusk on Monday at Mission Trails Regional Park, organized by Wild Ones San Diego and led by naturalist Don Endicott.

Equipped with a microphone and recording system specialized to capture ultrasonic sound to help identify bat species, Endicott led several dozen guests into the river basin.

There, if you knew where to look, was a vivid and whirling community of several bat species, clearly enjoying the slew of insects attracted by the dozens of human visitors. 

Though not all bats pollinate, among them are species that do, such as the Mexican long-tongued bat, one of Endicott’s specialties.

Though Endicott is an engineer by trade, bats are his passion. He spends time researching them throughout the region as well as at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. On his Facebook account, you can see him dressed as a bat. It’s a detail that shows the kind of idiosyncrasies the love for a particular species can bring to life.

Endicott’s expertise opened minds throughout the evening with facts that some never imagined. For example, the fastest animal on the planet is not a falcon, it’s actually a bat, a Brazilian free-tailed bat to be precise. It can fly nearly 100 mph.

Or…did you know that bat wings are actually webbed hands?

Bats are also incredibly diverse. A quarter of the world’s population of mammal species are bats, Endicott said.

One that flew through and around the crowd on Monday was the Mexican free-tailed bat.

“By the way, I call them flying Oreos. They weigh about the same as an Oreo cookie,” Endicott said with his fact-laden humor.

On Friday, guests can see more night pollinators at the Anstine Nature Preserve in Vista from 7 to 9 p.m. Those interested are asked to register in advance online as space is limited.