May 29 was “pollinator monday” (or should I say #pollinatormonday?) and National Geographic celebrated it with the picture of a genet. A genet? What the hell is that? Here it is:
It turns out, not only bees can pollinate flowers. Also bats, birds, lizards, and mammals (not only genets) can visit flowers to feast on their nectar, transferring pollen grains from flower to flower in the process. Even among insects, besides bees and butterflies, in the ranks of pollinators we find wasps, moths, flies… The list goes on. We are proud to say that the research team that first documented that genets and other carnivore mammals visit Protea flowers included four current and/or former members of our lab [link to article].
Here at the Pollination Research Lab we like to find out the details of specific pollination systems (such as that of long-tubed flowers pollinated by long-proboscis flies, a system known only for Southern Africa and the Himalayas and that we adopted as our symbol), but also the general rules that drive their ecology and evolution, may they be genets and Protea flowers, long-proboscis flies and long-tubed flowers, or the humble bees and daisies.
– MP
Pollination Research Lab 