Location: Soil Management Research
Project Number: 5060-21220-007-006-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: May 1, 2023
End Date: Dec 31, 2025
Objective:
Quantify visitation of different pollinator groups (honey bees, bumble bees, native bees, syrphid flies, etc.) on perennial flax in Morris, MN and St. Paul, MN throughout the flowering period.
Approach:
Perennial flax fields were established in 2021 in Morris and St. Paul, MN. During the 2023 and 2024 field seasons, pollinator visitation will be monitored every two weeks by walking field transects and counting pollinators observed visiting flowers. Pollinator visitation will be done at 8am and 11am on each sampling day. Flower abundance will be documented by visually estimated the percent flower cover of the field. Time lapse cameras will be set up at peak flower to capture a 24 hour bloom cycle and document when flowers first open and when they drop.
