pollinator

American  

[pah-luh-nayt-er] / ˈpɑ ləˌneɪt ər /

noun

1. an insect or other animal that pollinates a plant.

2. a plant which provides pollen for cross-pollination.

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Explanation

An animal that helps fertilize plants by moving pollen from one to another is a pollinator. Honeybees act as inadvertent pollinators as they collect nectar to make honey. When you think of pollinators, you probably picture bees buzzing from flower to flower as pollen collects on their legs. Many other insects, including ants, wasps, beetles, and butterflies, are also pollinators. Birds are too — and even mammals like possums and monkeys can pollinate plants, spreading pollen from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another so the plant can reproduce. The Latin root of pollinator, meaning "fine flour," describes pollen's powdery appearance.

Example Sentences

Stephen Frantz, 82, said he would have to sell his home, with its pollinator garden, if the override succeeds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Scott is working with the Monarch Fellowship, a volunteer-driven initiative to plant pollinator flowers, to offer wildflower seeds in the fall and narrowleaf milkweed seeds and plants in the spring.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025

It was introduced to the U.S. via colonization, where it is now out-competing many native pollinator species and also spreading disease to other insects.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2025

The insects, an important pollinator, normally hibernate through winter into spring.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2025

Some trees produce staminate flowers too early for proper pollination and thus do not yield a crop unless another good pollinator grows nearby.

From Northern Nut Growers Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-First Annual Meeting Cedar Rapids, Iowa, September 17, 18, and 19, 1930 by Northern Nut Growers Association