It’s officially National Pollinators Week! Join us for a weeklong celebration of the plants and animals that carry pollen. Plus we’re sharing ways you can help local pollinators too. This week, each coloring page is highlighting a different pollinator and showcases the hard work they do for Ohio plants and wildlife.

How is a bird that mainly drinks nectar an important pollinator? It’s when they’re drinking the nectar that hummingbirds play their pollinator role. Per the National Audubon Society, when hummingbirds dip their long bills into flowers to drink nectar, they also pick up grains of pollen. Because hummingbirds drink up to two times their body weight in one day, they flit from flower to flower to get nectar. As they move from one flower to another, they carry pollen.

Did you know that roughly 8,000 plants in North and South America depend on hummingbirds’ pollination services? Hummingbirds enjoy particular flowers, including tubular flowers, flowers that have recurved petals (where the petals are out of the way), flowers with strong supports for hummingbird perching, brightly colored flowers (particularly red, yellow or orange) and, of course, flowers that are prolific nectar producers.

Get more coloring pages here!