Kentucky finds rare species through roadside pollinator program

By Anjani Dent, intern

When the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves (OKNP) began conducting assessments of existing pollinator habitat, they were in for a surprise. 

During these surveys, which inspect habitat in partnership with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, OKNP botanists in Western Kentucky located stone mountain mint (Pycnanthemum curvipes), a globally rare species that was previously not known to occur in Kentucky. 

Kentucky is focused on restoring existing grassland remnants along roadsides to protect the monarch butterfly, which garnered national attention after its populations plummeted. 

To prioritize habitat sites for protection, OKNP performs surveys to identify already existing habitat sites. They then rank the sites based on their own scorecard, which focuses on habitat assessment, and a scorecard developed by Monarch Joint Venture, which focuses on pollinator assessment. 

Since surveying began in 2019, a team of botanists who have gone all across the state of Kentucky have so far identified at least 70 rare roadside species. 

These discoveries highlight the importance of roadside pollinator programs in aiding pollinators, and protecting and enhancing biodiversity. Just one patch of roadside can contain life that we never knew existed, and life that we never would have found. More species are waiting to be discovered, and pollinator programs can help us find them. Who knows what the next few years of pollinator habitat surveys will bring?