POLLINATORS POLLINATION AND FOOD PRODUCTION

THE ASSESSMENT REPORT ON POLLINATORS, POLLINATION AND FOOD PRODUCTION
and Mojave Creation myths say that a hummingbird guided
the people from their underground kingdom to light and
taught them to make fire (Courlander, 1971; Mullett, 1979;
Leeming and Page, 2000). Taino Indians, the indigenous
people of Puerto Rico (Borikén) believe hummingbird is a
noble warrior, teacher and sacred pollinator who brings
new life (Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation of Borikén, 2015).
The crimson sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) is the national
bird of Singapore (Minahan, 2010). The National Flower
of Mauritius is Trochetia boutoniana, a rare endemic that
produces a coloured nectar that attracts its lizard pollinator,
the Mauritius Ornate Gecko Phelsuma ornata (Hansen et al.,
2006) (Figure 5-19 B).
FIGURE 5-18
Bees hive symbol on road signs and in front of Utah State Capitol building, United States of America. © Gretchen LeBuhn.
Reproduced with permission.
The beehive is a symbol of industry, perseverance, thrift, stability, and self-reliance.
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FIGURE 5-19
Hummingbird (Trichilus polytmus), the National Symbol of Jamaica and the National Flower of Mauritius (Trochetia boutoniana) with is
pollinator Mauritius Ornate Gecko Phelsuma ornata.
A) Stamps celebrating the
national symbol of Jamaica.
© Unknown.
B) Phelsuma cepediana nectar-feeding at Trochetia blackburniana, the National Flower
of Mauritius. Picture on the right shows the gecko preferentially feeding on the coloured
nectar supplied by this unusual flower.
Source: Hansen et al. (2006). Reproduced with permission.
5. BIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY, POLLINATORS AND
THEIR SOCIO-CULTURAL VALUES