What the Zoo is Doing

How is your Zoo helping Pollinators?

The Birmingham Zoo supports the conservation of pollinators and their habitats through our certified Monarch Waystation and through the use of pollinator-friendly plants throughout the Zoo. We have created a habitat for Monarchs by planting milkweed and have both Monarch caterpillars and adults at our waystation on a yearly basis. We also provide additional pollinator-friendly plants for other types of butterflies, as well as bees, moths, hummingbirds, and more.

Did you know that the Zoo has a honeybee colony? The colony is located in one of our behind-the scenes areas and regularly produces honey! During spring and summer, our bees use our pollinator gardens as wells as clover and wildflowers in the areas surrounding their hives for food. In the winter, they use their own honey as a food source and staff occasionally need to feed them supplemental sugar water. Rain or shine, we have a dedicated team of Zoo employees that care for our honeybees all year round!