Leucas aspera (Willd.) A potential refuge for pollinators

A large number and diverse array of pollinator species are essential to provide effective and sustainable pollination of crops and wild plants. However, we are at risk of losing these benefits, and many others, with the ongoing and dramatic decline of pollinators witnessed around the world. Flowering weeds, though often deemed undesirable in the agriculture field, provide food resources for declining pollinator populations in urbanized landscapes. Thus, this study emphasizes the importance of Leucas aspera (Willd.) in the conservation of insect pollinators. We documented the diversity of floral visiting insects on Leucas aspera flowers at GKVK, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, during 2021-22. The pollinator community was composed of twenty-one hymenopteran species, four species each from Diptera and Lepidoptera, two coleopteran species, and one species from Hemiptera. This herbaceous weed can provide suitable habitat not only for honey bees but also for other wild pollinators. We stress the importance of planting this plant along field edges to conserve pollinators during the dearth period.