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Giving Tuesday

Support Biodiversity This Giving Tuesday

All species on earth (including us) are part of an interdependent ecosystem. Invertebrates make up 96% of all animals on Earth, so their survival is extremely important to the overall balance of our shared ecosystem. 

If we let enough invertebrate species go extinct, we will start to see irreversible changes to the world as we know it—problems with crop pollination, collapsing food webs, polluted waterways, and much more. Giving Tuesday is the perfect time to help sustain invertebrate biodiversity. 

 

Don’t Let These Vulnerable Species Become A Memory

Bumble bee on flower

Photo: Leif Richardson / Xerces Society

Morrison bumble bee

Bombus morrisoni

The Morrison bumble bee is a large, golden-colored bee with a black head and lower abdomen. It lives in social colonies with queens, female workers, and male drones. This western North American species has declined in relative abundance by over 74% in recent years. 

Western ridged mussel on stream floor

Photo: Roger Tabor

Western ridged mussel

Gonidea angulata

The western ridged mussel is a freshwater mussel capable of filtering gallons of water each day and living for 60 years. More than 35 freshwater mussel species have already gone extinct on our continent, and this one might not be far behind.

Loopy five firefly on graph paper

Photo: Richard Joyce / Xerces Society 

Loopy five firefly

Photuris forresti

The loopy five firefly lights up the night with a looping pattern of four to seven greenish-yellow flashes. It lives in marsh habitat. We only know of a select few places where this rare species is living, so we’ve asked the United States government to protect it.

Monarch butterfly on coneflower

Photo: Sarah Nizzi / Xerces Society

Monarch butterfly

Danaus plexippus

Monarch butterflies can fly 2,500 miles on their seasonal migrations to and from warmer climates. Their wings resemble beautiful stained glass to us, but signal poison to potential predators. Monarch populations have declined dramatically in the last several decades.

zigzag darner on tree trunk

Photo: Denis Doucet, CC BY-NC

Zigzag darner dragonfly

Aeshna sitchensis

Zigzag darner dragonflies are found in northern North America near pools of water in bog, fen, and meadow habitats. They are beautifully patterned, including zigzags on their thoraxes. Their coloration includes bright blues, greens, and yellows. Their historic range is shrinking. 

Western glacier stonefly walking on a rock

Photo: United States Geological Survey

Western glacier stonefly

Zapada glacier

Western glacier stoneflies are only known to live in one small area of Glacier National Park in Montana. Larvae live in glacier meltwater and require very specific temperatures to survive. With glaciers in the park slated to melt in the next decade, this species faces likely extinction.

Delhi Sands flower loving fly in sand, with its big green eyes and sand-colored body

Photo: © Guy Bruyea

Delhi Sands flower-loving fly

Rhaphiomidas terminatus abdominalis

The Delhi Sands flower-loving fly is unique to disappearing sand dune habitat in southern California. As one of the largest fly species, it hovers over flowers like a hummingbird to drink nectar. It was the first fly to ever be protected through the Endangered Species Act.

Wintu sideband snail on boulder

Photo: © 2011 Len Lindstrand III

Wintu sideband snail

Monadenia troglodytes wintu

The rare Wintu sideband snail is only found near limestone formations along one particular California lake. Its slimy body requires a lot of moisture, so it waits out dry conditions for extended periods in dark, damp habitat. Its relatively flat shell enables entry to narrow crevices.

Suislaw hairy-necked tiger beetle in sand

Photo: Ron Lyons

Siuslaw hairy-necked tiger beetle

Cicindela hirticollis siuslawensis

As its name suggests, the Siuslaw hairy-necked tiger beetle has a full white beard on the sides of its thorax. It lives in wet sandy soils near the west coast, but it’s now rare. Its requirement for a certain moisture threshold has made it vulnerable to drought, pollution, and other threats. 

Male Fender's blue butterfly on a flower

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Fender’s blue butterfly

Icaricia icarioides fenderi

Fender’s blue is a small butterfly species that was once thought to be extinct. In the last several centuries, about 99% of its Oregon prairie habitat was destroyed for development. This species has recently made slight progress toward recovery after protection from the U.S. government. 

How to Help Preserve Biodiversity

Xerces staff and plants

Donate to Xerces

Here at the Xerces Society, we work year-round to protect invertebrates and their habitats. We restore native landscapes, research imperiled species, advocate on behalf of wildlife, and more. A tax-deductible donation this Giving Tuesday will support our essential work. Working together, we can make change. Thank you for your participation!

Restored habitat with abundant plants around a stream

Photo: Jessa Kay Cruz / Xerces Society

Restore Habitat

Invertebrates depend on many different types of habitat. As small creatures, a change in just one yard or park could make them a home. Plant a diversity of native plants to provide food, shelter, and resources to many species. If it makes sense for your region and landscape type, you can also provide a small pond or water source, a brush pile, leaf litter, a compost pile, bare ground, or other natural features. 

Sign on a farm that says

Photo: Karin Jokela

Avoid Pesticides

Pesticides are one of the major reasons invertebrates are struggling. Avoid using insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides to reduce threats to already vulnerable insects, as well as the animals that eat them in the food web. Ecological pest management focuses on creating a more resilient and diverse environment that controls pests using prevention and natural enemies. 

Bee City volunteers

Photo: Bee City USA, Talent Oregon

Become an Advocate

Share the importance of invertebrates and biodiversity with your network. You can also become a community scientist, volunteer with local groups to protect habitat, or urge your hometown to become a Bee City USA affiliate. Invertebrates are small and easy to overlook. Many folks don’t know how diverse they are, how much they are struggling, and why we need to protect them. You can help change that! 

 

 

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