Potter Wasps: Pollinators and Their Side Hustles 

Please join us in welcoming our fellow NJNPS member Rick LeDuc for his program
Potter Wasps: “Pollinators and their side hustles.” 

The importance of pollinator populations, to both wild habitats and agriculture, has garnered a lot of attention in recent years, and their decline is cause for serious concern. What is often not discussed is the other roles these insects play in our ecosystems; roles that in some cases may be just as ecologically important as pollination. We will take a look at some of the various types of pollinator insects and how they fit in the ecosystem in different ways. 

Rick retired at the end of 2023, had two fun and fulfilling careers that he enjoyed. The first as a research biologist in San Diego studying the evolutionary and population genetics of cetaceans, and the second as the manager of Thuya Garden, a public garden run by a non- profit in coastal Maine. It was during the latter career that his interests expanded to insects, insect photography, and the critical roles that insects play in the ecosystem. He and his wife moved to New Jersey in late 2023 to be closer their kids and have been exploring and getting to know the area since.