Celebrating Pollinator Week with Flickr and 1% for the Planet

Photography and the hidden heroes of our ecosystems

If you’ve been following us on our socials this week, you may have noticed extra fluttery friends popping up in your feed. Why were we particularly partial to all things buzzing, humming and fluttering? Pollinator Week of course! We teamed up with our partners at 1% for the Planet and La Monarca Bakery to raise awareness for why these tiny workers are such an integral part of our lives and what we can do to further their protection. 

1% for the Planet connects businesses to vetted environmental nonprofits and makes giving back a core part of doing business. La Monarca Bakery is one of those businesses, giving back in the name of conservation. As a member of 1% for the Planet, La Monarca Bakery is committed to preserving its namesake – the Monarch butterfly. Teaming up with these dedicated partners with the shared goal of conservation was a perfect match for a week of advocacy and celebration in honor of pollinators around the world. 

Pollinators fill essential roles that support our ecosystem, our economy and ensure access to the bountiful agriculture that sustains us. This year’s Pollinator Week theme, Pollinators Weave Connections, calls upon us to reflect on those heroes, big and small, that play a fundamental role in our well being and survival on this planet. 

From bees to butterflies, bats to hummingbirds and so many species in between, a week of honoring these important creatures isn’t enough in comparison to the essential work they do every day. As we round out the week reflecting on the  connectivity we all share on this planet, we’re taking this moment to remember that it’s our responsibility to help protect these essential workers and there is so much we can do. 

Flickr for the Planet 

If you want a first hand look at pollinators, Flickr is the perfect place to start. Photographers from all over the world share gorgeous pollinator shots everyday that help bring these tiny animals and insects into focus so that we can see every detail of their little lives as they carry out their very big jobs. Looking for a place to start your pollinator search, make sure to visit our Flickr for the Planet group where you will find a nature focused group of photographers who share their gorgeous captures. 

Protecting the Monarch Butterfly

Though individual daily actions matter for pollinator protection, some challenges require broader, systemic solutions. That’s just what U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta, from California’s 19th Congressional District and Representative Salud Carbajal from California’s 24th Congressional District are calling for by introducing the MONARCH Act. The MONARCH Act, aka the Monarch Action, Recovery, and Conservation of Habitat Act of 2025 is focused on actively restoring and protecting critical habitats from destruction to help ensure the survival of western monarch butterflies. 

Here’s what the MONARCH Act proposes:

This bill would authorize $62.5 million for projects aimed at conserving the western monarch with an additional $62.5 million directed at implementing the Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan, which was prepared in January 2019 by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

This essential funding would be used to restore damaged monarch butterfly habitats, protect existing monarch butterfly habitats while also facilitating the conservation of other pollinators.

Why Monarchs? 

Since the 1980s, the monarch butterfly population in the United States has decreased by more than 99%! This drastic decline is due to a variety of reasons including climate change, the increased use of pesticides and the loss of pollinator habitats.  Why does that matter? Because one-third of food production relies on animal pollination and monarchs do just that. The extreme decrease in monarch population has resulted in western monarch numbers reaching record lows which is why the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service have proposed that the monarch butterfly be added as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. 

Get involved!

It’s not too late to join in!  Share your favorite pollinator photos in the Flickr for the Planet Group and help us continue celebrating these essential species beyond Pollinator Week. From bees and butterflies to bats and blooms, every image helps raise awareness and a few lucky participants will receive a special surprise from our friends at La Monarca Bakery, as a thank you for supporting the planet, one photo at a time.

For more information about the MONARCH Act make sure to check out this press release.