i think Tinkerbell helps pollinate 2!!! lol

Many night blooming flowers are white, and often fragrant. Moths are reputed to be the primary pollinators. In the Southwest, Bats are pollinators of some night blooming species.

Thanks SweetRage and rjm,

I buy the story about moths ( even though it seems they are more attracted to a lightbulb than a flower) And if you say bats pollinate them in the S.W. I can't argue because I don't live there, but bats are meat eaters right?...mosquitoes etc..

So is that it? I got moths and tinkerbell. There's got to be a botany expert out there that want's to teach me a lesson!
Heather

Heather, many moths do feed, especially the SPHINX moths. They are also known as "hummingbird" or "hawkmoths" due to their powerful flight. They do not light on the blossom as do butterflies, but just like their namesake, the hummingbird, these moths hover while feeding, moving up and down, side-to-side, or even backward!

Now, be prepared for another visitor to your Nicotiana--the tomato or tobacco hornworm. Also, don't be alarmed by its presence. This is the larva of one of those kind of moths I just mentioned. The Nicotiana must be pollinated and the big caterpillar has to eat! Think of it more as a mutualism, though it may seem rather one sided from the perspective of the plant's foliage. Losing some leaves is a small price to pay for fertile seed and progeny.

Now, not knowing how many of these plants you have, you may have to cull some of the hornworms, leaving only 1 or more of the biggest ones to complete their life cycle.

By the way, I love Nicotianas and would be interested in some seeds later on, so keep my e-mail addy handy.

Heather,

You won't find them in Michigan, but there are species of bats that feed on pollen and nectar. These are migratory species that follow the blooming of night blooming cacti and agaves from Mexico up into Arizona each year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bat pollinators

Tomato Worm - Thank you for your intellect. I don't believe we have Sphinx moths like you described here in Michigan but I do believe I have seen them when I lived in Denver. They flew like hummingbirds with fast wings, and flew at night around our flowers. I only have 1 Nicotania. I don't think I'll get any seeds from it. If I see a big worm on it I'll make sure to befriend it.

So maybe the answer to my question is that NOTHING pollinates night bloomers in ZONE 5?

There must be. Unless all Night Bloomers in zone 5 are truely annuals.
I'm begining to accept the bat theory.

More Insight is Much Appreciated
H-
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Trust me, there are quite a few different sphinx species in Michigan, including the nightshade-eating Manducas.

Thanks for everyone's help and intellect. I told my friend what I had learned and he was impressed, BTW I think I saw a sphinx moth a few nights ago while we were sitting outside. It was pretty big, but not very bright, the light bulb it was flying around was much brighter. :[

H-

It's 8:30 P.M. and I just stepped outside to let my dogs out and noticed that there were at least two bees in each of my Datura (moonflower) plant flowers. I was surprised to see bees when it was almost dark but I'm sure they were pollinating.