WHAT IS NATURE
LESSON 2

For Educators

HOW POLLINATORS REBUILD OUR WORLD'S ECOSYSTEMS
AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM

Lessons and Activities
Learning about pollinators, the resources they need to survive in their environment,
and how cross-pollination is vital for ecosystem recovery and resilience.
Recommended for ages 10-14.
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
  • Ecosystems are complex and interconnected. 
  • The importance of a healthy ecosystem.
  • How nutrients and energy are cycled through the ecosystem.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  • Learn what resources plants and animals need to survive
  • Explain the 2 processes of pollination and which one increases genetic diversity
  • Explain how pollinators and plants have evolved in response to each other 
  • Understand how different flower shapes appeal to different pollinators
  • Understand that pollinators “see” color differently than humans
  • Research local pollinators and native plants

RESOURCES USED TO CREATE WHAT IS NATURE LESSON 2: HOW POLLINATORS REBUILD OUR WORLD’S ECOSYSTEMS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM

Water resource 

  • https://ento.psu.edu/research/centers/pollinators/public-outreach/cert/cert-steps-step2
  • https://seeds.ca/sw8/web/pollination/pollinator-gardens#:~:text=Know%20that%20native%20bees%20do,mud%20puddles%20or%20even%20birdbaths.
  • https://homeguides.sfgate.com/make-butterfly-puddling-pool-104284/
  • https://www.batcon.org/article/water-for-wildlife/#:~:text=The%20water%20is%20algae%20green,sip%20from%20this%20vital%20resource.

Pollinator syndrome chart & activity references

  • https://images.app.goo.gl/9nCRJdpStCKPNQcV6
  • https://images.app.goo.gl/iJs6HUi3V5tCdsMs7
  • https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/m402
  • https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/datura/
  • https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257447641_Nectar_ecology_of_Datura_ferox_Solanaceae_An_invasive_weed_with_nocturnal_flowers_in_agro-ecosystems_from_central_Argentina
  • https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/trumpet-honeysuckle
  • https://www.hummingbird-guide.com/honeysuckle-for-hummingbirds/
  • http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275970#:~:text=Asimina%20triloba%2C%20commonly%20called%20pawpaw,to%20form%20colonies%20or%20thickets

Flower shapes and tables

  • http://theseedsite.co.uk/flowershapes/
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/habitat/
  • https://prod-media.coolaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/06191751/Adaptations-Bee-and-plant-factsheet-2.pdf

Pollinator garden design 

  • https://www.honey-plants.com/calendar/ontario/
  • https://cvc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/17-uo-nativeplantsforpollinators-booklet-v8-web.pdf
  • https://seeds.ca/sw8/web/pollination/pollinator-gardens#:~:text=Know%20that%20native%20bees%20do,mud%20puddles%20or%20even%20birdbaths.
  • https://www.pgc.pa.gov/Education/WildlifeNotesIndex/Pages/Bats.aspx
  • https://entomology.cals.cornell.edu/extension/wild-pollinators/native-bees-your-backyard/

Who pollinates your favorite food activity

  • https://www.pollinator.org/pollinated-food
  • http://blog.umd.edu/agronomynews/2020/06/29/beetles-and-pollination/
  • http://blog.umd.edu/agronomynews/2020/06/05/moths-butterflies-and-pollination/
  • https://www.greenmatters.com/p/which-plants-attract-butterflies-pollinators
  • https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/animals/moths.shtml
  • https://butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/the-role-of-moths-as-nocturnal-pollinators

Natural pest control

  • https://www.buglogical.com/praying-mantis/#:~:text=Mantis%20have%20enormous%20appetites%2C%20eating,mantises%20actually%20make%20great%20pets.
  • https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/natural-garden-pest-control/
  • https://www.pitchcare.com/news-media/pesticides-a-brief-history-and-analysis/
  • https://premeditatedleftovers.com/gardening/how-to-attract-praying-mantis-to-your-garden/
  • https://byjus.com/chemistry/pesticides/#:~:text=Examples%20of%20pesticides%20are%20fungicides,%2C%20DDT%2C%20Malathion%2C%20etc
  • https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/baking-soda-on-plants.htm#:~:text=Sodium%20bicarbonate%20as%20a%20fungicide,the%20potential%20for%20foliar%20burn.
  • https://www.thespruce.com/companion-planting-1402735

Build a bug hotel

  • https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-make-bee-hotel

Pollination

  • https://www.pollinationguelph.ca/quickfacts
  • https://www.space.com/17638-how-big-is-earth/#:~:text=Using%20those%20measurements%2C%20the%20equatorial,miles%20(40%2C008%20km)%20around.

Coevolution

  • https://www.wnps.org/blog/coevolution-and-pollination
  • https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/sites/lpi.oregonstate.edu/files/pdf/hyp/lessons-manuals/K12/K5/grade_two_pollinator_adaptations.pdf
  • https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Plant_Strategies/scent.shtml#:~:text=A%20pollinator%20detects%20a%20flower’s,%2C%20spicy%2C%20or%20fruity%20odors
  • https://www.calacademy.org/educators/lesson-plans/flowers-seeking-pollinators
  • https://sites.google.com/site/sjipollinators/home/about
  • https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/bumblebee-static-electricity/
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347281800218
  • https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=astr
  • https://beeaware.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Papaya-pollination-brochure.pdf
  • https://www.gardenia.net/plant/allium-hollandicum-purple-sensation-ornamental-onion
  • https://www.finegardening.com/article/alliums-all-season-long
  • https://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/flora/aster/
  • https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/dog-rose/
  • https://www.biodiversityireland.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Pollinator-friendly-planting-code-temporary-draft.pdf
  • https://www.nybg.org/blogs/plant-talk/2012/01/people/calabash/#:~:text=The%20flowers%20of%20the%20calabash,by%20a%20slightly%20rotten%20smell.
  • https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/ww0503.htm
  • https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-species-native-bees-are-united-states?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products
  • https://www.orkincanada.ca/pests/bees/carpenter-bees/#:~:text=Eastern%20carpenter%20bees%20range%20in,of%20females%20appear%20solid%20black
  • https://www.pollinator.org/guides – USA & Canada
  • https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/natural-garden-pest-control/
  • https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AttractingPollinatorsV5.pdf
  • https://www.pollinator.org/pollinated-food 
  • https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/animals/beetles.shtml
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/habitat/
  • https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Wildlife/Attracting-Butterflies#:~:text=Plant%20type%20and%20color%20is,%2Dmorning%20to%20mid%2Dafternoon.
  • https://homeguides.sfgate.com/flower-colors-butterflies-like-pollinate-60735/
  • https://www.fws.gov/pollinators/pdfs/PollinatorBookletFinalrevWeb.pdf
  • https://www.uky.edu/hort/butterflies/all-about-butterflies
  • https://www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2004/Beauty-With-Brains
  • https://phys.org/news/2021-02-scientists-group-caterpillars-poisonous/

Lesson developed by Stephanie Young, Fall 2021

Copyright © New England Primate Conservancy 2021. You may freely use, copy and share these Learning Activities for educational purposes. 
​For questions or comments, e-mail us at [email protected]