WHAT IS NATURE
LESSON 2
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,
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
LESSON 2 SECTIONS AND ACTIVITIES PAGES

-
- HOW NATURE WORKS: OVERVIEW FOR LESSONS 1 AND 2
- INTRODUCTION TO LESSON 2: HOW POLLINATORS REBUILD OUR WORLD’S ECOSYSTEMS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM
- STEP 1 – ESSENTIAL RESOURCES
- STEP 2 – POLLINATION
- WHO POLLINATES YOUR FOOD?
- HOW PESTICIDES ACCUMULATE IN THE FOOD CHAIN – CHART TO SUPPORT THE ACTIVITY
- TIPS FOR NATURAL WAYS TO MANAGE GARDEN PESTS WITHOUT HARMFUL PESTICIDES – SUPPORTS THIS LESSON, ACTIVITY, AND THOSE TO FOLLOW
- STEP 3 – COEVOLUTION
- STEP 4 – RESEARCH POLLINATORS IN YOUR AREA AND PLANTS THAT ARE NATIVE TO YOUR CITY OR TOWN
- BUILD A BUG HOTEL – ACTIVITY
- POLLINATOR NESTING MATERIALS – SUPPORTING INFORMATION FOR THE ACTIVITY
- POLLINATOR GARDEN WORKBOOK – ACTIVITY
HELPFUL RESOURCES WITHIN THIS WEBSITE
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].