 OBJECTIVE
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Designing a garden that brings
back pollinators.
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Creating a model of your design.
VOCABULARY
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Host plants
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Design
MATERIALS:
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tools to help build mode
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Shape it molding
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQiszdkOwuU
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Attracting pollinators (pdf)
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Pollinator Garden ppt
· Pollinator
Color Guide worksheet
BACKGROUND:
Animals can roam about and seek mates with whom to reproduce, but imagine
the challenge for a plant, rooted firmly to the ground, to achieve the
same end. Pollinators, which include thousands of insect species (bees,
tiny wasps, butterflies, beetles, and flies) and other animals (such as
hummingbirds and bats), unwittingly move pollen from the male anther of
one flower to the female stigma of another as they search for sweet,
nourishing nectar and fat- and protein-rich pollen.
Pollinator Flower Preferences
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Pollinators
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Flower Preferences
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Bees
Did you know? There are about 4,000
species of native bees in the U.S. ranging in length from less
than one eighth of an inch to more than one inch. Most of these
bees are "solitary" nesting and, having no hive to defend (as do
nonnative honeybees), they are unlikely to sting!
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Yellow, blue, purple flowers. There
are hundreds of types of bees that come in a variety of sizes and
have a range of flower preferences. They can't see red, but are
attracted to some red flowers, such as bee balm, that reflect
ultraviolet light. Small bees, which have short tongues, prefer
packed clusters of tiny flowers (e.g., marigold, daisy, butterfly
weed, aromatic herbs).
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Butterflies
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Red, orange, yellow, pink, blue
flowers. They need to land before feeding, so like flat-topped
clusters (e.g., zinnia, calendula, butterfly weed, yarrow, daisy)
in a sunny location. They also need food sources for larvae and
places to lay eggs. These include milkweed, aster, lupine,
thistle, fennel, violets, hollyhock, black-eyed Susan.
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Moths
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Light-colored flowers that open at
dusk such as evening primrose.
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Pollinating beetles
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They prefer wide-open flowers, such
as aster, sunflower, rose, and butterfly weed.
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Flies
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Green, white, or cream flowers. They
have short tongues, so prefer simple-bowl shapes.
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Hummingbirds
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Red, orange, purple/red tubular
flowers with lots of nectar (e.g., honeysuckle, sage, fuchsia,
jewelweed, fireweed, cardinal flower, bee balm, nasturtium,
century plant). No landing areas are needed since they hover while
feeding.
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Bats
(Pollinating bats are found
primarily in the Southwest)
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Large, light-colored, night-blooming
flowers with strong fruity odor (e.g., many types of cactus).
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PROCEDURE:
1.
Last time we talked about parts of a
flower and pollination from the plant's point of view.
Today we talk more about the
pollinators and what they do for plants.
2.
Watch
the pollinator video (5 minute video).
Tell students to look for types of
pollinators and clues about what kind of plants the pollinators like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQiszdkOwuU
Review types of pollinators they saw in video
3.
Go
over
Powerpoint on pollinators and pollinator
gardens.
Why are pollinators so important to
us??
Why should we care about pollinators?
Talk about how to design a good pollinator garden. Go over things you
should consider
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Pollinators require nectar and pollen rich flowers
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Flowers should range in shape and sizes
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Flowers should bloom throughout the season
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Provide overwintering places for eggs and larvae
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Provide water
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Avoid chemicals that might harm pollinators
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Talk about design including that you need seasonal sequence of
flowers. UC Davis report claims that you need a minimum of 20 plant
types that bloom throughout the year. Selecting plants over the year
insures that each pollinator will have food. Here in
California
the weather is mild enough for pollinators to survive even in our
winter
7.
Plant batches of the same type
of flower.
4.
Use “Shape It” in containers for students to design a Garden. They can
use the materials provided to make pathways, leveled areas for different
types of plants that will attract pollinators.
Have the students use the Pollinator Golor guide worksheet to help
them design their pollinator garden and decide which pollinators will come
to their garden.
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