What is a pollinator?
If you said “an animal that carries pollen between flowers” you are correct!
The most popular pollinators are bees and butterflies, but I bet you already knew that.
Did you know that these are pollinators, too?!
– ants
– bats
– beetles
– birds
– flies
– moths
– wasps
– lemurs
– honey possums
– reptiles
– the wind even helps pollinate!
Unfortunately, lemurs, possums, and reptiles do the pollinating in other countries like Madagascar, Australia, and Brazil.
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Question to think about:
How do you think the wind helps pollinate?
Why is pollination important?
Around the world, about 1,000 different plants used for food, drinks, and medicines need to be pollinated so they can be used!
The foods included in this list are: apples, blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, potatoes, pumpkins, vanilla, and almonds. What is your favorite on this list?
Pollinators are in trouble…
Why? Their homes and food are starting to be damaged or completely destroyed because of yucky things in the air and the climates changing. Do you remember talking about this when we learned about Earth day? Doing things to protect our Earth, like recycling, will also help protect pollinators!
Providing homes for them like bird houses or bat boxes will also help them to keep pollinating. They would also be more likely to pollinate for you, too!
To help pollinators, you can also plant flowers that they like. A favorite is wildflowers. Some others include: bleeding heart flowers (we have these at school!), marigold, zinnia, iris, lily, mint, strawberries , and pear. Here are some links for more!
- https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/attracting-butterflies-hummingbirds/7265.html
- https://www.saferbrand.com/articles/top-plants-that-attract-pollinators
Activity Ideas
- Journal: answer the question at the top of the document, or “How can you help pollinators?”
- Draw a picture of your favorite type of pollinator doing its job! Or, many of them doing their jobs!
- Put little bit of sugar and water near your plants (outside!) if you have any. Maybe you can attract some butterflies or hummingbirds that need a refreshing drink!
By Kayla – Orange Room