Elementary Ecosystem Investigation: Pollinator Garden

*Click Here for Upper Grades (6-12) Version*​ 

Bee on a Purple Coneflower
Bumble Bee on Purple Coneflower
Dreamstime
Click pic to enlarge
Investigate Pollinators and
Their Habitat
    
Your pollinator garden is home to native plants and flowers that provide nectar and pollen for native pollinator species including bees and butterflies.

     
Click on the topics below to learn more!
       
 
Butterfly link to Alabama's Pollinators
     

 
Alabama's Pollinators Pollination Habitat Needs Interesting Facts














 


  
Alabama's Pollinators
   
Facts about Pollinators
 
  • Pollinators are animals that help carry pollen (yellow, powdery substance) from the male part of a flower to the female part of the same flower OR the female part of a different flower.
  • Some pollen is carried by wind or water but most often it is transferred from flower to flower by animals.
  • Some pollinators like bees, butterflies, flies, wasps, and other insects visit flowers in search of food - extracting (or drinking) the nectar (sugary liquid) in flowers using their proboscis (a long, thin, straw-like mouthpart).
  • Some pollinators visit flowers to find shelter, nest-building materials, or mates.
  • Pollinators also help with seed dispersal (the movement of seeds away from the parent plant). 

Common pollinators in Alabama include a number of species of:
https://www.alabamawildlife.org/uploadedFiles/Image/image-20201005170357-1.jpeg
Black Swallowtail
Wikimedia - Derek Ramsey
Click pic to enlarge
Bee with Pollen
Dreamstime
Click pic to enlarge
























 
- Ants - Bees  - Beetles - Butterflies - Hummingbirds - Moths - Wasps





 
 
Click on the names of the animals below to read more about the species you will commonly find around your pollinator garden.
 
  Butterflies like the Monarch or Black Swallowtail
  Bees like the Eastern bumble bee
  Ants like Little Black Ants














   
 
   
  
Pollination Process
     
Pollination is the process of moving pollen from the male part of a plant’s flower to the female part of a plant’s flower so that it can create “baby plants” called seedlings.
     
Structure and Function of a Flower
 
Stamen: the male part of the flower

Anther: the part of the stamen that contains pollen

Pistil: the female part of the flower

Stigma: the part of the pistil that receives the pollen

 
 
https://www.alabamawildlife.org/uploadedFiles/Image/image-20201005170357-1.jpeg
Parts of a Flower
Wikimedia - Anjubaba

Click the image to enlarge it
 

















  
 
The Steps of Pollination
 
  1. Pollinator visits flower.
     
  2. Pollen from the anthers stick to the pollinator.
     
  3. Pollinator visits other flowers.
     
  4. Pollen is transferred to the stigma.
 
https://www.alabamawildlife.org/uploadedFiles/Image/image-20201005170357-1.jpeg
Pollination Cycle
Freepik.com
Click the image to enlarge it
 

  











 



 
 
Pollinator Vision
Many pollinators see different ranges of light than we can.  Because of this, the way a flower looks to a pollinator might be different from the way we see it.
   
Nectar Guides (on bottom photo)
Wikimedia - Dave Kennard

Click on image to enlarge it
 
Click here to view a presentation about pollinator vision and how they perceive color
Different types of pollinators tend to prefer different types of flowers based on the traits of the flowers. The relationship between pollinators and which flower types they prefer is called a pollination syndrome

Flower traits include flower shape, flower color, flower smell, amount of pollen, amount of nectar, and the presence or absence of nectar guides. Nectar guides are markings on flowers that guide pollinators to where the nectar is located. Many pollinators can see light wavelengths that humans cannot, making these markings invisible to us.

Click here to view a "Pollinator Syndrome Comparison Chart" with a description of the flower characteristics preferred for each type of pollinator
 
   


 

   

  
Habitat Needs
 
 
     


 

   
Food:
 
Flowers on native wildflowers, bushes and trees provide nectar (sugary liquid produced by plants) and pollen (yellow, powdery substance from male part of flower)

A variety of flower shapes, heights, smells, and colors provide nectar and pollen for many different kinds of pollinators.

Fallen, rotting fruit can also provide food for pollinators
.

 
 
     



 
 Water:
 
Many pollinators get their water by drinking nectar and visiting shallow puddles. 

Your garden may have a saucer or other shallow dish filled with water and small rocks – this allows pollinators to safely sip water without drowning.
 


 
 
   

 
Shelter:
 
Vegetation, leaf litter, and dead plants will provide shelter from bad weather as well as predators.

 
 
 
Places to Raise Young:
 
Many species of pollinators will lay their eggs on the plants or in the soil in your garden.
 
   

The most important part of a pollinator garden is 
native plants that occur here naturally and have historically been found here!


Read more about them on the poster on the right!  You can click on the image to make it larger or download it.


 
 
Click on the flowers above
to read more about
the plant species
commonly found in 
outdoor classroom
pollinator gardens!


 




































































   
 
 

   


   
Interesting Facts about Pollinators
     
Pollinators are extremely important because they are required for many of the foods that we eat. It is important that we create habitat for pollinators because many populations of pollinators, including bees, flies, butterflies, and beetles, are in decline.
     
#1:





 
It is estimated that animal pollinators are needed for the reproduction of 90% of flowering plants and one-third (33%) of human food crops.

This means that you can thank a pollinator for every one out of three bites of food you eat!

 
   
#2:

 
Pollinators play a significant role in the production of over 150 food crops in the U.S.— including apples, almonds, blueberries, cranberries, kiwis, melons, pears, plums, and squash.
 
     
#3:
 
In the U.S., pollination produces nearly $20 billion worth of products annually including forest products made from trees such as paper and cardboard. 
     
#4:








 
There are roughly 200,000 animal species around the world that perform as pollinators. 

Less than 1% of pollinators are vertebrates (animals with a spine), and those pollinators include birds, bats, and other small mammals.

Most of the pollinators (over 99%) are invertebrates (animals without a spine) such as insects and bugs like ants, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, wasps, and bees.
 
#5: Pollinators also help other animals by pollinating the plants that other wildlife use for their habitat needs including sources of food and cover.
   
#6: In addition, many plants that require pollination help keep our ecosystems healthy.  Their roots help prevent soil erosion (gradual destruction), they help filter and clean our waterways (lakes, streams, etc.), and they help remove carbon dioxide from the air.
   

 


One native (occur here naturally) leafcutter bee can do the pollination job of 20 non-native bees (do not occur here naturally and were brought here from other countries).
Leafcutter Bee
Wikimedia - Bernhard Plank
Click the image to enlarge it
#7:


 
     
#8: This is why it is so important we create habitat for pollinators because many populations of pollinators, including bees, flies, butterflies, and beetles, are in decline.





















































 







 


SOURCES

 
 
 
 
​    
 
     
 
     
     
 
 

 

 

 
 






























  .