Lesson Description:
After closely examining flowers in the “dissecting a flower” activity, students design their own flower, including all the flowers parts they had previously learned. Then using the “pollinator guide,” they make the pollinator that would be attracted to their flower.

Eco-fact: Insects and other flying animals pollinate most flowers; however, each flower’s color, shape, and scent are designed to attract particular pollinators.

Procedure:

• Background information about pollinators:
• Pollinators include thousands of species of insects, including bees, wasps, flies and butterflies as well as other animals, like bats and birds, especially hummingbirds. Pollinators are creatures that help plants reproduce by moving pollen from one flower’s male anther to the female stigma of another. Once pollination has taken place, seeds begin to develop. Pollination can also occur with the help of wind, or occasionally water. Some plants even pollinate themselves.
• The shape, color and fragrance of flowers all serve to attract certain species of pollinators. For instance, flat-topped flowers such as zinnias act as resting spots for butterflies, and the strong fragrance of lilies attract a number of insects, including bees.

Activity directions:

• After completing the “dissecting a flower” activity, provide the class with craft supplies. Their goal is to design their own flower that would attract particular pollinators such as bees, butterflies, flies, moths, hummingbirds and bats. Each picture will include the different parts of the flower learned from the other activity.
• Students then create their flowers by cutting or tearing tissue or construction paper and gluing it down to a piece of white paper.
• Once the flowers are completed, the class can use the “pollinator guide” to identify which pollinator would be attracted to their flower.
• Using craft supplies students will then create their pollinators and glue them near their flowers.

Adaptations:

• Use recycled craft supplies or leftover scraps of paper from other projects to complete this activity.

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Lesson Type:

• Project

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Sustainability Topic:

• Gardening

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GEF Program Category:

• Waste Reduction Challenge
• Green Thumb Challenge

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