How Are Plants Pollinated? | Botanical Relationships
Pollination plays a crucial role in producing the next generation of plants. Learn how pollinators like wind, water, and animals get the job done.
Questions and Prompts for Educators
Check for Understanding
- Why is pollen important?
- How many pollinators can you think of? Work with a partner to make a list.
Take It Further
- Draw a plant or flower that contains pollen. Use a plant at school, an image of your favorite plant, or create your own. What kind of pollinator do you think would work best for your plant? Why?
Create
- Choose an animal pollinator from the Pollinator Chart and research the plants it pollinates. Then, design a garden for your pollinator.
Make a Personal Connection
- Be a citizen scientist and count pollinators using a stationary count using the Citizen Science Pollinator Tracker. Choose a plant and observe it for eight minutes, counting the number of pollinators that visit it during that time. Write the number down, noting the start and end times. Choose three other days/times, and repeat the count with the same plant, comparing your observations. Take it a step further: Create a graph of your findings and compare them with data from another season or year.
Next Generation Science Standards: Disciplinary Core Ideas
- LS1.A: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
How do the structures of organisms enable life’s functions? - LS2.A: INTERDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIPS IN ECOSYSTEMS
How do organisms interact with the living and nonliving environments to obtain matter and energy?