🦁
Kitimu says: "Without pollinators, most plants can't make seeds — and without seeds, no new plants! Today you're going to sit still, watch carefully, and count every buzzing, fluttering visitor that comes to the flowers. Let's go, Cub!"
🎒 What You Need
A garden or area with flowers
Your worksheet
Pencil & crayons
A timer (15 minutes)
Patience!
📋 How To Do It
Find your flower patch: Choose a spot with several flowers — ideally different colours. A garden bed, wildflower area, or flowering bush works perfectly. Sit or crouch nearby where you can watch without disturbing the visitors.
Set up your tally chart: On your worksheet, create columns for each pollinator type: bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, moths, and birds. Also note the flower colour each visitor goes to.
Watch for 15 minutes: Set your timer and observe quietly. Every time a pollinator visits a flower, make a tally mark in the right column. Note which colour flower it visited. Stay still — pollinators are easily scared off!
Record colour preferences: After your watch, look at your data. Do bees prefer certain colours? Do butterflies go for different flowers than beetles? Write down any patterns you notice.
Draw your top pollinator: Pick the most common pollinator you saw and draw it on your worksheet. Label it and write how many times it visited during your 15-minute watch.
Answer the big question: Do pollinators have colour preferences? Write your conclusion on your worksheet based on what you observed. Real scientists do exactly this kind of fieldwork!
Ranger Tip: Bees tend to love blue, purple, and yellow flowers. Butterflies prefer red, orange, and pink. Beetles often go for white or cream flowers. See if your data matches!
Safety note: Watch pollinators from a comfortable distance. Don't try to catch or touch bees — just observe them doing their important work. If you're allergic to bee stings, keep extra distance.
📸
Take a photo of a pollinator on a flower and share your tally results in the Junior Rangers WhatsApp group!