POLLINATORS: WHAT IS ALL THE BUZZ Pollinators include bees, other insects, butterflies & moths, birds, particularly hummingbirds and bats. Most pollinators are not honeybees. Attitudes toward bugs, especially bees, should be positive. Many of them are helpful and we need them!! Minnesota has over 400 species of native bees.! Across the US there are over 10,000 species of native bees!! Bees live in many habitats, in dirt, in brush, in hollow stems!! Garden neatness is not a plus Diversity matters: more plant variety means more pollinator variety!! Pollinators work from early spring to late fall & need nectar sources!!! (Hurray! Dandelions are excellent bee food)!!! Organic farmers have found that a mixed plant border on a field!!! increases pollination Consider pollinators and other wildlife when choosing things to plant in school gardens SOME REFERENCE BOOKS FOR POLLINATOR FRIENDLY GARDENING: BRINGING NATURE HOME 2009 Doug Tallamy Timber Press Oregon POLLINATORS OF NATIVE PLANTS 2014 Heather Holm Pollinator Press Minnetonka GROW NATIVE Lynn Steiner 2016 Cool Springs Press Minnesota POLLINATOR FRIENDLY GARDENING Rhonda Hayes 2015 Voyageur Press Minnesota USEFUL WEBSITE RECOMMENDATIONS:
http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/landscaping/nativeplants-for-sustainable-landscapes/doc/7447z.pdf http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/gardens/nativeplants/suppliers.html A LIST OF CHILDREN S BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY S. McNamara PLANT A POCKET OF PRAIRIE Phyllis Root & Betsy Bowen 2014 University of Minnesota Press Each page profiles a prairie plant, its habitat and a creature drawn to it. A excellent introduction to the idea of plants and wildlife connections and native plants. If there is only time for one, choose this. THANK YOU BUGS! MASON MEETS A MASON BEE Dawn Pape 2015 & 2014 GoodGreenLife Publishing This Minnesota author is working to connect young children with pollinators in a very direct manner. I found these at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. THANK YOU BUGS is a very simple but engaging introduction to the good bugs do for us so let s take care of them. The photographs of the children are more than perfect. MASON MEETS A MASON BEE is clever, it rhymes, there are photos of Mason and the mason bee is a real Minnesota native bee. Her goal with this book was to make kids NOT afraid of bees but appreciative of them.
WHAT S THE BUZZ? KEEPING BEES IN FLIGHT Merrie-Ellen Wilcox 2015 ORCA Books Very thorough but accessible book all about bees: honeybees, bumblebees and many others. Superb photos and excellent explanations, often in side-bar or graphic form. Wonderful table of contents and index, glossary and resources. Includes activities to help bees and encourage them to take up life at your place. I found this at the Red Balloon and it was EXACTLY what I wanted.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS: EVERYTHING INSECTS Carrie Gleason 2015 National Geographic Press For more well presented information on insects beyond bees. Another RED BALLOON find. BUGS BY THE NUMBERS Sharon Werner & Sarah Forss 2011 Blue Apple Books Probably not a good library choice due to the fold outs but a book some kids would sit with for a long time - facts all in numbers about 23 types of insects. Many different types of facts and the insects are graphically designed out of numbers. It would certainly get people talking about insects.
TOUCH A BUTTERFLY: WILDLIFE GARDENING WITH KIDS April Pulley Sayre!! 2014 203 pages Especially helpful ideas for gardening with children. This author has other excellent titles. BUTTERFLY EYES AND OTHER SECRETS OF THE MEADOW Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes 2006 Houghton Mifflin Because this poetry book deals with meadow life, it would make a nice connection to the pollinator topic. Joyce Sidman has a number of stellar books about nature topics which I used whenever possible. My all time favorite might be UBIQUITOUS about nature s survivors.