To accompany “Urban gardens create a buffet for bees”

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1.  What is pollination and how do pollinators decide what plants to visit?

2.  Name at least three pollinators. (Bonus points for including two or more that are NOT insects.)

During Reading:

1.  Where did the new study take place and on which natural product made by plants did this study focus?

2.  Nicholas Tew’s team studied what three types of landscape? Overall, how many different types of plants did their study identify at these sites?

3.  Which landscape type hosted the greatest diversity of plants? Which types had more native species?

4.  Why does Nicholas Tew argue that a broad diversity of plants is important for pollinators?

5.  Which landscape type, if any, produced the most nectar? For any of the studied landscapes, which condition led to the most nectar production?

6.  Flower gardens make what share of the nectar produced in urban areas, according to the new study?

7.  How might the new study apply, or not apply, to U.S. landscapes, according to Xingwen Loy?

After Reading:

1.  Both cultivated flowers and wild plants (some of them considered weeds) can attract pollinators. List as many different flowering plants as you can that grow in and around your home each year.

2.  Pick a pollinator and research its life cycle. What does it eat, where does it live and what plants does it pollinate?