National Pollinator Week: Teaching kids the real birds and bees
Parents can offer kids a perfect out-of-school science lesson by teaching them how flowers grow, thanks to the work of bugs and other animals that pollinate.
Parents can offer kids a perfect out-of-school science lesson by teaching them how flowers grow, thanks to the work of bugs and other animals that pollinate.
June 16-22 is聽National Pollinator Week. It鈥檚 a week to celebrate and educate about pollinating animals, such as bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles, and others, which are extremely vital to our ecosystem. Pollinators support much of our wildlife, lands and watersheds.
According to the US Forest Service, nearly 80 percent of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world that produce all of our food and plant-based industrial products require pollination by animals.
There are many simple ways to welcome pollinators into our home gardens and other outdoor spaces. In addition to helping the earth鈥檚 ecosystem and food supply, you鈥檒l also experience the fascination and wonder that comes from observing the animals you attract. Here are a few ways to get more involved:
Find or add an event聽through聽Pollinator Partnership, a wonderful resource about pollinators year-round.
Garden for wildlife聽with tons of tips and guides from the聽National Wildlife Federation, which offers a聽Certified Backyard Habitat Program.
Check out NWF gardeners鈥櫬爁avorite plants for attracting pollinators.
Find more information about聽gardening for wildlife聽from the聽U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Join the聽Great Sunflower Project聽and many other聽citizen science projects聽that allow you to help researchers right from your own backyard or a local park.
Spring at the Bird Cafe聽and聽bird feeder聽activity.
Make a quick and easy聽bird feeder聽to attract and observe birds.
海角大神 has assembled a diverse group of the best family and parenting bloggers out there. Our contributing and guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor, and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. Susan Sachs Lipman blogs at聽Slow Family Online.