Plants & Pollinators

*New Plants and Pollinators topics for 2018–2019 school year!*

Little Leaf Explorers (Pre-K and K): During this program, students will explore plants with their senses by studying leaves and flowers with different textures, colors, and fragrances. Games, puppets, and crafts will teach them the basic parts and life-cycle of plants.

Adaptable programs for Elementary and above:

Carnivorous plants: With so much competition for resources and nutrients, some plants have taken extreme measures. In this program, Cockrell Butterfly Center Horticulturists will introduce students to the sinister world of carnivorous plants and explain why and how they snag their meaty meals!

Plant Adaptations: Plants have some incredible ways to adapt to harsh environments. In this program, presenters will explain the basic needs of plants and the unique, beautiful, and sometimes downright weird ways they acquire them.

Pollinator Partners: Learn why plants and pollination are essential for life as we know it, and how pollinators help many plants survive! Did you know that, in addition to honeybees, flies, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, bats and hummingbirds all pollinate different plants? Discover the wide variety of pollinators, and the different ways they help plants reproduce. Students will learn how to create an at-home butterfly garden and will each get to plant a seedling to take home.

5^th through 12^th grade:

Flower Dissection Lab: During this class, students will get an up close look into the inner workings of a flower by dissecting one. They will learn to identify each part and its special function within the plant. Students will also examine the reproductive parts of the flower and get an in depth look at what happens during pollination.