Pollinators at School
Why are Schools Important to Creating Pollinator-Friendly Cities?
Pollinators, including bees, butterflies, insects, birds, and fruit bats, are vital to the reproduction of flowering plants and food crops. They sustain our ecosystems and provide us with one out of every three bites of food we eat (Source). We NEED pollinators, and – right now – they need us. Habitat loss, pollution, and insecticides are killing off pollinator populations. As cities and suburbs expand around the world, we must find creative ways to incorporate pollinator-friendly greenspaces into urban communities.
Schools offer a remarkable opportunity to do just that. Schoolyard fences offer space for vertical gardens, and garden beds can become “living laboratories” to incorporate hands-on learning into environmental science curriculum. It’s a win-win-win for the students, teachers, and friendly local microfauna.
As the Patten Academy site map below demonstrates, opportunities to boost pollinator habitat abound on many urban school grounds. Pre-existing educational garden space can be expanded upon and even parking lot medians can flourish with flowers — beautifying the campus, adding much-needed green cover to the community, and offering nectar and nesting places for the pollinators
Why Should Schools Focus on Pollinators?
The future of pollinators depends on the next generation of gardeners, climate activists, and stewards of the earth. Fortunately, there is unprecedented support for bringing students and teaching staff out of the classroom and into the outdoors as a means of protecting their health, safety, and wellness. Oakland schools can use this opportunity to help students develop a first-hand understanding of the ecosystems around them. The content below outlines step-by-step strategies for schools to create formal gardens and/or to add pollinator-friendly components to the school landscape. Subsequent sections of this page will provide more information about how teachers can integrate pollinator education into existing class curricula.
As a result of the efforts outlined here, students can engage directly with plants and pollinators, learn about seasonal blooming and supplies of nectar, and observe the steps required to grow and maintain a native yet biodiverse landscape. Knowledge of how to protect pollinators can then be applied inside and outside of the classroom – at school, at home, and in the community.
What Steps Can Schools Take to Welcome Pollinators?
Given the central role schools play in meeting neighborhood needs and contributing to social life, successful pollinator programs for schools will build off the strengths schools already possess. School administrators, faculty and staff are busy and have limited financial resources to devote to a school garden. With this in mind, it makes sense to make the development of pollinator-friendly school grounds as simple as possible. This section provides actionable yet straightforward steps towards fostering a pollinator-friendly school ground. It includes most notably a Pollinator-Friendly School Certification program, which offers goal-setting guidance for schools that seek to be certified by PHHP for promoting the pollinator habitat corridor being established through Fruitvale. While a large garden may require a paid garden coordinator, small steps can be made by teachers and students interested in gardening. This work can also be supplemented by volunteer assistance from UC Master Gardeners. These trained volunteers can help schools get their gardens up and running. Find more helpful resources here. Kat Romo, Oakland Unified School District’s Nutrition and Garden Supervisor may also be a helpful resource when starting a pollinator garden.
Step One: Pollinator-Friendly School Certification
Setting clear, actionable goals that are adaptable and scalable is a vital component of a successful pollinator habitat project. The Pollinator-Friendly School Certification outlined below can help schools with varying resources and levels of engagement make valuable steps towards supporting pollinators on campus. Since starting projects is almost always easier than maintaining them, this program prioritizes steady, achievable growth over rapid expansion. Such a program may also be used to reward teachers for what they are already doing and provide simple strategies to bolster their current curriculum.
Bronze: Native Garden Plot: Least Commitment
A designated coordinator who serves as either a volunteer organizer, garden planner, and/or a point of contact.
3 or more native plants that provide nectar to pollinators (choose from our recommended starters OR your own). When selecting your native plants, please keep in mind that pollinators need blooming flowers year-round. Please try to select at least two native plants which bloom at different times of year. Check out Calscape for bloom seasons for California's native plants.
A minimum plot size of 3x3. This is necessary for pollinators to recognize that there is a valuable nectar site for them to visit.
At least 2 garden cleanup/maintenance days per year, ideally with student involvement.
Silver: Pollinator-friendly School Ground and Cirriculum
Requirements from Bronze-level, in addition to the following pollinator- and human-oriented components:
Pollinator Focus
4 or more different native plants; ideally distributed throughout campus.
At least one designated garden area/plot that is accessible for children with disabilities.
Human Focus
Facilitate module on pollinator education, either as a standalone or as a part of a broader science curriculum. Learn more about where opportunities may exist to integrate pollinator programming into your curriculum in a subsequent section of this report.
Three education modules have also been developed by Buzz Studio! These modules are accessible here.
Gold: Pollinator and Human Symbiosis
Requirements from Bronze + Silver, in addition to the following pollinator- and human-oriented components:
Pollinator Focus
5 or more different native plants, ideally with a range of flowering seasons. All newly-introduced plants to campus are California natives.
At least one nesting site is created (ie. logs & shrubs).
Human Focus
Garden therapy day and/or mental health programming to promote student wellness.
Creation of a garden club that organizes at least 1 garden clean-up/maintenance day per season (minus summer).
Step Two: Pollinator-Friendly Planning (What is your process?)
Occasionally schools are re-landscaped. This re-landscaping may be an opportunity for a school to create larger-scale pollinator habitats and have positive impacts on pollinator populations, at little extra cost by considering what plants are included in the landscape plan. Whether your school is pursuing a re-landscaping project at this time or simply wants to add a simple pollinator-friendly garden plot, there are many resources available to help schools maximize their return. The U.S Fish & Wildlife Service has created a wonderfully well-researched Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide that walks schools through planning a thriving schoolyard habitat or outdoor classroom project. In addition to recommending their guide, below we provide an adapted version of their step-by-step process specifically designed for pollinator gardens, as well as an infographic outlining how to create and sustain momentum for such a project.
Developing a School Pollinator Garden
Step 1: Form a Team
Step 2: Develop a Master Plan
Step 3: Assess Project Site
Step 4: Design Project
Step 5: Decide Money Matters
Step 6: Install Project
Step 7: Create a Maintenance Plan
Step 8: Use the Project
Step 9: Share Your Story
Step Three: Pollinator Best Practices (How are you assessing and designing your site?)
Pollinators Like
Diversity of plant species
Colorful flowering species that provide nectar and pollen throughout the year and attract a range of pollinators (e.g. butterflies, bees, birds and moths).
Woody vegetation (trees and shrubs) for nectar, pollen, shelter, and shade.
Tip: Leave brush piles and stumps for cavity-nesting pollinators, overwintering, shelter from harsh weather.
Sun exposure
Structural elements such as small artificial nest boxes for cavity-nesting bees and wasps.
Close proximity to other pollinator habitats
Tip: Think about creating connected paths. How far is the nearest pollinator patch? Is there a creek or other pollinator corridor nearby? Smaller and more frequent patches are preferable to one large patch. A small area of pollinator-friendly habitat can go a long way for these creatures
Pollinators Dislike
Weeding due to reduced habitat utility
Fun fact: dandelions are foraging resources and host plants!
Mulching may retain soil moisture, but too much mulch blocks ground-nesting species (such as bees who excavate and build ground nests), and create pollen and nectar ‘deserts’.
Aggressive pruning / removal of dead vegetation makes certain life stages for pollinators more challenging (think: eggs, pupae, adult wintering). This practice also exposes pollinators to greater predation risk.
Tip: prune later in the season, after cavity-nesting pollinators and overwintering butterflies emerge.
Insecticides are commonly applied by gardeners or by garden centers on ornamental plants and can be harmful to pollinators for years after their application. Be especially sure to avoid neonicotinoids).
Diesel Fuel. Avoid planting too close to busy roadways if possible!
Extreme temperatures if planting on or near hot surface areas (such as asphalt playgrounds), consider only plants that prefer heat as well as shade and refuge for people and pollinators
Step Four: Let's Get Started! (What, when, & how to plant?)
Before diving in, please start your native school garden with any native plants you may already have! You may be surprised by what you find on your school grounds. Moreover, a good idea is to consult with a landscaping expert such as a UC Master Gardener, or at the very least, conduct your own research on site conditions and compatible plants prior to planting. The slope of the land, the temperature, and availability of sunlight and water will determine what plants are best suited for your site. With that stated, here is a list of favorite pollinator-friendly plants to help you get started with your research and planting design. Each plant has a link to its corresponding page on Calscape, a California native landscape gardening resource that hosts a wealth of plant-specific information for gardeners.
Easy Starters
Bloom Times: All Seasons
Planting Times: Spring (ideally)
Type: Annual Herb
Wildlife Supported: Birds, small herbivores, butterflies, bees, other pollinators.
Bloom Times: Spring, Summer
Planting Times: Spring or Early Summer
Type: Perennial Herb
Wildlife Supported: Carnivorous insects; butterflies; bees
Tip: Check out Calscape's Garden Planner tool for more native plant suggestions suitable for your school grounds. Remember: right place, right time, right plant!
Other Options
Bloom Times: Winter, Spring, Summer
Planting Times: Early Fall
Type: Perennial Herb
Wildlife Supported: Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies
Bloom Times: Winter, Spring, Summer
Planting Times: Late Winter
Type: Shrub
Wildlife Supported: Hummingbirds, insects, bees, caterpillars
Bloom Times: Spring, Fall
Planting Times: Spring (ideally)
Type: Perennial Herb
Wildlife Supported: Various small insects are attracted to the flowers
Bloom Times: Winter, Spring
Planting Times: Fall, Early Winter (ideally)
Type: Shrub
Wildlife Supported: Insects and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers. Other birds are attracted to the fruits.
What Can Teachers Do to Help Bring Pollinator Education to the Classroom?
Teachers should be recognized by their schools for their hard work to help their campuses become pollinator-friendly. While there are official pollinator steward certification programs, such as Pollinator Partnership's, the knowledge and expertise of Oakland’s Pollinator Posse can be utilized to create a local public school teacher Pollinator Ambassador Certification. Components of a pollinator ambassador certification program include:
Educational Components
Pollinator Basics
Pollinator ecology
Habitat needs
Nesting Needs
How people (teachers specifically) can help
Bee anatomy
Plants that support pollinators
Best plants for pollinators in the Bay Area
Importance of connected greenways
A little greenery and flowers go a long way to supporting pollinators
Monitoring
Ways that teachers and students can identify and monitor pollinators on campus
Integrating Pollinator Education into Existing Curricula
(Education Curriculums Sourced from Next Generation Science Standards)
Teachers can support pollinator education by discussing the importance and role of pollinators with their students. Additionally, working with the school’s Garden Coordinator to develop outdoor learning activities can be a powerful aid in teaching students about their pollinator ecology. Using the Next Generation Science Standards curriculum search tool, teachers can discover how education about pollinators and native plants can be integrated into existing curricula for students of different ages. Pollinator education can help students at different grade levels demonstrate understanding of the diverse topics below:
2nd Grade | Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
2-LS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.
2-LS2-2: Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.
2-LS4-1: Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
3rd Grade | Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
3-LS4-2: Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.
3-LS4-3: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
3-LS4-4: Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
4th Grade | From Molecules to Organisms & Earth & Human Activity
4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
4-ESS3-2: Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.
5th Grade | Ecosystems & Earth and Human Activity
5-LS2-1: Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
5-ESS3-1: Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
Middle School | Ecosystems & Earth and Human Activity
MS-LS2-1: Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
MS-LS2-2: Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
MS-LS2-4: Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
MS-LS2-5: Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
MS-ESS3-3: Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ESS3-4: Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
Precedents
The Butterfly Garden at Columbiana High School in Columbiana, Ohio: Partnership between a school and non-profit organization that used Project Learning Tree’s guide to start their research, planning, gardening, and botany workshops for students.
Herbert Akins Elementary School in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina: Collaboration between a local gardening club, a school garden club coordinator, and a special education teacher to create a rain and pollinator garden, documented in blog posts HERE.
Oakland, California’s Bishop O’Dowd High School’s Living Lab: A four acre certified wildlife habitat that serves as an outdoor classroom for students to learn more about the natural world, including pollinators.
Additional Considerations
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked renewed interest in getting teachers and students outside, the education workforce is also more overworked and overwhelmed than ever before. With this limited bandwidth, it is valuable to start small, with a small garden space, and then gather interest and support over time.
Incorporating edible foods can also help garner support for devoting additional space on school grounds to gardens. Culturally sensitive foods, in particular, can reconnect students and families to foods that are special to them.
Starting and maintaining a school garden can be expensive. Creating a partnership with a local garden club may be a way to attract resources (such as seed and plant donations) as well as on-the-ground expertise. In addition, grants may be available from these potential funding sources:
Conclusion
Cities and schools are habitats — for people, plants, and pollinators. When we regard urban spaces as opportunity zones for habitat restoration and conservation, we can connect humans with the natural environment and protect the pollinators we depend on in the process. Schools are unique institutions in that they have space for pollinators to flourish AND can utilize their efforts to create pollinator habitat as a learning opportunity for their students. In short, schools, school children, and their families can play an important part in boosting habitat quality and connectivity, allowing pollinators to bumble, fly, and graze from flower to flower.
