Use this education pack to help you get the most from your Bee Scene expedition

Do YOU want to

Bee Scene?

get the most from your Bee Scene expedition

Scene?

Do YOUDo YOU

2

Plantlife is the organisation that is speaking up for the nation’s wild plants. We work hard to protect wild plants on the ground and to help people understand the vital role they play in our lives. Bee Scene is a new and exciting national survey from Plantlife, and is designed to get more children learning about the natural world through fi nding and recording the wild fl owers they see close to home. We are delighted that the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the John Muir Trust and the Child Safety Education Coalition are partners in this new survey, and we hope that Bee Scene will help inspire lots of children and young people to get out and enjoy the nature on their doorstep.

Victoria Chester, Chief Executive, Plantlife

Foreword

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Did you know that the UK has 24 different species of bumblebees? That comes as a surprise to many people, who are also unaware that some of our most beautiful bumblebee species are in danger of disappearing. Bumblebees are very important creatures because they pollinate a large number of fl ower species, both wild and cultivated. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is very pleased to be part of Bee Scene. We hope that through their involvement in the project, many more people will come to appreciate the humble bumblebee and that they will take steps to provide the fl ower-rich habitats which bees so desperately need.

Natasha Rolph, Outreach Offi cer, Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Unintended injuries are the leading cause of death and serious injury to children and young people in the UK. The Child Safety Education Coalition (CSEC) is a group of member organisations working together to help children and young people learn to protect themselves from the most common unintended injuries – road traffi c injuries, drowning, poisoning, burns and scalds, and trips and falls. To do this, CSEC encourages and supports activities which help children learn about potential dangers and how to cope with them such as the Bee Scene campaign. By encouraging participation in activities in which children are able to gain background knowledge, identify hazards and risks, decide which of these are acceptable and develop an understanding of their own physical abilities, “risk competencies” will be developed, with children building up the skills, knowledge and confi dence necessary to keep themselves and others safe. These skills are transferable, and can be applied to other situations children may encounter as they become more independent. More information about CSEC, unintended injuries and CSEC’s approach to practical safety education can be found on its website at www.csec.org.uk.

Nicola Smith, Regional Coordinator, CSEC.

The John Muir Trust vision is that wild land is protected, and wild places - from mountain tops to wildlife gardens - are valued by everyone. Its main educational initiative, the John Muir Award, encourages people to connect, enjoy, and care for the planet’s wild places. Gathering information through a nature survey can help with making a positive difference to wild places. The John Muir Trust takes its name from the Scottish born world conservationist John Muir. He encouraged people to learn about nature through direct investigation and to take personal responsibility for the environment. Taking part in surveys such as Bee Scene is a great way for people to have fi rst hand contact with nature, wild places and wild creatures as part of their personal development and health. The John Muir Trust supports taking learning outdoors and engaging people from all different backgrounds through this initiative.

Toby Clark, John Muir Award Regional Manager, West Scotland.

• Make sure you drink lots of water • Carry a map

• Stick together in groups

• Look both ways, cross quickly and safely

• Wear sun cream and reapply regularly • Take rests in the shade

• Wear a hat

• Carry a phone so people know where you are and you can call if you get into difficulty

• Seek medical attention if necessary

• Stay away from water edges

Sun

Bee sting

Crossing roads

Getting lost

Nettle sting

Water(rivers, ponds, lakes)

SunburnHeat StrokeHeat Exhaustion

SwellingAllergic reaction

Road traffic accident

DehydrationHypothermiaTiredness

Swelling and irritation

Drowning

RESULTING INJURYOR ILLNESS

POSSIBLE ACTIONSTO REDUCE THE RISKHAZARD

How might the time of year How might the time of day What other actions affect the risk assessment? affect the risk assessment? could you add?? ? ?

Preparing for expedition

RESULRESULTING INJURRESULTING INJURRESUL YOR ILLNESS OR ILLNESS

POSSIBLE ACTIONTO REDUCE THE RISHAZARDHAZARD

Preparing for expedition

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Steph from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust says...“My dog Toby and I search for bumblebee nests. He has

been trained to sniff them out. I then study the nests

to fi nd out how well they are doing, what fl owers they

are feeding on and whether they have been attacked by

predators like badgers, dogs and some moth species.”

Going on expeditionBefore you go on your Bee Scene expedition you will need to make sure that you are going to be safe. You should always go on expedition with an adult.

A risk assessmentDaisy did the Bee Scene survey last year in June. Can you think what Daisy, her classmates and her teacher did to make sure the expedition was safe? Complete the form below by

drawing a line from the ‘Injury’ column to the appropriate ‘Possible Actions’ column. Daisy’s done the fi rst one for you!

• Make sure you dr

• Ca

• St

• Look both ways, cross quickl

• We

• Ta

rokehaustion

Allergic reaction

affic

ion

5

HAZARDS

Step 4 Decide whether the risk is low enough for you to proceed with the activity.

Step 5 When you have completed your table, have a look over the ‘What could you do?’ column and:

A Make a list of things you need to take with you

B Agree a set of golden rules for your expedition.

hazardrdriskkk

A hazard is something that could cause someone

to get hurt, e.g. an open fire

Risk is how likely it is that someone might get hurt by a hazard and how badly hurt,

i.e. the likelihood of being badly burned by an open fire

A risk assessment is a way of thinking about what hazards you might come across during an activity, what risks they might pose and what you can do to make these risks acceptable.

Judging how big the risk is will allow you to judge what is or is not acceptable, and this depends on:

How likely it is that someonewill get hurt

How badly they might get hurt

How many people might get hurt

Make a copy of the table at the bottom of the page and follow the steps to help you complete your risk assessment.

Doing your own risk assesment

Step 1 There are a number of hazards that you could encounter on your Bee Scene expedition. Select the ones that you think are relevant to your expedition from the list below and use them to help you complete your table. Feel free to add any other hazards you might encounter in your expedition area.

Step 2 Now think about the injuries that may result from the hazards that you have identifi ed and put them in the correct column.

Step 3 Identify ways in which the likelihood of the hazard occurring could be reduced.

RESULTINGINJURY

IS THIS ANACCEPTABLE RISK?

WHAT COULD YOU DO TO REDUCETHE RISK OF THIS INJURY OCCURRING?

HAZARD

sun & weather

nettle stings

dark places

traffi c

water (e.g river, ponds or lakes)

getting split up

from the group

dark placesuneven ground

& tree rootsgetting split up getting split up

dog muck bee stings

I love going out to look for rare plants. For me it is like

collecting football stickers and getting Ronaldo in a

pack. My favourite plant is a plant called Marsh clubmoss which lives in damp

boggy areas. I like it because you have to wander in areas where people don’t

often go. You fi nd other great plants where Marsh clubmoss grows like sundews

– which are plants that eat fl ies. Our marshy areas are disappearing because

we are draining the land so that we can build houses and roads and use the

land for farming. By fi nding rare plants I can help save them by making sure

that the land where they grow is being looked

after properly. Dominic from Plantlife

pack. My favourite plant is a plant called Marsh clubmoss which lives in damp

Getting out there

✓ Clip board

✓ Map

✓ Pencil

✓ GPS – an electronic system that tells me exactly where I am – like a car navigation system

✓ Camera

✓ Guide book

✓ Mobile phone for safety

✓ Compass

And... I always tell people

where I am going!

When I go out I take:

6

7

Taking the right kit

Ash has a small bag to put his expedition kit in. Put a circle round the items you think he should pack in his bag. Explain to your partner why you have circled those items. Do you and your partner have any different items circled?

waterproof

sunglasses

spare shoes

gaming console

umbrellasun cream

hat

map

notepad

camera

hairbrush

book

pens and pencils

magnifying glass

lunch & snacks

music player

wallet/purse

fl eece/warm clothing

identifi cation book

mobile phoneCould you write a list of equipment

that you think you should take on your expedition?

?

88

Some people group bumblebees into long tongued and short tongued bees. This is because bumblebees have adapted so that they can feed from different types of fl ower. The long tongued bee has a long tongue which means it feeds from fl owers that have a deep or funnel shape. The short tongued bee has a shorter tongue and tends to feed on fl owers that are more open.

What coordinates must the long tongued bee visit to fi nd a suitable fl ower?

What coordinates must the short tongued bee visit to fi nd a suitable fl ower?

Additional activity:Try describing your journey to your Bee Scene area to a friend in six steps. Remember to consider what is the safest route.

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What coordinates must the ?

Additional activity:

N

Key

Level crossing

Railway

Canal

Footpath

Woodland

Grassland

SchoolBankNewsagent

Postbox

Park

Ash’shouse

100m0 200m 300m

1cm = 100m

400m500m

Discovering your area

If you are discovering your Bee Scene area it is useful to know where it is in relation to your school.

N

?

?

Level crossing

N

short tongued

long tongued

Describing your journeyYou will probably have to travel to the area where you are doing your survey. Read Daisy’s description of her journey and follow it on the map below. Can you work out where she did her Bee Scene survey?

Daisy’s journeyI left the school with my class and turned right, walking for 700m towards the postbox. I passed the bank and the newsagents. Before the postbox I crossed the road on a pedestrian crossing and walked along a street for 100m and turned left. I crossed the the railway bridge and walked down to the canal path. I walked along the canal for 300m then through a gate into my Bee Scene area.

Daisy was joined by Ash who walked to the area from his house. Can you describe the shortest journey he can take to the Bee Scene area?

Now describe the safest journey he can take to the Bee Scene area. What made his journey safer?

9

Finding your place on a map

We use maps so that we know exactly where we are. To read a map you need to be able to understand coordinates, which are numbers or letters that pinpoint location. You always give the coordinate on the horizontal (X) axis fi rst followed by the coordinate on the vertical (Y) axis.

A B C D E F

6

5

4

3

2

1

Additional activity:Get a map that includes your Bee Scene area and fi nd on the map where your Bee Scene area is. You can do this on our website too by planting a fl ower in our virtual meadow that shows the results of your survey.

Look at the coordinates in the table below and tick the right boxes to show whether there are fl owers in the squares shown by the coordinates or not.

COORDINATE FLOWER NO FLOWER COORDINATE FLOWER NO FLOWER

B,5

D,4

C,2

F,3

✓ A,2

E,5

D,5

C,3

✓

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When were you born?Line up in a row with everyone facing out.

Without talking to each other try to reorganise the line so that you are standing in birth date order going from January 1st to December 31st. How did you communicate?

Find the TreasureDivide into teams. Each team must

nominate one communicator. The communicators are led to where the ‘treasure food’ is. They then have to go back to their groups and let them know where the treasure is without using words or pointing. This can also be played like a silent Chinese Whispers game.

Luckily we don’t have to dance to let someone know where we have been. We can use maps, written descriptions and photographs.

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nominate one communicator. The

?

How good are you at communicating without words?

Honey bees (which are different to Bumblebees) also need to tell each other where they have been but they don’t have maps. Instead, they have a special way of communicating to let each other know where food can be found. It is called the waggle dance. The waggle dance is a fi gure of eight dance made by the honey bee. By performing this dance honey bees that have found new food can let other honey bees know where that food is.

There are two parts to a waggle dance; the waggle phase (A) and the return phase (B). The return phase alternates between right and left turns. The whole thing can happen up to 100 times. The direction of the waggle tells the other honey bees which direction the food is from the hive and the length of time the dance lasts tells the honey bees how far away the food is.

When they land on a fl ower they leave a cheesy smell. This acts as a sign and stops other bees wasting their time. If a fl ower smells a bit cheesy, other bees know that there won’t be any nectar left in that fl ower and therefore they do not bother stopping off for a feed.

We leave signs when we go anywhere. There is a famous

saying ‘Take only photographs; leave only footprints’. Do you think this is a good motto for us to follow to help us look after our Bee Scene area?

The honey bee waggle dance

honey bees which direction the food is from the hive and the honey bees which direction the food is from the hive and the length of time the dance lasts tells the honey bees how far length of time the dance lasts tells the honey bees how far away the food is.away the food is.

A

B

B

Did you know bees havestinky feet?

We leave signs when

saying ‘Take only

?

1111

You could try doing a fi eld sketch of your Bee Scene area. It is a good idea to add the date and time of day you did your sketch and even some notes about the weather.

Once you have discovered your area you can explore it to get to know it better and take time to fi nd out more about what is happening there.

Exploring the area

Describing what a place is like When we describe places we let other people know what that place is like. One way of describing places is to do a fi eld sketch. Ash did a fi eld sketch of the place he visited for the Bee Scene survey. Using lines match the labels to the correct places on the sketch.

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stream

tall trees causing shade

hedge

footpath

canal

gate

lower area with puddle

1212

Describing words are really important in helping other people know what a place is like. Divide into groups. Each group should take one word from the list below. Try to fi nd somewhere in your Bee Scene area that matches the descriptive word you have been given. You could then explain to others why you thought that place matches the word.

You can see that even in a small area there are many different types of places e.g. shady place, dry place, sloping place. Because there are these small differences it means that the conditions vary in your Bee Scene area, creating microhabitats. This means that different plants and animals can live there as some plants and animals prefer different conditions.

Not all plants are the sameYou have seen that your Bee Scene area is not all the same. Now we are going to look closer at the plants in the area. Not all plants are the same. They have differences which make them unique. Some of those differences are easy to see whilst others are hard to spot.

The differences in plants allow them to survive in different areas. For example, plants that live in shady conditions often have wide fl at leaves to capture as much light as possible and plants that live in coastal areas have waxy stems and leaves to stop them from losing water and protect them from salt spray.

Find two leaves from different plants that have a similar shape. Try to work out ways in which the leaves are different. Does one leaf have hairs and the other none? Are the leaf sizes and leaf edges different?

Finding microhabitats

SHADY

MUDDY

SECRET

PEACEFUL

LIGHT

OPEN

MARSHY

HILLY

DARK

SANDY

Find two leaves from different plants that have a similar shape. Try to work out ways in which the

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sunny habitat

shady habitat

open habitat

light/sunny place

SEED HEAD

WAVEY EDGE

SHINY LEAF

SMOOTH STEM

STRAIGHT LEAF

HAIRY LEAF

JAGGED LEAF

HAIRY STEM

SMALL FLOWER

FEATHERY LEAF

1313

Microhunt

To see some more of the differences between plants you could go on a microhunt.

Measure 1 m along the ground – you could mark it out with pegs and string. Now spend 5 minutes working along the piece of string and see how many of the things in the Microhunt list below you can fi nd.

WHITE

RED

ORANGE

YELLOW

GREEN

BLUE

INDIGO

VIOLET

ULTRA-VIOLET

When people start to look closer they often have questions they would like answering. Below are some of the questions children have asked when they have been on microhunts before. Can you answer them? Do you have any questions of your own? The answers are at the bottom of the page.

Why are some leaves shiny? Why are some leaves hairy? Why do leaves have veins?Why are some leaves shiny? Why are some leaves hairy? Why do leaves have veins?? Why are some leaves shiny? Why are some leaves hairy? Why do leaves have veins??Why are some leaves shiny? Why are some leaves hairy? Why do leaves have veins??

Flower coloursFlowers come in different shapes and sizes. Copy the colour chart above and colour in the squares with the correct colour. Now use the chart to see how many fl ower colours you can fi nd in your area?

Leaves have a wax covering to help prevent water loss. Some leaves have more of a wax covering than others and may appear shiny.

Leaves have hairs because this helps to reduce moisture loss.

Leaf veins are very important. They transport water and nutrients from the root of the plant to the leaves and they take energy (sugar) that the leaf has made to other parts of the plant.

Things about leaves...

A-A-VIOLETOLET

Flowers come in different shapes and sizes. Copy the colour chart above and colour in the squares with the correct colour. Now use the chart to see how many fl ower colours you can

ULTRA-VIOLET is

invisible to humans!

Finding out about fl owers

Can you see that the petals of the fl ower in Picture A (a meadow cranesbill fl ower) have markings on them? These markings are known as nectar guides and help guide bees to the fl owers. This means the bees can help the fl owers reproduce. Picture B is the same fl ower but the picture was taken with a fi lter on the camera lens. This means that this fl ower now looks like a bee would see it.

Nectar guides are markings or patterns on fl owers that guide pollinators (like bees, butterfl ies and moths) to the nectar and pollen. The nectar guides are invisible to us but are more visible to bees because they see in ultraviolet light. This means they see some colours more clearly than we can see them like blues and violets.

fl ower now looks like a bee would see it.

The bee drinks the nectar in the fl ower and then fi nds its way out of the fl ower and into the next fl ower.

The pollen on the bee’s hairy body now brushes against the stigma inside the fl ower, which is often sticky. The pollen is therefore transferred to the stigma of the second fl ower. This means that pollination has occurred and that the fl ower can now produce seeds.

As the bee goes into the fl ower to get the nectar, its hairy body will brush against the anthers which have pollen on their surface.

The pollen sticks to the hairs.

in the fl ower and then fi nds As the bee goes into the fl ower to get the nectar, its

1

The pollen sticks to the hairs.

2

and into the next fl ower.

3 The pollen on the bee’s hairy body

4

Picture A

Picture B

Flowers help plants to reproduce and make new young plants grow. The drawing shows the different parts of the fl ower. You can fi nd out what these different parts are used for in the glossary at the back of this booklet.

14

pist

il

Flowers help plants to reproduce and make new young plants grow. The drawing shows the different parts of the fl ower. You can fi nd out what these different parts are used for

pist

ilpi

stil

ovarypist

ilpi

stil

pist

ilpi

stil style

pist

ilpi

stil

pist

il style

stigma

ovule

petal

stamem

stamem

antheranther

fi lament

sepal

Looking closely at fl owers

Find a fl ower in your area and look closely to see the nectar guides. Daisy has done a drawing of a foxglove fl ower to show the nectar guides (see the dots). Could you fi nd a fl ower in your Bee Scene area and make a drawing too?

There are many different types of bumblebees and they come in different colours. By looking more closely at bumblebees on different fl owers you can see which bumblebees are most popular in your area. Ash and his class divided into pairs and each pair stood in a different location in their Bee Scene area for fi fteen minutes. They had to record how many of each type of bee they could see. After fi fteen minutes they put their results into the table below.

15

Which bumblebee was the most common bee in the area Ash’s class surveyed?

How do you think the weather could have affected Ash’s results?

How do you think the time of year could have affected Ash’s results?

How else could they display their results?

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?

?

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RED-TAILED (black with a red tail)

STRIPEY (black and yellow stripes with a white tail)

BROWN (an all-brown bee)

Some questions to get you buzzing...

Daisy’s pictureYour picture

Daisy’s picture

Finding out which bumblebees are most common in your Bee Scene area

1616

red tailed bumblebee

Colour in the bees...

How far can you travel?

Find a spot to start from. Now see how far you can travel. Each step you take must put you next to a fl ower. If there are no fl owers within a step of where you are then you must stop.

? How do you think your answer to the question above would affect bumblebees?

? How far did you travel?

stripey bumblebee

brown bumblebee

How far can you travel?

Find a spot to start from. Now see how far you

put you next to a fl ower. If there are no fl owers within a step of where you are then you must stop. then you must stop.

How far did you travel?

The bumblebee colour key:

Brown bumblebeeall brown bee

Red tailed bumblebeeblack body with a red tail

Stripey bumblebeeblack and yellow stripes with a white tail

? Why may you take less steps in winter?

17

In order to understand wildfl owers and bees more, scientists carry out fi eld experiments where they observe what is happening. Observations have shown that different bees prefer different fl owers and these preferences are to do with colour, shape and temperature of the fl ower.

Question for investigationLook at the questions below and

decide which investigation you are going to carry out. You could even try thinking of

your own investigation question.

17

Carrying out your own investigation

Do bees spend longer at some fl owers than other fl owers?

Do bees prefer open fl owers to closed fl owers?

Do bees have a preferred colour of fl ower?

decide which investigation you are going to carry out. You could even try thinking of

your own investigation question.

Do bees prefer fl owers in the sun to fl owers in the shade?

Hypothesis

You need to decide what you think you are going to

fi nd out and complete the sentence below.

I think that I’m going to fi nd o

ut that...

Equipment and materials

You will need equipment and materials to carry out your investigation. Select the materials you would choose from the list shown below. Is there anything else you think you will need?

MethodDecide how you are going

to carry out your investigation. You need to make sure that your fi eld investigation is a fair test and that people could repeat your investigation if they wanted to.

Results tableHow should you design

your results table to record your results when you are in the fi eld?

Results What did you observe

when you performed the experiment? How can you present your results?

Conclusion From what you observed,

how would you answer your original question?

?

?

Coloured squares of paper

Thermometer

Flower guide

Stopwatch

Magnifying glass

Paper and pencil

Camera

Ruler

decide which investigation you are going decide which investigation you are going

1

fi nd out and complete the sentence below.2

You will need equipment

3

to carry out your investigation.

4

your results table to record your

5

when you performed the

6

how would you answer your

7

?

Do bees spend longer at some fl owers than other fl owers?

?

Conserving wild places

land being drainedto build on

more towns andcities being built

more land being used for farming

WILDFLOWERS

ARE DISAPPEARING

FOR A NUMBER

OF REASONS

By taking part in a survey like Bee Scene, you are helping

scientists understand our land and the way it is changing. We have seen that bees and

wildfl owers are important but, unfortunately, because of the way we are

using our land, the overall number and number of types

(species) of both wildfl owers and bees are decreasing in the

UK and around the world. farmers using weedkiller and pesticidesweedkiller and pesticides

This nest is easy to make. Dig a cavity in the ground (roughly 15cm deep and 25 cm wide) and cover with a paving slab or piece of thick plywood. Dig channels at the sides to provide entrance holes and ventilation (~2cm wide). It should be dry underneath. Try to make the entrance holes as obvious as possible so that the queen bees can fi nd them.

Put a handful of nesting material in the cavity, perhaps in a chicken-wire cradle.

Remember you should only build nests where you have permission to do so.

You can help bees by

Building a bee house Not all bees live in hives like honey bees. Bumblebees like to nest in dark dry holes with lots of warm bedding.

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust has lots of good ideas for building bumblebee nests and you can fi nd out more by visiting their website, www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk These are a few of their ideas.

to nest in dark dry holes with

You can make this one yourself - all you need is a fl owerpot and a bit of tube or pipe more than 18mm in diameter.

Sink an upturned fl ower pot that is wider than 20cm in diameter in the ground. Put a slate or tile over the drainage holes to keep out rain. Run a hose or pipe underground to the pot, leaving a prominent entrance. Be sure to make drainage holes in the pipe.

You could make a chicken-wire cradle for ventilation, and fi ll with a generous handful of nesting

material such as small twigs and leaves.

18

This nest is easy to make. Dig a cavity in

cm wide) and cover with a paving slab or

ventilation (~2cm wide). It should be dry

bee nest 1

bee nest 2

19

Raising awareness of wildfl owers We would like you to choose your favourite wildfl ower from the wildfl owers listed in the Bee Scene Survey Pack. We then want you to use the fl ower as inspiration to create your own wildfl ower badge or you could photocopy and use our appliqué template.

If you want to create a wildfl ower area in your school there are a number of organisations that can help you through providing more information and additional support. These include:

Learning through Landscapes www.ltl.org.uk

The Wildlife Trusts (you will need to contact your local wildlife trust) www.wildlifetrusts.org

National Wildfl ower Centrewww.nwc.org.uk

Ecoschoolswww.eco-schools.org.uk

If you want to do more to help wildfl owers, have a look at the Plantlife website for some ideaswww.plantlife.org.uk

Make your own fl ower badge...

You will need

1 x needle & thread

1 x button

2 x pieces of felt or fabric, about 120mm x 120mm

1x safety pin

1. Cut a fl ower shape from each of your fabric pieces using the template (right).

2. Place one on top of the other rotating the top piece 30o so that the bottom fl ower petals can be seen underneath.

3. Attach the 2 pieces together with a couple of stitches in the centre before placing your button and stitching it in place.

4. Turn your fl ower over and stitch a safety pin to the back

5. Finally, attach your fl ower to your jumper, coat or sports bag... or any clothes you like!

What you can do to help wildfl owers

20

“Did you know that cornfi elds are

home to Britain’s rarest group of

wildfl owers? As farming has changed

over the last 60 years with farmers

using herbicides to kill weeds

and fertilisers to help food crops

grow, there has been a huge loss of

the wildfl owers that grow in our

cornfi elds. This is not good news.

Fortunately many wildfl owers have

tough seeds which can lie dormant

(asleep) in the soil for many years

until conditions are right for them to

germinate. Some seeds, like poppies, can

remain dormant for over 100 years.

My job involves trying to return the

life and colour that these wild plants

brought to our cornfi elds by getting

farmers to look after strips of their

fi elds in a way that allows these wild

plants to thrive. I help seeds ‘wake up’.

For example by not sowing or spraying

the outside of a cornfi eld the right

conditions are created for the seeds to

What would you do?

We have found out that both wildfl ower and bee numbers have been falling. It would be nice if it was easy to solve the problem, but unfortunately solutions are not always easy to fi nd.

What do you think Mr Jones should do?

Should the government pay Mr Jones to keep areas of wildfl owers?

Why might a mother living in the countryside have a different opinion from a mother in a town or city?

20

Mr Jones is a famer. Each year he has left some of his land fallow which means he has not grown on any crops on it or had any animals grazing on it. This means that there are poppies, moondaisys and scabious growing on the fallow land. Having lots of wildfl owers means that there are lots of insects, including bees, that gather pollen and nectar from the fl owers. Because there are lots of insects, there are also lots of small birds and mammals which feed on the insects, and larger birds and mammals which may feed on the smaller birds and mammals.

Between 2006-2008 the weather was poor which meant that the amount of wheat harvested was lower than normal. This has led to a shortage of wheat which means the prices of wheat and wheat based products like bread have gone up and there is a need to grow more wheat. Mr Jones thinks that it would be a good idea to plough up his fallow land and plant some wheat. However, not everyone thinks this is a good idea.

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?

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Kate from Plantlife...

21

Work out who said what by drawing a line between the person and the speech bubble.

Decide whether each person is for or against Mr Jones ploughing up his land. Tick the for / against boxes for each character to show what you think.

germinate and wild plants to fl ourish.

Farmers can get money for this kind

of management on their farms.

Many cornfi eld fl owers are very

beautiful and some in the past have

been collected to be sold at markets

as cut fl owers, including a lovely

plant called Pheasant’s-eye. But I think

my favourite is Weasel’s-snout, both

because it has such a great name and

also delicate little fl owers that the bees

love to visit.”

germinate and wild plants to fl ourish.

Farmers can get money for this kind

plant called Pheasant’s-eye. But I think

my favourite is Weasel’s-snout, both

because it has such a great name and

also delicate little fl owers that the bees

I am worried about the

price of food going up.

If we grow more food then

the price of food should

come down.

mother living in a

town with 3 children

farmer

FOR AGAINST

fruit farmer

FOR AGAINST

conservationist

FOR AGAINST

FOR AGAINST

If I plough extra fi elds I can grow more wheat and get more money as the prices are going up.

If wild fl ower areas are ploughed up there will be fewer insects like bees, which are important for pollinating my trees and plants. Without the bees, I will have less fruit.

If we plough up the land we will lose our wildfl owers and wildlife. Surely there must be something else we can do.

If I plough up resting fi elds the nutrients in the soil will have less time to recover and the soil fertility will decrease so things won’t grow as well.

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2

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Sharing what you have been up to

If you have done your Bee Scene Survey we would really like to hear all about it. By visiting www.wildaboutplants.org.uk you can enter your results, helping to create a virtual meadow. This virtual meadow will help show us how good different places are for wildfl owers and bumblebees.

If you want to write a report about your Bee Scene expedition, telling us where you went and what you found out then we would love to hear from you. If you email your report to wildaboutplants@plantlife.org.uk then we will post your article on our website.

Why not try doing a news broadcast from your Bee Scene area. Your news broadcast could be about how children are helping scientists to understand what is going on in the natural environment. Divide into groups of six. Each person in the group should take on one of the roles in the table below and decide what they would say in a news broadcast. Once you have practised you can perform your broadcast to the other groups. You could use a video-recorder to record your broadcast or even perform your broadcast in assembly.

The Bee Scene Survey

Write a story...

CHARACTER WHAT THEY MAY TALK ABOUT

This person will introduce the story and provide a background – perhaps explaining a little bit about why our wildflowers and bumblebees are disappearing.

They will want to question all the people being interviewed. The questions should be open and not closed.

They will show you what they have been doing and why they think it is a good idea.

The scientist will be able to provide more information about the problem facing our wildflowers and bumblebees. They will also explain why it is valuable for people to help scientists monitor changes in our natural places.

The teacher may want to explain why they think it is a good idea for pupils to be learning outside and talk about the learning that has been going on.

They may want to talk about changes they have noticed in the Bee Scene area.

Anchorperson

News reporter

Pupil at school

Scientist

Teacher

Member of public

Why not try doing a news broadcast from your Bee Scene area. Your news broadcast could be about how children are helping scientists to understand what is going on in

take on one of the roles in the table below and decide what they would say in a news

Why not try doing a news broadcast from your Bee Scene area. Your news broadcast could be about how children are helping scientists to understand what is going on in the natural environment. Divide into groups of six. Each person in the group should take on one of the roles in the table below and decide what they would say in a news broadcast. Once you have practised you can perform your broadcast to the other groups. You could use a video-recorder to record your broadcast or even perform

Why not try doing a news broadcast from your Bee Scene area. Your news broadcast Why not try doing a news broadcast from your Bee Scene area. Your news broadcast

News broadcast from your Bee Scene area

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Glossary

ANTHER Tip of stamen, where pollen is made in a wildfl ower

BUD Developing fl ower/leaf

COORDINATES Reference points on a grid that help navigation, orientation and identifi cation on a map

FILAMENT Lower part of stamen that holds the anther up

FRUIT Where the seeds are kept

MICROHABITAT A very small, specialised habitat, such as a clump of grass or a space between rocks.

NECTAR Sweet fl uid that attracts insects to encourage them to pollinate the fl ower

NECTAR GUIDES Markings on petals that guide pollinators to nectar and pollen

OVARY Lower part of the pistil that contains ovules

OVULE A plant’s egg, when combined with pollen, makes a seed

PETAL Surrounds the pistil and stamens, often brightly coloured to attract insects

PISTIL Female part of the fl ower, made up of stigma, style, ovary and ovule

POLLEN Powder made by male part of fl ower

POLLINATION When pollen from one fl ower is transferred by insects to another, allowing it to bear fruit and seed

POLLINATORS Insects that carry pollen from one fl ower to another, e.g. bees, butterfl ies, moths, etc.

ROOT Attaches plant to the ground, absorbs water and nutrients from the soil

SEED An ovule that has been fertilized by pollen that can become a plant

SEEDLING Next stage of the seed, when a plant starts to grow

SEED POD Dry fruit that contains the plant’s seeds

SEPALS Leaf-like parts protecting buds and holding petals in place

STAMEN Male part of fl ower that makes the pollen, made up of fi lament and anther

STIGMA Tip of pistil, which is sticky to catch pollen from insects

STYLE Lower part of pistil, holding the stigma up

ULTRA-VIOLET Part of the light spectrum. Insects such as bees see in ultra-violet, seeing purples and blues more vividly

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Bee Scene is part of the Wild About Plants Project. The Project is funded by Natural England through Access to Nature, as part of the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme.