ECOSYSTEM SNAPSHOT: GRASSLAND PRAIRIES

FEATURED POPULATION: BUMBLE BEES

ANIMAL FACTSAdaptations –

• Bumble bees are pollinators.

• They have special hairs on their bodies to pick up the sticky pollen.

• Bumble bees can sting more than once.

BUMBLE BEES: BASIC NEEDS

Basic Needs

• air• water• shelter• food

Shelter/Habitat

• nest in the ground or above ground on roof beams or in attics

Food

• nectar• pollen

THE GRASSLAND PRAIRIE COMMUNITY

bison

prairie dog

bald eagle

swift fox

prairie chicken

THE GRASSLAND PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM

THE GRASSLAND PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM

• Plant life – Grasses, flowers, very few trees

• Climate – Hot summers and cold winters; rainfall 12–21 inches (30-53 cm) a year

• Landscape – Gently rolling hills, grassy areas

PHOTO CREDITS

Photos courtesy clip art, Wikimedia; released to public domain, US Fish and Wildlife Services, and Joshua Tree and Living Desert Museum