Students at Dalton Public School recently took part in the citizen science experiment, the Autumn 2018 Wild Pollinator Count.
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Australia has lots of important wild pollinator insects that are often overlooked. Research is needed to identify them, understand their ecology and find out how they are affected by human activities.
Each student, from Year 1 to Year 5, watched a flowering plant for 10 minutes, counting the number of pollinators that landed on the flower they were observing.
They learnt about the important factors involved in a science experiment: this included choosing a day with the right weather (sunny, not too windy), in the right week (April 9-15), counting carefully and most importantly of all, being patient!
“It was a cheering experience watching the students' enthusiasm and patience in completing their observations,” said relief teacher, Alex Webbe. “Some learnt new facts about bees and pollination and others shared their knowledge.”
After adding up the total number of pollinators, which included blue-banded bees, ants and butterflies, the students then entered the data on the Wild Pollinator Count website. The class agreed that the experience was fun and interesting as well as educational.
For more info about the Wild Pollinator Count, see https://wildpollinatorcount.com.