Create a Pollinator Watering Station: A Fun At-Home ESSK Activity!

Do you have shells and stones that you or your family has collected from the beach? Make a pollinator watering station! We made some in ESSK this week so that we can collect data, graph, map and keep a record of how many types of pollinators visit. Bees, dragonflies, butterflies, and other small pollinators need safe places to get water. If they drink from deep water in puddles, they can fall in and drown. Usually they drink from droplets that collect on leaves but when there is no rain, it is hard for them to find safe places to drink. Putting small stones in a shallow bowl like a clam shell and adding a little bit of water makes for a safe drinking place for our pollinator friends.

To make your own: 

1. Soak your shells and stones in a bowl full of water and a tablespoon of white vinegar overnight.
2. Wash your shells and stones with soap and water. 
3. Place your shells and stones in a sunny place for a day so that they dry completely. 
4. Place the stones in the shallow shell and pour a little bit of water so that the stones are not fully submerged. 
5. Place your pollinator watering station in a garden or near flowers. 

Take pictures of your visitors and tag us with your location so that we can add them to our graphs and maps!