Photo credit: Tennessee Department of Transportation

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has released a series of animated videos to educate students about the pollination process, the importance of pollinators and pollinator species native to Tennessee. The videos are narrated by Polli the Tennessee Bee, an affable host who shows viewers around a nearby garden and through her daily life.

Pollinators are a diverse group of species that are critically important to life, pollinating one-third of the food we eat. Their populations are in steady decline due to loss of habitat, pests, pathogens and other stressors. The video series is the latest project for TDOT’s Pollinator Habitat Program. The program’s goals are to encourage public education about pollination, to pursue projects that have a positive ecological impact on pollinator species and to promote TDOT practices benefiting pollinators. TDOT’s Pollinator Habitat Program has been responsible for planting meadows along Interstate Right-of-Way, at two Tennessee Welcome Centers and in 10 Tennessee State Parks.

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See more: Five Facts About Pollinators

The initial three episodes are titled “Meet the Pollinators,” “Where Pollinators Live” and “Changing Environment.” Three additional episodes are under production and will be released in 2023. The video series includes free student and teacher resources like flashcards and lesson plans that are available online at  tnpollinators.org/meetpolli. These materials are rooted in Tennessee Academic Standards for Science and were peer-reviewed by a panel of STEM teachers.

– Katherine Koonce