Planting a Native Pollinator Garden Impacts the Ecological Literacy of Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Ecological illiteracy exists, in part, because students may be technologically advanced but often lack intellectual curiosity about their natural environment. Botanical illiteracy, often referred to as “plant blindness,” results from several interacting factors, including a lack of interest in plants and insufficient exposure to plant science before students reach college. We were interested in understanding how a hands-on activity planting native plant species translates across undergraduate majors in improving botanical literacy, as well as increasing awareness and concern about the loss of plant and pollinator biodiversity worldwide. We conducted a survey of both life-science majors and nonmajors to examine their attitudes toward native plants and pollinators. We also examined the change in attitudes of science majors following a hands-on native garden planting activity. We found that life-science majors generally had a stronger understanding and valuation of native plants and pollinators than nonmajors. We also found that life-science majors demonstrated an increase in their knowledge and valuation of native plants and pollinators after participation in the gardening activity. We suggest that this type of activity is important in alleviating plant blindness and in increasing ecological literacy, even among already knowledgeable science students.

The effectiveness of lifestyle interventions on ecological literacy: A contribution to the underlying mechanism in linguistic ecology

“…The views in this article are similar to those of Hammarsten et al and Wells et al [ 51 , 52 ]. Among them, Wells et al advocated learning plant science knowledge, cultivating interest in plants and improving the ecoliteracy of participants through participation in horticultural activities.…”

Botanical boom: A new opportunity to promote the public appreciation of botany

“…The potential impacts extend to the level of funding allocated to plant conservation efforts (Balding & Williams, 2016), plant science research and enhanced participation in plant‐focused citizen science projects. To raise plant awareness and appreciation, an impressive diversity of approaches promoting botany in educational settings, as well as outside the classroom, has been proposed and developed (Crisci et al, 2020; Fančovičová & Prokop, 2011; Friesner et al, 2021; Jose et al, 2019; Levesley et al, 2012; McDonough Mackenzie et al, 2020; Moores et al, 2021; Pany et al, 2019; Thorogood, 2020; Woodland, 2007) with many demonstrating a measurable increase in botanical literacy among participants (Pinkerton et al, 2021; Ryplova & Pokorny, 2020; Stagg & Donkin, 2013; Wells et al, 2021). The growing number of initiatives run by plant scientists, such as international Fascination of Plants Day (https://plantday18may.org/), PlantLoveStories (https://www.plantlovestories.com) or More Than Weeds (https://morethanweeds.co.uk/), as well as relentless work of botanical gardens around the world, also continues to promote an awareness and appreciation of plants among the general public.…”

“…Could this be one of first signs indicating that PAD is starting to decrease? Certainly, addressing this question is not trivial without further research, as PAD has not been measured or indeed continuously monitored at the national/societal scale, with most studies so far focused on educational settings, including groups of primary, secondary school or undergraduate students (Çil, 2015; Lindemann‐Matthies, 2005; Wells et al, 2021). However, a wave of interest in a range of plant‐related activities, products and industries has been clearly building over the last decade, likely with an additional impetus from the COVID‐19 pandemic.…”

“…U R E 2 (a) Examples of quotes from mainstream media publications (2017-2021) highlighting the surge in interest in gardening and houseplants among younger demographics. (b) Meadows decorating UCD's campus carpark and one of Dublin parks (photos courtesy of Dr. Rainer Melzer)Ryplova & Pokorny, 2020;Stagg & Donkin, 2013;Wells et al, 2021).The growing number of initiatives run by plant scientists, such as international Fascination of Plants Day (https://plantday18may.org/), PlantLoveStories (https://www.plantlovestories.com) or More Than Weeds (https://morethanweeds.co.uk/), as well as relentless work of botanical gardens around the world, also continues to promote an awareness and appreciation of plants among the general public. Here, we discuss the recent rise of 'mainstream' interest in plants as a hobby or as lifestyle elements and suggest that this trend offers a new opportunity to enhance the impact of such outreach efforts and foster a fascination with plant science among both students and the general public.…”

A New Generation of Citizen Scientists: Self-Efficacy and Skill Growth in a Voluntary Project Applied in the College Classroom Setting

“…Additionally, previous studies of student knowledge of pollinators have found that students struggle with mechanisms of pollination as well as conservation practices (Golick et al 2018). Complex systems such as pollination may be oversimplified in primary education, and exposure through hands-on activities (such as citizen science projects) can improve ecological literacy in non-STEM majors (Wells et al 2021).…”