More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
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Locust Berry (Bysronima lucida) is a native plant that occurs in pine rockland habitat of South Florida. It is the host plant to the Florida Duskywing skipper (a rare butterfly). It is also visited by bees of the Genus Centris, however little is known about the natural history of the Florida Duskywing, pollinator diversity and seed dispersers of this plant.
Our project will assess Duskywing larval movements, the diversity of pollinators, and seed dispersers of Locust Berry. We have several plants located on our campus and also have access to another less disturbed area close to large tracts of pine rockland. This allows us to set up the new cameras to record movement of Duskywing caterpillars and the visitation of flowers and fruit. Students can observe in the field, use field guides and examine video.
This project will not only teach useful skills such as: how to use dichotomous keys, microscopes, identification of invertebrates, and different techniques used in pollination biology. Ultimately, students will learn the intricate relationships between insect and plant as well as impact the pine rockland ecosystem, a critically endangered habitat in their backyard.
About my class
Locust Berry (Bysronima lucida) is a native plant that occurs in pine rockland habitat of South Florida. It is the host plant to the Florida Duskywing skipper (a rare butterfly). It is also visited by bees of the Genus Centris, however little is known about the natural history of the Florida Duskywing, pollinator diversity and seed dispersers of this plant.
Our project will assess Duskywing larval movements, the diversity of pollinators, and seed dispersers of Locust Berry. We have several plants located on our campus and also have access to another less disturbed area close to large tracts of pine rockland. This allows us to set up the new cameras to record movement of Duskywing caterpillars and the visitation of flowers and fruit. Students can observe in the field, use field guides and examine video.
This project will not only teach useful skills such as: how to use dichotomous keys, microscopes, identification of invertebrates, and different techniques used in pollination biology. Ultimately, students will learn the intricate relationships between insect and plant as well as impact the pine rockland ecosystem, a critically endangered habitat in their backyard.