Prairie Invasive plants and native plants Activities (for families)

1.General -Winter
1. Walk down the main trail and notice how most of the plants look brown and dead.
What part of the plants is still alive, but “sleeping for the winter”?
a) the leaves
b) the stem
c) the roots
(Answer)Many native plants are “perennials” that have healthy roots that grow new top growth every
spring
Fall or Winter

2. Seed hunt – Look closely at the brown dry plants. Can you see where the seeds grew? (hint- near the
top ) Seeds are all unique. Find 5 different old flowers or heads of grasses with seeds. Take some seeds
of each and compare how they look. Take seeds home, make a seed art project and send us a photo.
Ideas for projects –1. glue seeds on a jar or can in a nice pattern for pen holder, flower vase, candy jar
2. Glue seeds on a thin flat board in a pattern to hang as a picture
2. Introduced Invasive Plant or Native Plant?
a) Spring-
invasive plants in the prairie often grow new shoots first, and native plants grow new shoots later. Can
you see some plants with more green shoots than others? One invasive plant even has a yellow flower
much earlier than any native plants. Do you see it? Can you name it?
b) Summer
Find a spot where there are lots of purple flowers. Check if they are invasive plants using the large sign
or our online resources. Can you name this plant? What purple flowered native plant does it look like?
c) Summer or Fall
Invasive plants form dense stands of the same plant. Find a spot where there are many purple flowered
Spotted Knapweed (check our online resource). Do you see any different plants growing among the
Knapweed ? It is an invasive plant and it spreads quickly which keeps native plants out.
What 4 things is the Knapweed consuming? (check online for answer – soil nutrients, water, sunshine,
space) Then send us a photo of one of the Knapweed stands you found.
d) Did you know there are different kinds of clover? Look for this plant in the prairie ( pic of sweet
white clover) Can you ID it from our online resources? Now look for this plant (pic of prairie clover)
How do they look different? Which is invasive and which is native? Which one will pollinators like
more?
e)Some native plants are invasive! On the left or west side of the main path from the parking lot, you
see many shrubs growing. Can you ID this native shrub? It is invasive but it is an important food source
for prairie wildlife. What wildlife do you think use this plant for food?

3.Pollinators and native Plants
a) Summer
Native Pollinators are very picky about which flowers they feed on. Find a bee and watch what colour
of flowers it settles on. Then watch other bees and what colour flowers they go to. Decide what you
think are the bees’ favourite colours of flowers. Then check our online pollinator pages.
Print out and colour the flowers from the online colouring pages with the bees favourite colours.
b) Summer
Native butterflies are very picky about which plants they lay eggs on for caterpillars to eat, and which
plants they drink nectar from.
Take photos of 3 different butterflies and the plants they land on to feed. Check out this LINK to ID the
butterfly and plant, then send us your pic with the information you found. (or to City nature Challenge)
www.caroliniancanada.ca/guide/article/native-butterfly-host
c) Summer
Bee Search – watch the invasive Spotted Knapweed flowers to see how many bees land on them.(check
our online resources about Knapweed) Most native bees have developed over time to prefer native
flowers. Do you see more bees on the native flowers than on Knapweed? What might happen to these
native bees if native flowers disappear?
d) Fall
What prairie plants can you find that still have flowers or flowerheads in the fall. What flower colours
do they have? Can you name the plants? Look at our colouring pages for fall flowers to colour. (check
our online resources and links).

Removing Invasive Plants
a) Spring
Look for the small prairie signs with the QR symbol. What do you see on the ground ? What things
that plants need to grow are prevented from reaching the invasive plants? What will happen to the
invasive plants?
b) Look at the mowed area. Compare the plants with ones growing where we didn’t mow. The area will
be mowed every few weeks. What will happen with the invasive plants in this area ?
c) Summer
Look for the signs with this number/symbol. Check out the mulching sign and area. Volunteers planted
native plants here. Look closely and see what the plants are growing in. What are 3 ways that the
mulch helps the new plants to grow? (use online resources )

“Leave No Trace” Scavenger Hunt
Look for these things as you walk through the park. Write down where you saw them and the number.
Send us your results to .friendsofmalcolmsonecopark@gmail.com and join the “Leave No Trace” club.

Members look, listen and learn as you walk, and leave things as they are but don’t leave wastes.