Colorado Reader
Agriculture in the Classroom - Helping the Next Generation Understand their Connection to Agriculture
Food, Fiber and Natural Resource Literacy
Colorado Foundation for Agriculture - www.GrowingYourFuture.com
Colorado Native Plants
Native plants are species that naturally occur
in a particular region. Many varieties of plants
developed over millions of years, and are well
adapted to Colorado’s windy, dry, and sunny climate.
Many of our native plants can be beautiful, hardy
garden plants that require very little water.
Native plants have a very special relationship with the
native insects and birds that depend on them for food
and shelter. As people have moved into Colorado, they
have brought plants from other parts of the world. But
many of these plants are not useful to Colorado’s wildlife.
Flowers contain many parts including petals, stamens, and
pistils. Stamens produce pollen . Pistils are the parts
of the flower that produces seeds. When pollen makes
contact with the pistil of flowers, they become fertilized
and produce seeds. This is how flowers reproduce.
When pollinators - birds, insects, or other animals -
Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom
collect food from flowers (nectar and pollen) they also
fertilize flowers by carrying pollen from plant to plant.
Native plants and pollinators adapted to each
other over a long time together. This is called co-
evolution . For example, some insects and birds
have long tongues. These tongues allow them
to drink nectar from long flower tubes that other
birds and insects cannot reach. Plants also produce
chemical defenses against insects. The insects evolve
to tolerate and cope with those chemicals. Limiting
which pollinators can feed on the flowers benefits
plants, too. It increases the chance of being visited by
pollinators that have been feeding on similar flowers
and receiving the right kind of pollen to be fertilized.
Native plants and pollinators depend on each other.
Growing native plants in your garden can help preserve
wildlife and add to Colorado’s unique natural beauty.
1 www.GrowingYourFuture.com