Pollinate Happiness field-trip sheet · September
Nassau County Museum of Art
Address: 1 Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor, NY 11576
Host: Nassau County Museum of Art · Installed: Fall 2025
Getting there: The sensory planter is on the patio near the Manes Center; the nest boxes are along the meadow edge of the William Cullen Bryant Preserve.
Name ______________________ Date __________ Time ______ Weather ______________
What is planted here
- Lavender (blooms Jun to Jul)
- Fern (foliage plant)
- Ornamental Cabbage (foliage plant)
- Little Bluestem 'Standing Ovation' (blooms Aug to Sep)
- Gaillardia (Blanket Flower) (blooms Jun to Oct)
- Sage (blooms May to Jun)
- Sedum (Stonecrop) (blooms Aug to Oct)
- Garden Mums (blooms Sep to Nov)
- Ornamental Peppers (blooms Jul to Aug)
This planter is a sensory garden, so it mixes Long Island natives like little bluestem with fragrant and colorful non-invasive ornamentals chosen for touch, scent, sound, and sight.
Look for in September
- Little Bluestem 'Standing Ovation' in bloom
- Gaillardia (Blanket Flower) in bloom
- Sedum (Stonecrop) in bloom
- Garden Mums in bloom
- Skippers on the little bluestem 'standing ovation'
- Overwintering insects on the little bluestem 'standing ovation'
- Butterflies on the gaillardia (blanket flower)
- Native bees on the gaillardia (blanket flower)
Did you know? (Little Bluestem 'Standing Ovation') Host plant for at least nine skipper butterflies, including Leonard's and cobweb skippers.
Student worksheet
1. Observe. Stand still for one minute and watch the flowers. Make a tally mark for every insect that lands.
2. Count. Pick one plant from the list. How many flowers or seed heads does it have right now? Is it budding, blooming, going to seed, or resting for winter?
3. Sketch. In the box, draw one visitor (an insect or bird) or one flower head. Label at least two parts.
4. Compare. Which plant had the most visitors? What about it (color, shape, height, smell) might explain that?
5. Connect. Look around the planter: lawn, pavement, trees, other gardens? Where do you think today's visitors came from, and where will they go next?
For the teacher
Before or after the visit, try these free activities. Answer keys cover every game. Type the addresses below or scan the QR code.
- Field Bingo (printable card for this planter)pollinatehappiness.com/games/field-bingo
- Native or Invasive? (photo quiz, all ages)pollinatehappiness.com/games/native-or-invasive
- Activities by grade bandpollinatehappiness.com/educators
- Answer keyspollinatehappiness.com/educators/answer-keys
Please stay on paths, leave plants and seed heads in place, and check host hours before you go. Planter page: pollinatehappiness.com/installations/nassau-county-museum-of-art