Educational Material
Printed copies of all materials are available for the asking from the Biodiversity Institute. Looking for something not here? Let us know what identification guides or other materials would be useful to you and your students, and we’ll see what we can do. Contact us at biodiversity@uwyo.edu.
Wyoming's Stream Macroinvertebrates
Companion lesson plans for the Biodiversity Institute Wyoming's Streams Macroinvertebrates Guide. Lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and wetlands are full of life. Many plants and animals live in water and these organisms can be very abundant. All of these organisms are interesting, but we will focus on aquatic invertebrates in these lesson plan starters.
Biodiversity Institute Wildflower Crossword Puzzle:
How well do you know our native wildflowers? Match the pictures with the names, then fill in the spaces with common names to complete the crossword. Many of the flowers you find in this crossword puzzle you will find growing in Wyoming.
- Click here to download and print the wildflower crossword puzzle.
- Did you finish the puzzle? Are you sure? Click here to download the puzzle solution.
- Did you answer the five questions listed next to the puzzle? Click here to check your answers and learn more.
Key to the Conifer Trees of Wyoming
Learn to identify all of the cone-bearing trees of Wyoming with this nifty little guide. The dichotomous key will lead you to each of the twelve species, so you never have to say just “pine tree” again! This pocket-size key is designed to be folded length-wise first, then into fifths.
Download the Key to Conifers Here
Leaf Shape Bingo Cards
Here's an activity to get kids looking for many different kinds of plants. Leaf shapes are green and leaf arrangements on the twig are purple, so some plants will fill both a purple and a green square. The set includes 10 different cards. We laminated ours for use over and over.
Download Leaf Shape Bingo Cards Here
Vegetation Keys for Grades 4-8
Key to plant groups. This simple dichotomous key is useful for separating plants into large groups, e.g., trees, shrubs, forbs, and grasses.
Key to Major Plant Groups
Key to shrubs found near Baggs. Adaptable to many places in Wyoming, this key can also serve as a model for writing your own key to local shrubs.
Dichotomous Key to Sagebrush Species Growing Near Baggs
Pollinator Masks
Show your admiration for pollinating insects by becoming one! Decorate realistically or fancifully with crayons or markers, and cut out the eye holes (for human eyes; large black circles or circles with X). We used pipe cleaners for antennae (insert through the small holes indicated with small black dots) and tied on some elastic. For the bee-fly, fold proboscis in half and tape on just below the antennae.
- Download the Folding Conifer Guide here, or download the printer-friendly version here (when printing, be sure to select "Fit to printable area").