Bee Trading Cards were created as part of the Bumble Domicile show.
The bee trading cards feature macro photography of bee anatomy, life facts and colour-coded DNA barcodes of some local bumble bee, megachile (leaf cutter) and osmia (spring bee) species.
These barcodes serve as a metaphor for biodiversity and evolving strategies of pollinators, and by extension, of all living things. They also serve as representations of our ability to perceive (with the aid of technology) and better understand the genetic aspects of the biological diversity of the region in which we live through a specific group of pollinators indigenous to this region, whom we can also observe in their natural habitats.
These trading cards are the first in a series of trading cards of pollinators featured in Resonating Bodies at both *new* gallery (Toronto, July, 2008) and at our Pink Bee-Wasp Condo at the Franklin Children’s Garden on Toronto Island (our data gathering site for “Nest Wall”, 2009).
This series includes only a handful of the 200+ species of bees which live within a 2 hour radius of Toronto. Honey bees are not not included, as we are focusing on native pollinators ( see resources, “About bees, habitat, and coevolution”). Series 1 cards nicely cross-references with A Guide to Toronto’s Pollinators (see resources) and a visit in person to the Pink Condo (Toronto), which is free and open to the public open year-round – although the bees and wasps will only be out to great you April – October.
Check out our Bee Trading Card Gallery to see all of the cards in Series 1. We also have a gallery of each of the colour-coded DNA barcodes of the solitary and social bees featured, which you can download and compare. (See more on colour-coded DNA barcodes and the Pink Condo.)
The cards have been a huge hit with teachers and gallery goers, and so we’re inviting you to comment at the bottom of this page about creative ways for using the cards with young people in age groups ranging from 5 to 19.
Cards are available from Pollination Canada
Trading Card Credits
rading Card Credits Claudia Ratti, Packer Lab, York University – macro bee images. Amro Zayed (cards 15 and 17 ) and Rob Cruickshank (cards 10, 19, 20 and 21) – images of live bees. The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) – colour-coded DNA barcodes. Anneli West – graphic design. Jessamyn Manson – text. Kevin Steele – text/image assembly. Some trading card text includes excerpts from “The Bee Genera of Eastern Canada, Canadian Journal of Anthropod Identification” (CJAI 03 September 25, 2007) by Laurence Packer*, Julio A. Genaro** and Cory S. Sheffield*** York University Department of Biology, Toronto, ON, Canada. Sarah Peebles – concept. Photographs and text excerpts used with permission. ©2008,2009 All rights reserved
Have a question, feedback or an idea you want to share for using bee trading cards with young people (with curriculum, art projects, games, etcetera?
Comments are open here.
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