Purple Loosestrife curriculum

The Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife curriculum was developed for informal educational settings.

Download: Youth manual, Educator/ Facilitator manual

Print copies of the youth guide are still available. Contact Natalie Carroll (ncarroll@purdue.edu) for more information.

The youth manual includes the following activities:

• - Introduction to wetlands
• - Aliens among us
• - Annual wetland plant diversity survey
• - Is purple loosestrife a problem in our county?
• - Biological control of purple loosestrife
• - Biological control agent: host-plant specificity
• - Purple loosestrife & galerucella beetle rearing
• - Observations & life cycles
• - Galerucella beetle release
• -Evaluating the impact of galerucella on purple loosestrife

Educational Standards

The leaders guide (4-H 918) has answers to the youth manual activities (above) and the following, additional topics:

• Overview of the purple loosestrife project
• Experiential learning
• Frequently asked questions
• Meeting the standards
• Finding a wetland
• Timeline for student activities
• Appendices:
  • -Removing Purple Loosestrife by Hand
  • -Purple Loosestrife Control Options
  • -Natural Enemies to Control Purple Loosestrife
  • -Raising Galerucella Beetles Indoors
  • -Outdoor Rearing of Galerucella Beetles
  • -Life History and Ecology of G. calmariensis and G. pusilla
  • -Life History and Ecology of Hylobius transversovittatus
  • -Site Selection Guidelines for Release of Galerucella Beetles
  • -Wetlands: Habitats in Peril
  • -Alternative Lesson Plan

Additional resource: Galerucella life cycle (in a wetland habitat)

Youth Natural Resource programs home page