Native Plants, Plant Movement, and Climate Change Comic (K-5)

Nuhfer, T. (2026). Native Plants, Plant Movement, and Climate Change Comic (K-5). ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. https://doi.org/10.7275/2ns2-b381

Created by Thomas Nuhfer

Summary 

This short comic provides an introduction to native plants and introduced plants, explains why some plant introductions may lead to ecological imbalance (and be considered "invasive"), and explores the impacts of climate change on plant communities.

Take Home Points 

• Native plants have evolved over time to have specialized relationships with the surrounding ecosystem.

• Groups of plants may move into new environments, either naturally or by humans. Sometimes, human introduced plants throw an ecosystem off balance - these plants can be called “invasive”.

• As humans change our ecosystems in other ways, we may outpace our ecosystems' abilities to keep up. Climate change, caused by human activity, can affect both our ecosystems and communities.

• Humans have a responsibility to be thoughtful about how, when, and why we move plants. With good science and communication, we can take care of plants, places, and people.

Application

• This comic is intended to be used as an educational resource for children K-5 (written for an approximately 3rd grade level). Educators, practitioners, and researchers are welcome to use the comic with attribution for outreach. It includes glossary and discussion pages, though an art-page only version is also included so that users can provide their own age-appropriate accompanying material.

Keywords 

Invasive plants, native plants, human mediated dispersal, introduction, climate change