[Upbeat music plays]

Text reads, “TVOkids” and “Fifth Ground Entertainment” “Original.”

Child says, WEE!

[Giggling, pop]

Text reads, “Leo’s Pollinators.”

An animated bee flies over the text. [Buzzing]

Leo, a blue and orange animated fish, says,
IT'S ME, LEO! THE EXPLORER
CLUB IS ON A NEW MISSION.

Text reads, “Leo’s Pollinators.” “TVOkids Presents.”

[Upbeat music plays, whooshing]

Leo says, WE'RE HELPING THE
POLLINATORS, THOSE AMAZING
CREATURES WHO MOVE POLLEN
FROM ONE PLANT TO ANOTHER.

POLLEN IS THE STUFF THAT HELPS
MAKE OUR FRUITS, VEGETABLES
AND FLOWERS.

WITHOUT OUR POLLINATORS
FLYING, BUZZING, SLITHERING
AROUND, WE'D ALL BE GOING
HUNGRY, EVEN ME!

[Whooshing, buzzing]

Leo says, HOUSTEN AND CHLOE ARE
IN THE FIELD HELPING THE EXPERTS,
SO GRAB YOUR BOOTS AND YOUR NET,
AND YOU CAN BE A POLLINHEAD, TOO.

Text reads, “Leo’s Pollinators. Explorer Club.”

Leo says, TODAY THE POLLINHEADS
ARE GOING WHERE NO CATFISH HAS
GONE BEFORE. TO MAKE HISTORY,
LIKE NO POLLINHEAD HAS BEFORE.
WHAT A DAY TO BE A POLLINHEAD!

[Bubbling, upbeat music plays]

Text beneath a black flying insect with four orange legs and two black and orange back legs reads, “Hoverflies.”

Leo says, HOVERFLIES ARE AT THE
TOP OF TODAY'S 'NATOR NAVIGATOR!

ALSO KNOWN AS FLOWER FLIES.
THERE'S OVER SIX THOUSAND
SPECIES OF THESE BUZZY BUGS.

[Whooshing]

Leo says, SO JUST IMAGINE ALL
THESE AMAZING HOVERFLIES
OUT THERE POLLINATING.

THAT'S RIGHT, POLLINHEADS,
THESE FLIES ARE THE SECOND
MOST IMPORTANT POLLINATORS,
RIGHT AFTER BEES.

SO THAT MEANS TODAY'S MISSION
IS SUPER IMPORTANT.

HOVERFLIES ARE ITTY BITTY!
IT'S HARD TO KNOW THEM ALL.

SO FINDING NEW SPECIMENS
AND RECORDING THEM IS KEY
TO GETTING A BETTER IDEA
ON HOW WE CAN HELP THEM.

TODAY THE POLLINHEADS
WILL DIVIDE AND CONQUER.

HOUSTEN IS GOING UP A MOUNTAIN
IN QUEBEC WITH JEFF SKEVINGTON,
ONE OF THE TOP HOVERFLY
EXPERTS IN THE COUNTRY!

Housten and Jeff carry butterfly nets as they walk on a dirt path. Housten wears an orange tee-shirt with a “Leo’s Pollinators” logo on the chest and blue shorts. He wears his black hair shorter on the sides than on the top. Jeff wears his dark brown hair short. He wears a black tee-shirt and shorts.

[Birds chirp, rustling]

Photographs beside a brick building show three insects. Text beneath a fly reads, “Insects.” Text beneath a worm reads, “Nematode.” Text beneath a black spider reads, “Arachnids.” Letters over the doors on the building read, “Research Branch. Department of Agriculture./ Direction de la Recherche. Ministere de L’Agriculture. Canada.”

[Whoosh, upbeat music plays]

Leo says, JEFF WORKS FOR THE
CANADIAN NATIONAL COLLECTION
OF INSECTS, NEMOTODES,
AND ARACHNIDS.

HOUSTEN WILL FIND A SPECIES
THAT HAS NEVER BEEN COLLECTED
IN CANADA.

[Click]

Leo says, THEN CHLOE WILL HELP
CATALOGUE IT IN ONE OF THE
LARGEST INSECT COLLECTIONS
IN THE WORLD!

WOO-HOO!

Housten and Jeff walk on the path. Text beneath Jeff reads, “Jeff Skevington. Canadian National Collection. Entomologist.”

[Upbeat music plays, insects chirp]

Jeff says, THIS A GREAT SPOT,
MAYBE SIX OR SEVEN HUNDRED
SPECIES UP HERE ON A
NORMAL DAY.

IT'S AN IMPORTANT PLACE
FOR ME TO COME, BECAUSE
I'M TRYING TO BUILD A
COLLECTION, AND UNDERSTAND
THE DIVERSITY THAT'S HERE.

Housten asks, SO THEY CALL
THIS HILLTOP HOME?

[Insects chirp]

Jeff replies, THEIR HOME'S DOWN
IN THE FOREST FOR THE MOST
PART, AND SO THEY'RE COMING
UP HERE VERY SPECIFICALLY
TO LOOK FOR A MATE.

Text over Leo reads, “What’s the Buzz? With Leo.”

[Whooshing]

Leo says, ISN'T THIS FASCINATING!
HILLTOPS HELPING POLLINATORS.

IT'S THE PERFECT PLACE FOR OUR
HOVERFLY FRIENDS TO FIND A MATE,
BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TREES
AND GRASSES GETTING IN THE WAY.

An animated hoverfly flies up a green hill.

[Buzzing]

Leo says, IT'S A WIDE OPEN SPACE
TO EASILY SEE A POTENTIAL MATE.
SO THEY TRAVEL FROM THEIR
HABITATS TO SPEND A COUPLE OF
HOURS HIGH IN THE AIR. THEY ARE
POLLINATING SUPERSTARS!

An orange circle shows the location of Japan on an animated globe.

[Whoosh, pop, upbeat music plays]

Leo says, IN PLACES LIKE JAPAN,
FARMERS ARE USING FLIES
INSTEAD OF BEES TO POLLINATE.

SOME HOVERFLIES AREN'T PICKY
EATERS. THEY'LL SNACK ON NECTAR
FROM ANY OLD PLANT.

OTHERS LIKE TO REVISIT CERTAIN
PLANTS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

[Electronic whine]

Leo says, AND THAT'S THE KIND
OF POLLINATION INFO SCIENTISTS
ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT.

IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO
UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE
THESE BUZZY POLLINATORS.

GO, HOVERFLIES! GO, SCIENCE!

[Whoosh, insects chirp, upbeat music plays]

Jeff tells Housten, YOU'RE GOING
TO BE MY ASSISTANT.

HERE'S YOUR NET.

EVERY TIME I COME UP HERE,
I FIND SOMETHING NEW.

SO THAT'S OUR GOAL TODAY,
IS TO FIND SOMETHING WE
HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE. ARE
YOU READY?

Housten says, YEAH, LET'S GO!

Jeff says, LET'S GO.

THERE'S A REALLY RARE ONE
THAT SITS ON THE BRANCHES
OF THE OAK TREE THAT I'D
REALLY LIKE TO FIND TODAY.

SHALL WE GO IN AND LOOK FOR
THAT? OKAY?

Housten says, YEAH, BUT WHAT
IS IT CALLED?

Jeff says, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN
FIND IT IN THE FIELD GUIDE.

ALL RIGHT, AND THERE IT IS.
CERIANA WILLISTONI.
WILLISTON'S WASP FLY.

Jeff looks in a book. Text beneath the book reads, “Ceriana Willistoni.”

Housten says, OH.

Jeff syas, SO THIS IS THE ONE
WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

I TOOK THIS PICTURE ON THE
TRUNK OF THIS TREE, HERE.

Housten says, COOL! AND SUPER
COOL THAT YOU ACTUALLY WROTE
THAT BOOK, JEFF!

Leo exclaims, WHOA, SO HE
LITERALLY WROTE THE BOOK ON
HOVERFLIES. I'M GONNA TOTALLY
FAN-FISH OVER HERE!

Jeff explains, THIS ONE ONLY SITS ON
THE BRANCHES OF THIS OAK TREE.

Housten says, COOL!

Jeff explains, THAT WAY THE FEMALE
KNOWS WHERE TO COME AND LOOK
FOR IT.

Housten says, I THINK WE SHOULD
CLIMB THAT OAK TREE.

Jeff explains, YOU THINK WE SHOULD
GO UP IT AND LOOK FOR THEM?

Housten says, YEAH!

Jeff says, OKAY, LET'S DO IT.

[Rustling]

Jeff says, OKAY, WATCH YOUR
STEP COMING IN HERE, HOUSTEN.
THERE'S LOTS OF ROCKS.

ALL RIGHT.

Housten says, YOU GOT THIS, JEFF!

Jeff says, OKAY, THIS ONE I'M
GONNA NEED THE TUBE FOR,
BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT ON THE
BRANCH. THINK I CAN GET IT?

Housten says, YEAH.

Jeff says, BEFORE IT GOES?
I GOT IT!

Jeff twists a lid on the end of the tube.

Housten asks, YOU GOT IT?

Jeff replies, GOT IT.

Housten says, WOW!

Jeff says, I'M GONNA PASS IT
DOWN TO YOU.

YOU CAN HAVE A LOOK,
AND SEE WHAT WE CAUGHT.

SO I-I THINK I KNOW WHICH
ONE IT IS. LET'S JUST HAVE A
LOOK IN THE BOOK.

SEE IN THE GUIDE WE SHOW
THAT THE BACK LEG IS PURE
BLACK. AT THE BASE. AT THE,
RIGHT UP TIGHT TO THE BODY.

Housten says, IT KIND OF LOOKS
A LITTLE BIT BLACK.

Jeff says, IT IS A LOT BLACK,
SO IT'S THIS SPECIES
RIGHT HERE.

Text beneath the book reads, “Chalcosyrphus Curvarius.”

[Whoosh]

Housten says, I THINK IT'S CALLED
CHALCOSYRPHUS CURVARIUS.

Jeff says, YOU'VE GOT IT.

Housten says, WHO KNEW
HILLTOPS WERE THE PLACE
TO FIND SUCH RARE SPECIES?

Jeff says, EXACTLY, IT'S INCREDIBLE,
WE'RE COLLECTED ONE HUNDRED
AND ELEVEN SPECIES OF
HOVERFLIES UP HERE, THAT'S
ALMOST ALL THE SPECIES THAT
OCCUR IN OUR LOCAL AREA.

Housten says, SO IT MUST BE EXTRA
IMPORTANT TO COLLECT HILLTOPPING
BUGS SO WE CAN SHOW EVERYONE
HOW BUGS REALLY RELY ON
THIS PLACE.

[Upbeat music plays]

Jeff says, ALL OF THESE INSECTS
ARE COMING HERE, AND THEY ALL
HAVE A REALLY IMPORTANT ROLE
IN THE ENVIRONMENT, SO IF WE
CHANGE THE HILLTOP TOO MUCH
AND WE CLEAR IT OFF, AND PUT UP
A BIG TOWER, IT COULD HAVE HUGE
REPERCUSSIONS FOR THESE INSECTS.

Housten says, I CAN'T WAIT TO GIVE
THIS TO CHLOE! SHE LOVES THE LAB,
SO SHE'LL LOVE THIS.

Jeff says, LET'S TAKE THAT FLY
AND GO BACK TO THE CANADIAN
NATIONAL COLLECTION OF
INSECTS. WE'LL PIN IT, WE'LL
DATABASE IT, AND THEN WE'LL
SEQUENCE IT.

Leo says, AWESOME JOB, HOUSTEN!

FIRST PART OF THE MISSION
COMPLETE! AU REVOIR, QUEBEC!
HELLO, ONTARIO.

An orange flag on a map shows the location of Ottawa in eastern Ontario, close to the western border of Quebec.

Leo says, OUR NEXT STOP, THE
CANADIAN NATIONAL COLLECTION
IN OTTAWA.

THE COLLECTION IS HOME TO
OVER SEVENTEEN MILLION INSECT
SPECIMENS, THAT'S THE BIGGEST
BUG BUFFET I'VE EVER HEARD
OF, MMM!

Pinned bugs fill display cases.

[Whoosh]

Leo says, BUT SERIOUSLY, SCIENTISTS
ACROSS THE WORLD RELY ON THESE
COLLECTIONS OF PINNED SPECIMENS
FOR INSECT IDENTIFICATION,
RESEARCH, AND POPULATION STUDIES.

THE CNC HAS BUGS FROM ALL OVER
THE WORLD, BUT SEVENTY PERCENT
OF THEM COME FROM RIGHT HERE
IN CANADA.

Orange numbers beside a map of Canada read, “seventy percent.”

Leo says, OUR TEAM IS GETTING
SPECIAL ACCESS, WE'RE V.I.P.S!
VERY IMPORTANT POLLINHEADS!

Jeff opens a cabinet filled with wooden drawers. Chloe stands beside him. She wears her red hair pulled into a ponytail. She wears a bright blue tee shirt with the “Leo’s Pollinators” logo across the chest.

[Click, upbeat music plays]

Chloe stands beside Jeff as he sits on a chair in front of a computer.

Jeff says, SO THIS IS OUR CANADIAN
NATIONAL COLLECTION DATABASE,
WHERE WE KEEP ALL OF THE DATA
THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH THE
INSECTS THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE.

AND IT'S AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
TO LOOK AT THE DATA.

Jeff points to the closed cabinet.

[Whoosh]

He says, SO THIS IS WHERE THE
SPECIMENS ARE GONNA GO,
IT'S ALL ARRANGED
ALPHABETICALLY BY GENUS,
DOES THAT LOOK FAMILIAR?

Chloe looks at a photograph of a hoverfly affixed to the cabinet door.

[Whoosh]

Chloe says, YEAH, IT DOES!

Jeff says, YES, IT'S A VERY SIMILAR
SPECIES, BUT THE BASE OF THE HIND
LEGS IS ORANGE, SO IT'S NOT THE
SAME AS THE ONE WE HAVE, BUT
IT TELLS US WE'RE IN THE
RIGHT CABINET.

SO LET'S HAVE A LOOK.

[Click]

Chloe says, IT'S LIKE A LIBRARY
FOR INSECTS!

Jeff says, AND THIS IS THE DRAWER
THAT OUR STUFF IS GOING IN.

CHALCOSYRPHUS VECORS
IS THIS SPECIES HERE.

AND IT'S GOING TO GO RIGHT
AT THE VERY END HERE.

[Scraping]

Chloe says, THIS LOOKS SO REAL!

Jeff says, THESE ARE ACTUAL
SPECIMENS FROM THE FIELD.
THEY'VE BEEN TAKEN FROM
DIFFERENT TIMES,
DIFFERENT PLACES.

SO SOME OF THESE SPECIMENS
ARE OLDER THAN YOUR GREAT,
GREAT GRANDPARENTS.

Text reads, “Did You Know?”

[Upbeat music plays]

Housten asks, DID YOU KNOW
THAT THE PRACTICE OF COLLECTING
INSECTS IS OVER TWENTY-FIVE
HUNDRED YEARS OLD?

Dates on an orange timeline read, “forty-seven hundred BCE” “four hundred and one CE” “fifteen hundred and ninety CE” “seventeen hundred CE” “seventeen hundred and two CE” “Today.” White outline of a butterfly appears beneath “seventeen hundred and two CE.” Text beneath the butterfly reads, “Oldest Pinned Insect. An outline of a microscope appears under “fifteen hundred and ninety CE.”

He says, THE OLDEST PINNED INSECT
IS THE WHITE BATH BUTTERFLY,
FROM ENGLAND.

Text beneath a photograph of a white butterfly with black spots on its wings reads, “White Bath Butterfly.”

Housten stands in front of a chalkboard. Text on the board reads, “Insect collection equals science.”

[Typing]

Housten says, AND IT'S NOT JUST
ABOUT COLLECTING INSECTS, THIS
IS SCIENCE. INSECTS ARE SMALL,
AND HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF.

AND THAT'S WHY IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT THAT THE CANADIAN
NATIONAL COLLECTION ARE
KEEPING A RECORD OF INSECTS
THAT THEY FIND.

HAVING A SPECIMEN IN THE
COLLECTION HELPS THEM TO
SEE ALL THE UNIQUE FEATURES
UP CLOSE.

AND THIS HELPS SCIENTISTS
ALL OVER THE WORLD TO KNOW
MORE ABOUT THESE TINY BUT
IMPORTANT POLLINATORS.

NOW YOU KNOW!

[Whoosh]

Jeff asks, ALL RIGHT, SO ARE YOU
FINALLY READY TO PIN
THIS SPECIMEN?

Leo asks, ARE WE READY?
THIS IS THE MOMENT WE'VE BEEN
WAITING FOR!

Chloe says, I GUESS SO.

Jeff says, LET'S DO IT.
SO LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN
PIN THIS FLY.

Chloe says, OKAY.

[Upbeat music plays]

Jeff says, ALL RIGHT,

SO IF YOU PIN A FLY, YOU PIN
THROUGH THE RIGHT SIDE
OF THE THORAX, THE MIDDLE
SECTION OF THE BODY. PERFECT.

NOT THROUGH THE MIDDLE.
RIGHT. YES.

Chloe says, OKAY.

Jeff says, AND THEN YOU'RE
GOOD. AWESOME, LOOK AT YOU.
YOU WANT A SUMMER JOB?

LET'S HAVE A LOOK.

HERE'S OUR LABEL FOR IT,
AND YOU'RE GONNA TRY TO GO
THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE
LABEL, BUT NOT OBLITERATE
ANY OF THE WRITING.

SO GO BETWEEN THE ROWS.

SO THERE WE HAVE IT,
SPECIMEN NUMBER
CNC-ONE-EIGHT-ZERO-
THREE-FOUR-ZERO-SEVEN.
IS NOW PINNED,

AND WE'RE READY TO GO.

[Whoosh]

Chloe says, ALL RIGHT!

Jeff says, OKAY.

SO OUR NEXT STEP HERE IS WE
NEED TO REMOVE A LEG, SO THAT
WE CAN SAMPLE THE DNA FROM
THIS ANIMAL.

Chloe says, DNA, THAT'S WHAT
HAS ALL OUR INFORMATION
ON IT.

Jeff says, THAT'S RIGHT.

SO IT ENCODES EVERYTHING
THAT GIVES US THE APPEARANCE
THAT WE HAVE, OUR BEHAVIOUR.

Text beneath yellow and orange graphics of DNA strands reads, “Wings” “Eyes” “Legs” “Colour” “Length.”

Jeff says, AND IN THIS CASE WHAT
WE'RE REALLY INTERESTED IN
IS A LITTLE PIECE OF DNA THAT'S
GONNA HELP US IDENTIFY THIS
SPECIMEN AND TELL IT APART
FROM OTHER, SIMILAR SPECIES.

SO, FIRST THINGS FIRST. WE GET
THIS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE HERE.

Chloe exclaims, WHOA!

Jeff says, OKAY?
SO WE'RE GONNA TRY TO TAKE
OUT A MIDDLE LEG. GOT IT.

Chloe says, OH!

Jeff says, ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA
PUT THAT MIDDLE LEG IN A VIAL.
SO NOW WE NEED TO JUST TAKE
A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ANIMAL.

[Camera click]

Jeff says, BOOM! WELL DONE,
WE'VE GOT OUR PHOTOGRAPH.

Chloe says, COOL!

Jeff says, OKAY. AND WE'RE READY,
WE'VE GOT THE LEG, WE'VE GOT
OUR PICTURE, WE'RE READY TO
GO DO THE DNA EXTRACTION
DOWNSTAIRS.

Chloe says, MAY I JUST SAY,
THE WINGS LOOK SO COOL.

Chloe gives the sample to a woman with long dark hair. The woman wears a white laboratory coat and blue gloves.

Chloe says, YOU HAVE SUCH
A COOL JOB.

The woman says, THANK YOU
SO MUCH!

[Machine whirrs, upbeat music plays]

Leo says, ISN'T IT AMAZING,
POLLINHEADS, HOW THOSE
WHIRLING MACHINES ARE
PROCESSING THAT ITTY-BITTY
LEG TO EXTRACT THE DNA.

AH, SCIENCE AND NATURE,
SO WING-TASTIC!

Jeff says, ALL RIGHT, WE PUT
THIS SPECIMEN IN AT THE END
OF THAT SPECIES.

Chloe says, TAH-DAH!

Jeff says, CONSERVATIONISTS AND
SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD
CAN REJOICE, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER
SPECIMEN FROM A HILLTOP IN THE
COLLECTION TO STUDY.

Chloe says, THE POLLINHEADS ARE
HAPPY TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD
THAT HILLTOPS ARE IMPORTANT
TO OUR POLLINATING FRIENDS.

Jeff says, EXCELLENT,
THE INSECTS THANK YOU.

[Chloe giggles]

Chloe says,THIS CALLS FOR
A HIGH FLY.

Jeff says, OKAY, YOU SHOW ME
HOW TO DO THAT.

Chloe says, ALL RIGHT.
OKAY, THREE, TWO, ONE...
HIIIGH FLY!

Chloe and Jeff put their hands in front of them and wiggles their fingers. They lift their arms over their heads.

[Jeff laughs]

Jeff says, OKAY!

Text reads, “Pollinheads Alert!”

[Popping, upbeat music plays]

Leo says, POLLINHEADS ALERT!

WE ALWAYS THINK OF SAVING
WETLANDS OR RAINFORESTS,
BUT WHO'D THINK THAT HILLTOPS
ARE IMPORTANT, TOO?

THESE MASTER POLLINATORS
NEED US TO LEAVE OUR HILLTOPS
IN PLACE.

THE BEST WAY TO HELP
IS TO SPREAD THE WORD.

SHOUT LIKE YOU'RE ON TOP
OF A MOUNTAIN, POLLINHEADS!

WE NEED OUR POLLINATING
HOVERFLIES, AND THEY NEED
THEIR HILLTOPS.

THE MORE PEOPLE KNOW,
THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE
TO SPEAK UP.

HILLTOPS, HOVERFLIES,
HISTORIC COLLECTIONS,

PHEW! I THINK I NEED A NAP.
BETTER REST UP FOR THE NEXT
MISSION. IT JUST MIGHT BE
ANOTHER ONE FOR THE
HISTORY BOOKS.

[Upbeat music plays]

End credits roll.

“Directed by: Kara Harun.
Written by: Melissa Peters.
Created by: Karen Hawes and Christopher Szarka.
Produced by: Christopher Szarka and Raj Panikkar.


With
Naomi Melvin as ‘LEO’.
Chloe Drayton.
Housten Daghighi.

Produced in association with TVOkids.

Fifth Ground Entertainment.
TVOkids.”