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BOTANIST A BOTANIST is a scientist who studies plants!
Mosses are one group of plants and are considered to be very simple. Mosses have NO true roots, stems or leaves and must live near water or in moist areas. These are Mosses!
Have you ever wondered about the soil? Take some time to learn about the soil in your area. Soil comes in many different kinds and each one varies with the rocks below, the amount of rain, the climate, and the kinds of plants growing Check out what’s below your feet!
Look at the Horsetails!
Check out these ferns!
Millions of years ago, the earth was covered with jungles. These jungles were filled with plants. One of the most common plants in these jungles was the FERN.
When these ferns died, they fell onto the jungle ground. Here, the leafy fronds and stems began to rot.
The rotting ferns were covered in layers of mud and rock. As many million years passed, these squished layers of rotting fern became COAL!
Take a look at this plant! It is called a fern! Ferns have fronds made of tiny leaflets. Turn your frond over and observe the spore cases! You might even get lucky and spot a FIDDLE-HEAD on the fern plant.
Horsetails and ferns belong to another group of plants. This plant group has true leaves, roots and stems.
These are the group of plants called evergreens or conifers!
See the scales of this cone from a long needle pine tree.
Check out the cones in this evergreen!
Ouch! This branch is broken and the... leaks out!!!
Trees take up water and nutrients from the soil through the roots all the way up to the leaves. Sap (water, sugar and other nutrients) runs through the stem to all parts of the tree. Sap may be stored in the roots or trunk during the winter months and in early spring begins traveling to the developing buds and leaves.
There are many different leaves, from needles on the pine trees to long slender leaves like these...
Ginkgo Leaf Ginkgoes leaves are sometimes called living fossils. These tree leaves have not changed very much in millions of years.
Fossils of ginkgo leaves were preserved mud that hardened into rock over millions of years. Fossils form in sedimentary rock such as limestone and sandstone.
Some leaves change color. Note the changes in color !
Some plants produce flowers!
Flowers attract pollinators!
After this plant is pollinated, the flower will protect the developing seed. Seeds grow within the walls of this flower. And sometimes these walls...
...Become thick, juicy, and fleshy!
Can you guess what kind of fruit these flowers will protect?
Some plants look all fuzzy!
Some plants are fragile and small!
I really like the fuzzy plants!
Other kinds of plants are Prickly!
Some plants are so prickly that their pricked parts will stick to your pants if you brush up against them!
Imagine what would stick to your pants if you ran through this field of plants!
Some plants are Itchy! Producing Oils that cause rashes and burns on our skin.
Some ivy plants seem to grow anywhere and in every direction!
Some plants are thought of as weeds! Dandelions have a very long tap root system which grows deep into the soil!
Maybe this weed is NOT so bad! Have you ever tried: dandelion tea, dandelion salad, dandelion coffee?
My favorite are the dandelions’ parachute seeds!
The Green Machines or Plants are able to Sunlight Energy!
The more complex plants have leaves. Leaves are the energy factories of the plant, using sunlight, carbon dioxide from air, and water to transform light energy into food energy.
Use the energy from sunlight to transform carbon dioxide and water into food energy like...
…spinach which is high in protein!
..or sugar which is made when sunlight energy transforms carbon dioxide and water.
I wonder how much of the sun’s energy was at work to make the food energy stored in this pumpkin?
Plant POWER