Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. That’s pretty much what we hear as we walk through the woods around this time of year – our feet crunching up the dead leaves that have fallen from the trees. Each fall deciduous trees shed their leaves in preparation for winter. The tree seals off the leaf with a bit of cork that forms at the base of the leaf. This prevents water and nutrients from flowing into the … [Read more...]
Acorns {InstaScience}
I love acorns! And my absolute favorite is this one from the Burr Oak tree. Isn’t it gorgeous? Acorns are the seeds of oak trees. Each one has a cap, which is attached to the tree, a hard shell, which protect the seed inside when it falls from the tree. And the seed, which will develop into a new oak tree the next year that is if the blue jays, chipmunks, and squirrels don’t eat first! Oak … [Read more...]
Maple Copters {InstaScience}
These days, my kids are finding the ground littered with nature's helicopters - the maple seed! We always stop, pick up a few, let them go, and watch nature take flight. Maples produce these helicopter-like seeds in late summer or early fall. They vary in size, shape, and color based on the species of maple they come from. The seed pods have a wing that grows out from the ovary where the … [Read more...]
Join the Community!