Growing With Science Blog

Month: February 2013 (Page 3 of 5)

Seed of the Week: Beech Tree

February 12, 2013 / / 0 Comments

As our readers guessed, our mystery seeds from last week were from the American beech tree, Fagus grandifolia. It is just one of several common beech species. American beech grows throughout the forests of eastern North America.

beech-bark

Beeches are known for their thin, smooth gray bark.

beech-tree-leaves

Beech leaves are serrate or toothed on the edges, and have strong parallel veins. They turn golden yellow to coppery color in the fall.

mystery-seed-145-22

The “beechnuts” are covered with a prickly husk. There are usually two to three nuts per husk.

Beechnuts are favorite food of a number of different kinds of wildlife.

If you would like to see more about beech trees, try this video from About.com:

Great Backyard Bird Count 2013

February 9, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Just a quick reminder that the Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up next weekend, Feb. 15-18, 2013. 

The bird count is a fabulous example of a citizen science project that is child-friendly. The idea to to count the birds in your backyard or elsewhere for at least fifteen minutes, and then submit your results online. The website has all the instructions, as well as birding lists for your region, etc. This year there is also a free .pdf poster of common birds to help with identification.

If you get a chance, take a look at the findings from last year, too. The animated map showing the records for the introduced Eurasian collared dove spreading over North America since 2000 is very cool (it is the lower map).

While you are thinking of birds, consider making a simple feeder to supply food or learn about growing a wildlife garden, including some plants that provide food for birds.

For example, many birds eat pyracantha berries.

The Lab of Ornithology has ideas for urban bird gardens.

About.com has design information for bird-friendly gardens. (This site has numerous ads).

Birds and Blooms has instructions for how to make a simple bird feeder.

For more ideas, see “Observing Birds” from last year.

Let us know what birds you find in your neighborhood!

Books with more information about birds:
Keep an eye out for the children’s book Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate, coming out next month (March 12, 2013)

Reading level: Ages 8 and up
Hardcover: 64 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (March 12, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0763645613
ISBN-13: 978-0763645618


More recent great books about birds for children can be found at the bottom of this post.

Adult books with projects that can work with children:

Cooking for the Birds: Recipes to Attract and Feed Backyard Birds by Adele Porter

Paperback: 88 pages
Publisher: Adventure Publications (September 13, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1591932629
ISBN-13: 978-1591932628

For the Birds: Easy-to-Make Recipes for Your Feathered Friends by Editors of Birds & Blooms

Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Spiral-bound: 120 pages
Publisher: Readers Digest;  Spiral-bound edition (April 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1606521314

Bug of the Week: Harvestmen

February 6, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Once again we have a photograph from the archives.

Do you recognize this long-legged creature?

Commonly known as harvestmen or sometimes daddy long-legs, these spider relatives belong to the Order Opiliones.

How can you tell it isn’t a spider? One clue is the fact its body looks like a single piece, whereas spiders have two distinctly separate body sections. (If you look closely, however, you will discover that harvestmen have the same body parts, they just are not separated.)

They also differ from spiders by possessing fewer eyes, having two rather than six or eight. Finally, they lack both venom and silk glands, both of which spiders are known for. They are non-aggressive, largely nocturnal arachnids.

What do they eat? Harvestmen eat a wide variety of materials, and some species are omnivores or scavengers rather than true predators.

Have you ever spotted a harvestmen? Where did you see it?

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