Our mystery seeds are found in large pods.
If you open one up,
You will see these seeds (really samaras).
Do you recognize what plant these seeds are from? If you choose to, please leave a comment with your ideas.
Mystery Seed answers and new Mystery Seeds are posted on Tuesdays.
Edit:Â the answer is now posted.
Our mystery seeds from last week were indeed from cumin, Cuminum cyminum.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photographs of the plant.
Cumin is native from eastern Mediterranean region east to India, so it shouldn’t mind a dry climate. It is supposed to like heat, too. When I tried to grow the seeds, however, the plants dried up. I’m not sure whether it was the wrong planting date or the watering system failed.
I was able to find this illustration of the cumin plant from Wikimedia.
As you can see, the leaves of the cumin plant are lacy, rather like dill. The flowers are either pink or white.
Both the seeds and ground seeds are used extensively in cooking, particularly in Indian curries. It is also used in Southwestern cuisine, from tacos to chili.
Have you ever grown cumin? Do you have any tips?
Today we were inspired by two new picture books about deserts and desert animals. See full reviews at our sister blog, Wrapped in Foil.
Get to Know Gila Monsters (Get To Know Reptiles)
We often think of cacti and reptiles when we think of deserts, but as A Day and Night in the Desert shows, there are quite a few mammals found in deserts as well.
Some mammals found in deserts:
Pick a desert mammal and find out more about it.
This ground squirrel is all puffed up on a cold morning.
For example, is the mammal diurnal or nocturnal? Is it active all year around or does it hibernate for part of the year? What does it eat? What is its life cycle? Does it have any special ways to conserve water in the desert?
What are these javelinas (also called collared peccaries) doing to keep cool?
Create a lapbook, poster, diorama, or report about your findings.
Resources to check:
1. The AZ-Sonora Desert Museum has an extensive list of fact sheets about desert bats as well as fact sheets about other desert animals and plants.
2. Pima Community College in Tucson has online facts about desert mammals
3. Arizona Naturalists has information about Sonora desert mammals
4. Tohono Chul Gardens has a number of desert related handouts on their website. Scroll down to “Fun and Smart Projects for Kids,” and look for links to the Desert Pathfinders Activity Booklet (this link takes you directly to the .pdf), Saguaros, etc.
5. Look for the Desert Habitats activities page on our Growing With Science website.
Looking for a list of more books for kids about desert habitats? Try our growing list at Science Books for Kids.
Disclosures: These books were provided by the publisher for review purposes. I am an affiliate for Amazon, and if you click through the linked titles or ads and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Proceeds will be used to maintain this self-hosted blog.
Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.
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