Yesterday we took a walk through our Magic Door into the woods on a mission - to find a seed with a special dispersal system! All week we have been looking in our Outdoor Classroom at different kinds of seeds that get around in different ways - some (like acorns) use the force of gravity to drop, others (like dandelions) have parachuted seeds to catch the wind and carry them to a new place to grow, and others (like burrs) have special velcro-like hooks to catch a ride on an animal's fur or someone's clothing. All of these ways help plants distribute their seeds to new places that will hopefully provide the right conditions for a new plant to grow.
Our search led us to a patch of jewelweed (also called touch-me-not) where we easily found the plant by its orange jewel-like flowers and noticed some bulging pods on its stems as well. These pods are spring loaded to propel seeds through the air in a burst when released by the touch of a passing person or animal or just when it's ready to pop! The kids had a lot of fun setting off these seed explosions - many even took some seeds home in their pockets to plant at home. This helpful plant is an antidote to poison ivy which it, interestingly, often grows near.
Enjoy the pictures below of the kids exploring seeds!
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