Pollination and Plant Growth

Roses are red and violets are blue, I am talking about flowers, to you........ Yes, today we are talking about flowers and it is not even Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. We like how flowers look, we like how flowers smell and we even like giving or getting flowers. But, there is more to flowers than what we see or smell. We are going to learn about the parts of flowers and its function.  Also, I am going to talk about my favorite flower and three methods of seed dispersal in plants.


Life Cycle of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms

Angiosperms are flowering seed plants like the apple, plum, cherry, grape or peach.  They have seeds which are protected in its fruit.  Gymnosperms are the non-flowering seed plants like the cedar, pine and firs trees. Gymnosperms have what you would call "naked seeds." This means that their seeds grow where it can be seen on the upper surfaces of its cone scales.  


Angiosperms
All angiosperms are flowering plants which mean that they produce flowers.  Flowering plants are not only flowers, but many trees like the apple tree below.  Angiosperms seeds are protected inside a fruit. 

When the apple tree, or any other flowering plant, opens its flowers, pollen from the male part of the plant is moved by insects, birds or the wind to a female part of the flower.   The eggs inside the flower are fertilized by the sperm inside the pollen and produces fruit which has seeds inside.  When the fruit ripes and drops to the ground, the seeds can sprout right there.  Also, the seeds can be moved to another place by animals that eat the fruit.  A new flowering plant will begin to grow where those seeds are dropped.  Check out the life cycle of the Apple tree below.

This life cycle begins over and over again!  I just never ends! 

The life Cycle of an angiosperm - Apple Tree

Gymnosperms
The Pine tree below is called a gymnosperm. Unlike an angiosperm its seeds are not inside a fruit.  Its seeds are out and attached to a pinecone. When the pollen from a male pine cone floats on the wind it reaches a female pinecone and fertilizes the cone so seeds can grow.  When the seeds are ready to grow the pine tree drops the cone to the ground.

An animal, like a squirrel, will take the pinecone apart to eat its seeds and many seeds will fall to the ground.  Some may sprout and grow right there.  If only one of those seeds grow into a pine tree, the parent tree has been successful.


This life cycle begins over and over again!  I just never ends!

The life Cycle of a gymnosperm - Pine Tree



Parts of a Flower

The Flower is the reproductive organ of angiosperms. Parts of the flower include petals, sepals, the female reproductive organs, and the male reproductive organs. Petals come in all shapes, sizes and colors and are used to attract insects into the flower. The sepal protect the flower when the flower is growing from a bud and the receptacle attaches the flower to the stalk of the tree.



The Female Reproductive Organs is the Pistil. The pistil is a collective word used for the stigma, style and ovary. Ovules are the female reproductive cells, also known as the eggs. When fertilization takes place, it will become a seed. The style is a tube on top of the ovary that raises the stigma away from the ovary to decrease the chances of pollen contamination. Also, the stigma get the pollen during fertilization. Did you know that the stigma is covered with a sticky substance for pollen to stick to? Finally, the ovary protects the ovule when fertilization has happened.

The Male Reproductive Organs is the Stamen. The Stamen is a collective word for the Anther and the Filament. The anther produces pollen and the filament is the stalk of the Anther. The pollen has male reproductive cells that fertilize the ovules.

My Favorite Flower

Now on to my favorite flower.  Most of you have never seen this flower because it only grows in tropical areas.  It is the national flower of Saint Lucia and also my Mom's favorite flower.  It is called the Red Hibiscus. 

This flowering plant is what you would call a big show-off.  You can see a hibiscus flowering bush from a distance because of it bright, red, large, beautiful flowers. The flowers are large and shaped like a trumpet with five red petals.  This flower is loved by butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds because of its sweet nectar.

Saint Lucians not only enjoys the beauty of the Hibiscus flowers but they also enjoy the tea made from its flowers.  Also many Saint Lucians use the crush leaves of the Hibiscus bush as a shampoo to wash their hair.  I remember having one of these hibiscus shampoos when I was younger.  It was not that I did not have any other shampoo to wash my hair, but my mom likes me to experience everything Saint Lucian.  I had remains of leaves stuck in my hair which my mom had to pick out.

This is the beautiful Red Hibiscus.

This a Humming Bird sucking up the sweet nectar from the Red Hibiscus flower.

Seed Dispersal in Plants

What is seed dispersal?  Well, seed dispersal is the transportion of seeds away from the parent plant.  Why do plants need to disperse their seed?  Well, plants need to disperse their seed away from themselves, to stop overcrowding of plants in one area and to create new plant colonies elsewhere.  You see, plants have a limited ability to move that means that they must rely on ways to move their seeds.  Plants do not have legs as we do to move from one area to another.  That means they have to use methods to disperse their seeds.  The three methods of seed dispersion I will talk about are: by wind, by water and by animals.


Animals: Some seeds are animal food. Many seed are dispersed by animals.  Take for example the birds who eat berries, travel and pass out the tougher seed which is unharmed in its droppings.   Some fruits even have barbs that hooks on to the animal fir or feathers and are carried away. These animals move the seeds from one place to another.  Some animals like squirrels bury seeds, like acorns to save for later, but may not return to get the seeds.  These seeds can grow into new plants.


A bird eating berries from a tree.



The Black Noddy with Grand Devil's-claws  seeds stuck to feathers.


 

A squirrel hiding a pine cone.


Wind: Some seeds catch the wind. Both small and large seeds can easily be carried by the wind when it blows.  Have you ever seen a “helicopter” from the Sycamore tree or a dandelion?  What did you notice?  The sycamore has “helicopter wings" to carry the seed when a strong wind comes by.  I had no idea what these “helicopters” were until I started learning about plants.  I would always pick them up and drop it and watch it spin just like the blades of a helicopter.  Mother Nature is such a genius.  Another example of Mother Nature's Genius is the dandelion seed which have feathery plumes.  Have you ever picked a dandelion flower and put it close to your mouth and blew.  Did you see how easily the plumes flew apart and away. Well these plumes have seeds which are also flying away and landing in another area. 

A "helicopter" from the Sycamore tree.



Plumes from the Dandelion blowing in the wind.

Water: Some seed use water to catch a ride to their next destination. Many trees that live in or near water have seeds that can float, and are carried by the water. Plants living along streams and rivers produce fruit like the coconut which is water proof and able to float on top of water until it gets to a new place.

A coconut being carried by the ocean.



I thought that this was an interesting fun fact. Did you know that the smallest seeds were produced by the Orchid? A single orchid flower produce about 2,000,000 microscopic seeds that drift invisibly in the air.  We can't even see these seeds with our naked eyes.  That is cool.  I wonder how many I have accidentally inhaled.

Thanks for stopping by to check out my latest post. I hope you learned something new. Come back to visit soon. Don' forget to catch one of my flowers before you leave my post.

SEED PLANTS

Welcome back to my post.  Today, I am going to talk more about plants.  To be more specific, "Seed Plants" !  Before I started my post, I headed outside and looked around at the plants in my neighborhood.  While I was walking around and looking, I tried to come up with answers to the characteristics of seed plants.  I looked, touched and smelled and I noticed things that I never saw before.  I wish I could have done some tasting, especially my neighbor's peaches but I did not want to get into trouble.

I saw different stems, roots, leaves and vascular tissue.  I saw for the first time "What makes a plant a seed plant?".  I saw tall pine trees, apple and pear trees, cedar trees, tulips, lilies, ivy and palm trees and many more.  Did you know that there are over 250,000 species of seed plants in the world?  Most of the plants around us are seed plants. 

Characteristics of Seed Plants
These are the must haves for a plant to be called a seed plant.  Pay close attention!, because there  are no exceptions to these rules.  Here goes my list:
1.  Leaves - All seed plants must have leaves.  This is the organ of the plant that traps sunlight to make food through photosynthesis.

Different types of leaves.

2.  Stems - All seed plants must have stems.  Stems are the above the ground parts of a plant that support the leaves and flowers.  Stems also move nutrients between the roots and the leaves. Stems can be either:
      A.  Herbaceous - Soft and green like the stems of flowers.
      B.  Woody - Solid like the trunk of a tree.  


A Woody and Herbaceous stems side by side. 


3.  Vascular Tissue -   All seed plants must have vascular tissue.   This tissue transports food throughout the plant.  The vascular tissue of seed plants are:
     A.  Xylem - Transports nutrients and water up from the roots.
     B.  Phloem - Moves food from the leaves to other parts of the plant. 
     C.  Cambium - Produces additional xylem and phloem. 

 

4.  Roots - All seed plants must have roots.  The water and minerals used by the plant enter the plant through the roots.  Roots also anchor the plant in the soil and prevent the plant from being blown or washed away.  Roots can be:
      A.  Tap Root - It has a primary root with secondary roots attached and grows deep down into the soil.
      B. Fibrous Root - Do not have a primary root and lie close to the surface of the soil.
      C.  Adventitious Root - Needed to help the plant climb.  This is the roots we see in ivies.




5.  Seed - All seed plants must have seeds.  I know that this one was obvious.  These plants produce seeds which are the reproductive part of this plant.  Seed producing plants are divided into two groups called Gymnosperms and Angiosperms.

These are Coconut seeds

What Are Gymnosperms and Angiosperms?
The major differences between a Gymnosperm and an Angiosperm is that the Gymnosperm do not produce flowers but an Angiosperm do.  Also, Angiosperm's seeds are enclosed inside fruit.

The oldest trees in the world today are Gymnosperms.  Gymnosperms are vascular plants that produce seeds without an outer fruit.  Its seeds are inside cones.  Gymnosperms have leaves which are needlelike or scalelike.  Examples of Gymnosperms are pine, cedar, juniper and fir trees. 


This a cone on a pine tree.



Angiosperms plants come in may shapes and colors.  They are flowering plants that reproduce from seeds that are in fruits.  I found out that all the delicious fruit I love to eat like grapes, strawberries and pears are all Angiosperms.  Over half of all plant species in the world are Angiosperms.  Examples of Angiosperms are pear, tomato, apple, orange and peach trees.


A tomato fruit with the seeds on the inside.


Did you know that Gymnosperms and Angiosperms provide many benefits to us?   Gymnosperms plants produce wood used in construction and many paper products we use.  It also produces chemicals for soap, paints and medicines.  Angiosperms trees take in huge amounts of the carbon dioxide gas during photosynthesis and releases oxygen for us to breathe.  They also produce many fibres such as cotton which is used in clothing. Also materials found in Angiosperm plants are used in rubber, oils, perfumes and pesticides.




Monocotyledon and Dicotyledon
We use these two hard to pronounced words when talking about Angiosperm plants.  You must be wondering what on earth do these words mean.  I almost bit my tongue trying to pronounce these words and still don't know how to say them.  But one of the great things about the English language is that we always find a short version for words that are impossible to pronounce.  Now, how about  Monocots and Dicots?  That is much better to pronounce.

I have a clue for you.  Remember in Language Arts class we learned about Greek prefixes.  The prefix "mono" means  one and "di"  means two, so we now know that we are talking about numbers here.   Also, a cotyledon is something that is inside of a plant seed.  It is the first baby leaves that a newborn plant will have.  When the seed is planted and it bursts out, the cotyledon will be able to absorb the sunlight and help the plant make its own food to grow the plant.  By just looking at a plant you can easily tell whether it is a Monocot or Dicot.


What Makes a Plant a Monocot or a Dicot?


Monocots Characteristics
1.  Monocots have seeds that have only one cotyledon.
2.  They also have petals in 3s or a multiples of 3. 
3.  The veins in the leaves are parallel or side by side.
4.  There are vascular bundles scattered throughout the plant's stem.

 

There are about 65,000 types of Monocot species in the world.  Examples of Monocots are lilies, palms, onions, asparagus, sweet potatoes and all grasses such as rice, corn and wheat.
 

Onion Plants



Rice Plants

Dicots Characteristics
1.  Dicots have seeds that have two cotyledons.
2.  They have petals in 4s, 5s or a multiples of 4 and 5. 
3.  The veins in the leaves branch out and then join back together to form net like patterns.
4.  There are vascular bundles arranged in the plant's stem like spokes on a wheel .


 

There are about 170,000 species of Dicot species in the world.  Examples of Dicots are poison ivy, cacti, oaks, roses, apples, tomato, grapes, cabbage and pistachios.



Poison Ivy Plants

 

Cacti Plants

Thanks for stopping by to read my latest post.  I had tons of fun learning and preparing for this post.  I am beginning to see plants in a whole different way.  I hope that you enjoyed my post and learned something new about plants.  Check out my trees jokes.


Q: What kind of tree can fit into your hand?
A: A palm tree!

Q: How do trees get on the internet?
A: They log in.

Come back to visit soon ...........


 

PLANTS

Hey, I made it back to the future!!!  You see, I just got back from a trip to prehistoric time in my time machine.  I went to find out where the first plants came from.  I went back 300 million years to find out the answer, but when I got there I saw plants everywhere.  Well since I need a quick answer for science class, I will head to the internet and my science textbook.  I found out that nobody knows the answer for sure, but scientist have strong evidence to come up with an answer.  According to scientist, 3000 million years ago green algae was the first living organisms to appear which resembled a plant.  Oh, now I see where I went wrong, I did not go back far enough in my time machine.

The green algae is not a plant but a type of protists.  When it appeared the green algae was a one-cell organism that lived in the ancient seas.  This one-celled organism then started developing thick cell walls and the green color known as chlorophyll which helped them to make food from the air, water and soil.  Did you know when the green algae first appeared on Plant Earth the atmosphere was unlivable for all creatures which breathe oxygen?  Back then the air was only carbon dioxide, a gas with is deadly to us but needed by the green algae.  Then this green algae through photosynthesis was able to clean the atmosphere and fill it with oxygen for future organisms to appear.  Slowly over time, I mean millions of years,  the green algae was was able to leave the water and adapt to land growing and producing multi-cell organisms known as plants.  Thanks green algae for helping evolution to happen. 

Since the green algae is still in our seas today, scientist used the following evidence to come up with the conclusion of where plants came from.  
1.  The green algae and plants have a similar cell wall.
2.  The green algae and plants both contain chlorophyll.
3.  The green algae and plants both store their energy in the form of starch.
4.  The green algae and plants have the same life cycle.
5.  The green algae and plants are similar in color.

This is a picture of green algae which covered a beach in China.  Although it looks scary, it is harmless and the kids are having fun swimming in the green algae.


Check out all this green algae!



What are the Characteristics of Plants?

What makes a plant a plant????? These are the following characteristics of a plant:

1.  Multi Cellular - This means all plants have many cells.  Plant cells have a cell wall made of cellulose which gives plants its ridge shape.  This is a plant cell.




2.  Eukaryotic Cells - This means that the plant cells have successfully adapted to life on land.  Plants cells allow them to be able to live in the most extreme environments.  You can find plants from Antarctica to the hot and dry deserts of Africa.

Plants in the desert.

3.  Chlorophyll - Plants have a green pigment called chlorophyll.  With Chlorophyll plants are able to make their own food using sunlight and carbon dioxide.

This is chlorophyll under a microscope.

4.  Cuticles - Have you every looked at a leaf closely?  You will notice this waxy layer on the leaf.  Well, plants have a waxy layer that coats the stems and leaves, and other parts of the plant that protects it from exposure to the air and sun.

Notice the shine from the waxy coating on the leaf.

What is the difference Between Vascular and Non Vascular Plants?

You see, all plants are broken down into two main groups.  They are known as Vascular or Nonvascular.  Don't worry, I too had never heard of these terms until I started learning about plants.  But once I explain what they mean, it should be very easy.


Did you know that vascular plants make up about 80% of all plants?  Well what makes a plant Vascular is the special tissue in its stem.  This tissue allows water and nutrients to move up and down the plant.  It is sort of how our blood vessels allow blood to move up and down our body to provide the nutrients and the oxygen we need to survive.  This up and down movement of water and nutrients help the plant to grow and get bigger and bigger.  Examples on Vascular plants is an Orchid and the Red Oak Tree.
 

This is an Orchid flowering plant.



This is a Red Oak Tree.

Now on to Nonvascular plants.  Since you know what vascular plants are, well Nonvascular is simple.  Basically, non vascular plants do not have the special tissue like Vascular plants to move water and nutrients up and down the plant.  I know that you must be wondering.   Well how do they grow?   Since they do not have this special tissue they have to be able to feed and drink when the environment provides it.  Have you ever noticed moss only grows where it is always moist.  Examples of Nonvascular plants are Moss and Liverwort.  



I am sure you have seen this.  This is Moss.

 

This is Liverwort.

The Three Differences Between Vascular and Nonvascular Plants are:


1.  Vascular Plants have roots but Nonvascular plants do not.
2.  Vascular Plants have stems to take water and nutrients up and down the plant but Nonvascular plants do not.
3.  Vascular plants have leaves to take up water and Nonvascular plants do not.


Remember, I told you that this would be easy.


I hope that you have enjoyed my post on plants.  I learned a lot preparing for this post, I hope you learned something new.  Until my next post, bye and I hope to see you soon.  Hasta La Vista.

MAMMALS R US

Hey,  we have been having lots of fun talking about the Animal kingdom for the whole school year.  Well, today we are going to talk about the final class called mammals.  Did you know that there were over 4000 species of mammals in the world?  There are mammals which live on land, in water and even fly.  We are  going to cover the five characteristics that all mammals share, the different types of mammals and my favorite mammal.  

The five characteristics that all mammals have are:  

1. All have hair or fur. - This hair or fur may cover part or all of the mammal's body. It is used to protect and keep the mammal warm. There are also mammals who have sensory hairs which are called whiskers. These whiskers help them to feel their surroundings and to sense danger.
2.  All females have mammary glands. - Mammary glands are the glands that help the females to produce milk to feed their babies.
3.  All are endothermic. - This means that they are all warm blooded animals.
4.  All are vertebrates. - This means that they all have back bones.
5.  All have body systems developed to help them survive. - Mammals can learn and remember better than any other type of animal and this makes them superior. They have a nervous system which has a brain, nerves and spinal cord. They all have four chambered hearts and blood vessels.

In what ways are Birds and Mammals Simalar?

1. They are both vertebrates and endothemic.
2.  Some mammals like bats have wings like birds.
3.  Some mammals like bats also have hollow bones which allow them to fly just like birds.
4.  Some mammals have beaklike mouths like birds.
5.  Some mammals lay and incubate eggs like birds.

  

What are Placental Mammals, Monotremes and Marsupials?

Well, you see mammals are divided into three groups based on how their babies develop.  The three groups are called Marsupials, monotremes and placental mammals.

Marsupials are what you would called pouched mammals.  Basically, they all have pouches which are sort of like a pocket on their bellies.  These pouches are used to carry, protect and feed their babies.  They give birth to very small immature babies and those babies grow and develop in the mother's pouch.  Examples of marsupials are kolas, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, wallabies and opossums. 



This adult Koala is a marsupial.



Monotremes are what you would call, egg laying mammals.  Although, the females lay eggs they are not birds.  Its eggs have a tough leathery shell just like the eggs of reptiles.  These are a very unusual or strange group of mammals.  The adults have beaklike mouths.  The females produce milk, but do not have nipples, but instead the milk come from mammary glands scattered all over her skin. Examples of monotremes are spiny anteaters and duckbilled platypus.



This adult Spiny Anteater is a monotremes

 We are all placental mammals.  What I mean is that humans are placental mammals.  The babies develop inside of the mother.  The babies are attached to the placenta, which is a saclike organ which provides the baby with oxygen and food from the mother's blood.  Placental mammals are mammals whose young are born very developed.  Examples of placental mammals are dogs, horses, cows, cats, monkeys and lets not forget humans.

This adult tiger is a placental mammal.

Let's Talk About The Little Babies

Placental  babies are born very developed.  They are fully developed inside the mother.  After the babies are born the mother will feed it with milk from its mammary glands. This milk will provide nutrients to help them to continue to grow and develop.

  

Baby Orangutan

Marsupials babies are born very underdeveloped and are about the size of a honeybee.  After the babies are born they crawl into the their mother's pouch and attached themselves to the nipple of the mother. There they will continue to grow and develop.

Baby Kangaroo in its mother's pouch

Monotremes babies are hatched from eggs laid by its mother.  After the babies are hatched, they feed by licking the milk from the mother's skin.  Some monetremes' mothers have pouches to protect and keep their babies safe.

Baby Platypus

My Favorite Mammal

Can you guess what my favorite mammal is?  Let me give you some hints.  He likes to eat a lot, he has his own TV show and has been in movies.  He is black and white and he knows Kung Fu, especially how to do the wishy washy finger.

 


If you said Po the Panda you were right. This is my favorite mammal.

 

This is a Giant Panda

The first time I saw a Panda up close, I was about four years old and went to visit  Zoo Atlanta.  I remember buying a stuffed panda, because I wanted to have my own soft and fluffy panda.  The Giant Panda is one of the most well known endangered animals.  It is almost entirely vegetarian unlike its carnivorous relatives, the bear.  It spends about 12 hours a day siting down and eating bamboo.  They eat about 40 pounds of bamboo each day.  They are really good climbers and can be easily recognized by the black patches around their eyes, ears and body.  Giant pandas have become endangered partly because of hunting, but mainly because their natural habitat of central China has been slowly destroyed.  Although scientist are trying to save the Giant Panda by capturing them and putting them into reserves to live, but is very hard to get them to have babies.  When baby pandas are born they are about 3 inches long and feed on their mother's milk until they are about nine months old.  Did you know that female pandas are called sows, and males are called boars?

Fun Facts About Mammals

Fastest mammal - The cheetah can run up to speeds of 60-70 miles per hour.

Slowest mammal – The sloth moves at less than 1 mile per hour. That is super slow.

Biggest mammal – The Blue Whale.

Biggest land mammal- The African Elephant.

Tallest mammal - The giraffe.

Smallest mammals - The pygmy shrew weighing .11 ounce.  It weighs less than half an ounce, this is super small.

Loudest mammal - The Blue Whale and the second loudest is the Howler Monkey.

Smallest newborns - Marsupials.

Smelliest mammal - The striped skunk

The only venomous mammals – The male duckbilled platypus and several species of shrews.

Fatest mammal - The blue whale has the thickest layer of blubber.

Run !!!!!  Hold your nose!!!!!!  Here comes the Striped Skunk.



Someone holding a shrew.  It is super small.  A finger is bigger than the shrew.



Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed my post.  Come back to visit.  Adios mis amigos!!!!!

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