![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Wildflower Survey
I took ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aequitaslevitas and Rachel on a select group of the wildflowers in our yard (i.e. those currently in bloom, minus the goldenrod), some (such as the St. John's wort & New England Aster) are appearing for the first time this year, as the two meadows - the Rachel River/Brandon Canyon area and the Meadow itself - are in their third and second years of growth.
That the roadside River/Canyon area is developing as slow as the main Meadow is, I suspect, due to a couple major factors: 1) rough environment (road, washouts from the river, etc.); and 2) mown down in its prime last year by parties unknown.
I have both of the older kids working on reports of their findings - just a simple collection describing the basics of each of the 8 species we identified, as well as an extra bit describing the nastiness that is the spotted knapweed (would that be knastikness?)
aequitaslevitas complained that 11 paragraphs (intro, 8 species, 1 extra bit on invasives, and wrap-up) was a Lot Of Work, so Mr. Takes College Courses In High School and Wants to do Biology (Marine, to be sure, but it's the spirit of it...) When He Grows Up will also be including an extra bit describing each of the four stingity insects we came across on our adventures. I also had to threaten to have him identify the umpteen types of goldenrod, some of which probably need a microscope to ID...
Alas, I am cruel, forcing my children to learn on a Saturday...
aequitaslevitas and Rachel on a select group of the wildflowers in our yard (i.e. those currently in bloom, minus the goldenrod), some (such as the St. John's wort & New England Aster) are appearing for the first time this year, as the two meadows - the Rachel River/Brandon Canyon area and the Meadow itself - are in their third and second years of growth.That the roadside River/Canyon area is developing as slow as the main Meadow is, I suspect, due to a couple major factors: 1) rough environment (road, washouts from the river, etc.); and 2) mown down in its prime last year by parties unknown.
I have both of the older kids working on reports of their findings - just a simple collection describing the basics of each of the 8 species we identified, as well as an extra bit describing the nastiness that is the spotted knapweed (would that be knastikness?)
aequitaslevitas complained that 11 paragraphs (intro, 8 species, 1 extra bit on invasives, and wrap-up) was a Lot Of Work, so Mr. Takes College Courses In High School and Wants to do Biology (Marine, to be sure, but it's the spirit of it...) When He Grows Up will also be including an extra bit describing each of the four stingity insects we came across on our adventures. I also had to threaten to have him identify the umpteen types of goldenrod, some of which probably need a microscope to ID...Alas, I am cruel, forcing my children to learn on a Saturday...
no subject
~ a drawing, photo or sample (I waxed my samples via a dip in melted paraffin then mounted on art paper) could be seeds, leaf or bloom or piece of bark from a dead source such.
~ common and scientific names
~ categories (kingdom, family etc)
~ date collected
~ where the sample was found e.g., field, forest, yard, sidewalk, etc and then location of same (town)
~ bibliography
3 Saturdays were class trips: fall, winter and spring, all at an Audubon sanctuary
Results: An A grade and a wonderful source book for college biology -- helped me get some good test grades -- none of my classmates (state college) had done this in their h.s. so it got a got of use!