Tree Stump
What Can a Tree Stump Tell You?

Materials
tree stumps

Procedure
  1. Find several different tree stumps.
  2. Examine the stumps for rings and holes. Can you tell why the tree had to be cut down? Can you tell how old the tree was when it was cut down? Compare several trees.

Explanation
If the tree had a hole in the center of the stump, it might have been cut down because it was infested with insects. By counting the rings of the tree you can tell the approximate age of the tree when it was cut down. The rings in the early years of the tree's life are usually wider because growth is more rapid in these years.

Tree Damage
How Does a Tree Heal Itself?

Materials
trees
magnifying lens

Procedure
  1. Examine several trees for signs of damage.
  2. When you find a damaged tree, study the wound under the magnifying lens. How do you think the tree was wounded? What kind of signs show the tree healed itself?

Explanation
Weather conditions, fires, people and animals all wound trees. When a tree is damaged, it first leaks sap from the wound opening. In most cases, a callus quickly forms at the edges. This keeps the sap from oozing out. Cells in the cambium, or growth tissue, begin to multiply and grow inward. If the edges are jagged, the opening may never close completely. Large wounds form permanent scars on the surface. You can see these knots in the tree's bark.

Rotting Tree
What Can Be Found in a Rotting Tree Trunk?

Materials
rotting tree
plastic gloves
trowel
tweezers
jar
magnifying lens

Procedure
  1. Find a rotting tree in a wooded area.
  2. Put on the plastic gloves.
  3. Use the trowel to move and uncover materials on the tree.
  4. Use the tweezers to collect items you want to inspect further and put these in the jar.
  5. Look for signs of rotting wood. Rotten wood looks like a brown dust.
  6. Use the magnifying lens to look for fungi and insects.
  7. Examine the rotting wood to see if ferns or moss are growing on it. What types of insects are in the wood?

Explanation
Dead trees are recycled, or used again in a different form, by nature. Wormlike beatle larvae eat through some of the bark. Insects and bacteria change the wood into a soft, moist substance that provides a good growing place for moss, ferns, and fungi. Millipedes, centipedes, bark beetles, carpenter ants, and termites might be eating the rotting wood of your tree. All of these creatures help turn the rotting tree into soil that will soon be able to nourish a new tree.

Seeking Light
Why Don't Leaves Grow on the Lower Parts of Trees in the Forest?

Materials
forest area

Procedure
Go for a walk in a forest area and look up at the tops of the trees. What do you notice about the leaves?

Explanation
Most leaves on trees in the forest grow at the top. Trees must have light in order to produce food. In the forest, where many trees block out much of the light, each tree must struggle to find light. So you will see trees bending toward light and many leaves at the tops of the trees.

Closed Cones
How Do Pine Cones React to Wet Weather?

Materials
two pine cones from a white pine or hemlock pine
bowl of tap water
timer

Procedure
  1. Place one pine cone in the tap water for 10 minutes.
  2. Keep one pine cone dry. What happens to the wet pine cone in comparison to the dry one?
  3. Let the pine cone dry out and inspect it again.

Explanation

After a few minutes, the wet pine cone's scales started to close. Pine cones rely on the force of the wind to blow their seeds to a spot where they can grow. Therefore, the seeds must be light and as dry as possible. During rainstorms, the pine cones act as little umbrellas to keep the seeds dry. When the pine cone dries, it opens again.

Summer Eating
What Types of Plants Do Insects Eat?

Materials
field guide to insects
outdoor plants
magnifying lens

Procedure
  1. Use the field guide to identify the insects on the outdoor plants.
  2. Inspect the plants under the magnifying lens to find insects or signs of insects (such as holes in the leaves). What insects did you find, or what signs of insect infestation did you see?

Explanation
Plants are great places for insects because they provide both food and shelter. Each type of insect prefers a different type of plant. Leaf hoppers enjoy the sap violets offer. Bumble bees can be seen hovering around red clover. Japanese beetles eat the leaves of roses.

Secret Place
What Can You Find Living Under a Rock?

Materials
rock lying undisturbed in a yard or wooded area
magnifying lens
field guide to insects

Procedure
  1. Carefully turn over a rock that has been undisturbed for a while.
  2. Look under the rock. Notice any insects that immediately rushed away when you turned the rock over.
  3. Watch the animals to see where they are going and what they are doing.
  4. Examine the soil beneath the rock with the magnifying lens. What do you find?
  5. Use the field guide to determine which insects you found.
  6. Put the rock back exactly as you found it.

Explanation
Many insects live in dark, moist places. The soil just under the rock provides the perfect environment for these insects. The living things that you found under your rock were different depending upon the location of the rock and the time of the year. Small insects seen under the rocks might be ants, millipedes, centipedes, slugs, caterpillars, spiders, beetles, and sow bugs. When you turned the rock over, the insects and worms probably moved very quickly to escape the light. The pill bugs may be curled up as a defense mechanism. You may also have found some white insect eggs.

Singing Birds
How Do Bird Songs Differ?

Materials
pencil
sheet of notebook paper
field guide to birds

Procedure
  1. Find a quiet place in an area where birds can be found.
  2. Sit for several minutes and listen to the songs of the birds. Can you distinguish one bird from another? Write down the bird calls you hear.
  3. In your field guide, find a description of the sound each bird makes. Can you match these descriptions to your notes?

Explanation
Birds have many distinguishing characteristics, including their calls. The American kestrel emits a shrill klee-klee-klee. The killdeer seems to say killdee, killdee. The mourning dove gives a soft ooh-ah-woo-woo-woo, and the great horned owl calls with a whoo! whoo- whoo- whoo who-who! The American crow repeats a loud caw-caw-caw. The American robin sings a cheerful cheerily-cheerily. The American sparrow sings a teedle eet, teedle eet, while the chipping sparrow simply gives a chip call. You'll find many more bird songs described in your field guide and as you listen to birds in nature.

Egghead Sounds
What Animals Make Sounds at Night?

Materials
tape recorder
blank tape
timer

Procedure
  1. Find a rural or suburban area where you can be absolutely quiet and press "record" on your tape recorder.
  2. As you record, listen to the sounds of nature and try to identify them.
  3. Turn off the tape recorder after 5 minutes.
  4. Bring your tape recorder inside and play the sounds.

Explanation
Nocturnal animals are those that are mostly active at night. Racoons, cats, mice, deer, and owls are some common nocturnal animals. If you listen carefully, you might hear an owl's hoot, a cat's meow, or the noise of a raccoon raiding a garbage can. Nocturnal animals are hidden by the darkness so they can better avoid predators or sneak up on prey. Most of these animals have very large eyes, so they can see in little or no light, and many have especially good hearing and sense of smell.

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