On February 9th, the 3-5th went behind the school for a field trip, and on the way back we had to notice something that we didn’t on the way there. When we got back we wrote what we noticed in our journals. This is what we wrote:
On the way back from the site I noticed that there were buds on most of the willows that I saw. Also I saw cotton wood buds that looked like they were about to open. Hopefully that means spring is coming. (Tasha)
On the way back we saw a moose browsing on small willow trees, and a moose bed. (Marshall)
I noticed that there were a lot of moose tracks and other stuff like there were no pine needles on the bottom of the pine trees. (Jacob)
I saw a seed pod that had seeds really close to it and I also saw willow buds. What did you see? (Sammy)
I noticed a bunch of the trees were laying on the ground, they looked lazy. The snow was too heavy for most of the alders so they were touching the ground. That was interesting to me. (Faith)
I noticed a seed pod and it wasn’t opened yet. It was an easy guarantee that spring is coming. (Desire)
I noticed where the moose hang out. It has a big tree and moose go to the bathroom there. (Scherion)
I saw a chocolate Lilly seed that Jacob pointed out to some people and some willow nipped off the tree. (Sesylia)
I saw that the willow buds were opening. (Ula)
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Hello 3-5th grade class.
ReplyDeleteI love this description: "the trees were laying on the ground, they looked lazy". I love how your science turned into poetry.
I also want to say that as soon as I hear the word "cottonwoood" I can smell it. I miss that smell. In Sitka we don't have cottonwoods, but I do have a small container of cottonwood salve that Greg Strevler gave me. When I miss Gus I open it ;)
-Elise
Hello Scientists,
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think will happen with those willow buds if it gets cold again before spring?
Justin Smith
Hi kids, Greg here. Here are some comments on what your wrote. I am proud of your ability to notice things!
ReplyDeleteTasha,
Cottonwood buds are defended from freezing by the sticky greenish stuff (wax) that smells so good (the stuff that Elise was talking about). As long as the bud doesn't open up so far that this wax will protect it, but sometimes it goes too far during a warm spell and then the bud is is in trouble.
Marshall, Sesylia and Scherion,
That place behind the school is just the kind of spot moose love, especially in winter. It doesn't have much snow, and it has lots of willow to eat. Also, the spruce trees are big enough now that they shed some of the snow off to the side, so there are good sleeping (and pooping) places underneath.
Sammy, Scherion and Desire,
Can you describe the seed pods more thoroughly? I'm not sure what kind two of you are seeing yet. Are they all chocolate lily like the one Scherion saw?
Faith,
I think it is really neat that some woody plants can lean way over without breaking off. They have to pay for this, because being flexible means they can't grow too tall, but the benefit is that they can put up with a lot of snow without damage.
Have you guys tried just closing your eyes and being quiet for one minute at some point during each field trip? Although it doesn't seem like it, it turns out that a minute is a pretty long time! I'd be interested in not only what you see during a field trip, but also what you HEAR. And that's going to change a LOT in the next month. Has anyone heard a varied thrush yet? How about a hooter? Three nights ago we heard a wolf in the Good River neighborhood!
ReplyDeleteLewis