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Cones come in all shapes and sizes. These fruits of conifer trees are excellent subjects to study in the cooler months. But, did you know that there are both male and female cones? The male cone is typically soft, green, and small. In fact, many of us never even notice it, but it is very important. The male cone produces the pollen for the conifer tree and without it the seed would not be able … [Read more...]
Monarchs {InstaScience}
Listen to the InstaScience nature study: Every year around this time we head outdoors for a special treat - the monarch butterfly! I love butterflies, but the monarch is among my absolute favorites. This orange and black beauty is known as the “King of Butterflies.” Monarchs go through the same four stages in their life cycle as other butterflies, meaning that they begin as eggs, hatch … [Read more...]
How to Dissect Acorns
Our yard is littered with acorns – both complete and crushed. The squirrels like to chuck these oak tree fruits from a high tree branch to break them up and get to the soft inside. One of our children couldn’t understand why the squirrels would do that. So, we decided to grab a couple of complete ones to dissect and today I am sharing the process with you all! How to Dissect an … [Read more...]
Fall Leaves {InstaScience}
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. That’s pretty much what we hear as we walk through the woods around this time of year – our feet crunching up the dead leaves that have fallen from the trees. Each fall deciduous trees shed their leaves in preparation for winter. The tree seals off the leaf with a bit of cork that forms at the base of the leaf. This prevents water and nutrients from flowing into the … [Read more...]
Pumpkins {InstaScience}
When one thinks of fall, we almost immediately envision pumpkins! Big, fat, orange pumpkins. But there are lots of different varieties of pumpkins – some are big and orange, some are brownish with long necks, and some are blue! Inside, pumpkins all have a yellowish-orange flesh. Did you know that pumpkins are fruits? And that pumpkins are most closely related to cucumbers, squashes, and … [Read more...]
Acorns {InstaScience}
I love acorns! And my absolute favorite is this one from the Burr Oak tree. Isn’t it gorgeous? Acorns are the seeds of oak trees. Each one has a cap, which is attached to the tree, a hard shell, which protect the seed inside when it falls from the tree. And the seed, which will develop into a new oak tree the next year that is if the blue jays, chipmunks, and squirrels don’t eat first! Oak … [Read more...]