What do you notice about the flowers below? Look at each of them and jot down what you observe.
From the top left, going clockwise they are bird cherry, amelanchier, strawberry, and apple. You might have noticed they have five petals and a lot of stamens in the center. And that might have led you to wonder whether they are related. Yes, they are. All of these belong to the rose family, Rosaceae. It's a big family and, in addition to roses, includes amelanchier, apples, pears, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and almonds. And those are just the familiar fruits and berries (and nuts) that we eat.
You might also wonder whether all flowers in the rose family are white. Most are white to pink, but there are some brambles with fuchsia petals, and cinquefoil flowers with yellow petals, flowering crab apple with bright pink and roses in all colors.
This week, go on a "rose-hunting" field trip.
Look for flowers that might be related to roses. You might find strawberry flowers in your lawn, apple and cherry blossoms on trees at a park, and cinquefoil along the roadside.
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