Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Buds are Bursting

Depending on where you live (in the northern hemisphere), spring may already be on its way. Buds are swelling, opening, flowering... providing the first pollen of the year for bees.

Some tree buds open earlier than others. A good way to get to know the signs of spring in your area is to "adopt" a tree in your back yard or the local park. Visit it every week and take photos or draw pictures of what the buds look like.

• What sort of flowers does it have? 
• When do they open?
• What do the flowers look like close-up?
• How long do they last?
• When do the leaves burst out?

You can become a "citizen scientist" bud-watcher for Project BudBurst and share data with others - check out their website here. One thing scientists have noticed is that buds are opening earlier and earlier each year. People's observations are contributing to their understanding of how climate change is affecting the natural world.

Spring Blossoms

Spring Blossoms

 by Carole Gerber; illustrated by Leslie Evans

32 pages; ages 4-7

Charlesbridge, 2013

"Spring is bursting out all over.

 The sun is up. It’s warm. Let’s go!

Trees, so bare and plain in winter,

 are dressed up for their yearly show." 

This is how Carole Gerber opens her new book - and a new season -  celebrating trees. This time she focuses on spring blossoms and catkins, following two girls and their dog as they race from tree to tree. In lyrical verse, Gerber introduces us to nearly a dozen common trees. We learn that crab apple blossoms are white, while cherry blossoms are pink. Red maple flowers are red, but redbud blossoms aren’t – they’re pink. There are male flowers and female flowers, flowers with showy petals and flowers with tiny petals that you hardly notice.

Beyond the book:

Go on a bud hike. Look at buds, catkins, and blossoms on the trees in your neighborhood. Take some time to draw the twigs with their buds and blossoms.

Take a closer look at the buds and blossoms with a magnifying lens. Some things you might look for:

• What color are the buds?
• Do buds grow by themselves or in groups?
• Are they smooth or hairy?
• Are they covered with scales that look like roof shingles or fish scales?
• As the buds open, do parts fall off?
• Do flowers and leaves come out of the same buds?
• Which comes first: flowers or leaves. 

Adopt a tree or two & visit them a couple times over the next two weeks. Draw what the twigs and buds look like.

Share your bud information with scientists through Project Budburst.

This post is part of STEM Friday round-up. It's also part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by publisher.

Spring is Bursting Out

In some places tree buds have already opened to reveal new flowers and leaves. If it’s not quite spring where you live, you can bring some buds inside and encourage them to bloom early.

On a warmish day, head outside with a pair of sharp pruning shears. Look for swollen, plump buds. Cut the branches at an angle and long enough that they can be put into a jar of water.

To make sure your branches don’t dry out, try smashing the bottoms gently to make it easier for the branches to take up water. For the first week or so, keep your branches in a cool location out of direct sunlight. Cover the branches loosely with a plastic bag or spray them with a water mist to keep them from drying out. When the water gets cloudy, fill the jar with fresh water.

After a few days move your branches into a sunny window. After a few weeks you should see your buds blooming.

For the best success try these trees and shrubs: azalea, crab apple, forsythia, magnolia, pussy willow, redbud, rhododendron, serviceberry, witch hazel, cherries, pears and apples.

You can help scientists keep track of when plants bloom by becoming a Project BudBurst buddy. Find out more here.