Scavenger Hunt, February 2007

Posted by Violet Snow Feb 2, 2007

Occasionally we list a number of items found in the wild and discussed in recent Botany columns, for you to go out and find for yourself. You are invited to post a description of something you observed or learned on your hunt – see Scavenger Hunts under “Discussions”.

Go outdoors and seek the following items:

1. Twigs from two different kinds of evergreen trees.

Look closely at the needles, smell them, feel them, notice the texture of the bark. If you have a field guide to trees, you might try to identify the species. See Pines, Conifers, and Evergreens and Trees in Winter.

2. A plant with red berries.

Many berries that ripen in autumn stay on the plants through the winter, and the majority of them are red. You may find them on shrubs, such as Japanese barberry; trees, such as staghorn sumac (not poisonous, unlike the white berries of both poison sumac and poison ivy, which you should avoid touching); or on vines, such as bittersweet (which is toxic to eat but not to touch).

3. Three different kinds of plant skeletons.

The dried-out stalks of plants that have died or gone dormant look different for each species. Try to find examples of three different species and compare them.

4. A seed pod with hooks that catch onto fur or clothing and hitch a ride.

Burdock burrs are the most obvious example, but if you walk through a field of tall, dried-out plants, you will probably find more. Or they will find you – search your clothes and notice what has stuck to you. See Seed Dispersal and Wild Edibles and Life Cycle.

Good luck hunting! And feel free to post a discussion message about anything interesting you find.

Answer to last week’s Plant ID Quiz: Common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca