Saturday, June 4, 2011

Science Club

mossed bole of tree in Skunk Cabbage Reach of Campbell Spring
Science Club meets today at Annis Bay.

Science Club is a group boys  consisting of David and three of his friends.

They are studying trees.

David has already asked some questions.

1. Why are some leaves called leaves and some called needles?
2. How long will an apple tree live?
3. What is the difference between a lodge pole pine and a white pine?
4. If you have a headache in the forest, you can chew on the leaves of what tree to get some relief?
5. What is the correct name for the trunk of a tree?

Answers supplied by Glen Pilling, local forester and interpretive guide
1. poke the needles of the pine tree into your arm and see if you can tell why they are called needles and not leaves.
2. until you chop it down or 100 years, whichever comes first
3. answer will be supplied on-site and in person
4. willow, but you must supply the Latin name of Salix to get full points for this question.
5. Elephants have trunks; trees have boles.

Bonnie and David have collected specimens of trees, ironed them between pieces of wax paper, placed them in baggies, and hole-punched the baggies, so the club members will have a book of science specimens from the day's outing.

As well, they plan to get in a swim and a BBQ down by the water.

Can you tell the temperature is forecast for 26 degrees celcius out there today?

We continue to have rain here.

Arta

2 comments:

  1. Love it. And am relishing the memory of our 3-yard jaunt into the forest with Arta :)

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  2. Laura? The three-yard jaunt is the Skunk Cabbage Reach. And this is the spot where some of the work of science club will be completed today. Joaquim, Bonnie and David must have taken 10 wheelbarrow loads of underbrush, slash and dead tree limbs out of there last week. I was supervising. It is so calm and sweet up in that space now. Could this be heaven, was a passing thought. Someone on a motorbike rode by and all of us stopped to watch, unseen from our woodland haven. All Praise to Science Club!

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