Pollen, yellow rain, is making its annual spring appearance. If you live in Atlanta, you know to cover anything that you don’t want coated with this sticky substance. This year, our pollen count is breaking records.

Pollen from coniferous trees is dispersed by the wind, not by pollinators. The pollen grains land on other nearby pine trees, where the female reproductive organs of the trees absorb the pollen and fertilize the cones.

Watch full screen here.

Pollen washed away in puddles.

Why do we react to pollen? Watch full screen here.

During my research, I was surprised to learn that pine pollen is used as a health supplement.

Related Pollen and Conifer Posts

Flower Dissection

Flower Lab

Pollen Baskets

Pollen in the Pond

Evergreens and Conifers

More Conifers

Pollinators

On a recent hike, I watched a cooper’s hawk fly from the ground into a tree. When I returned to that spot almost thirty minutes later, this woodland raptor was still perched on a branch. Suddenly, she flew from the branch and chased a squirrel around a tree several times before dropping to the underbrush.

Although I frequently observe red-shouldered hawks, this was my first encounter with a Cooper’s hawk, a medium-sized woodland predator that is known for its speed and agility. They can easily maneuver around objects when they are hunting small birds and mammals. Charles Bonaparte named the species in 1828 in honor of ornithologist William Cooper. They are also known as chicken hawk, flying cross and striker.

Read about the Cooper’s hawk in the Audubon Field Guide and Cornell Lab.

Related Post

Hawks

I walk on the Big Creek Greenway which is located on a flood plain in suburban Atlanta. Recently, we had heavy rain, and I noticed after the flood waters subsided that sand covered large areas of the woodland floor. I’ve seen sand there before, but not this quantity. We usually think of sand in the desert or along an ocean, so why did I find it here? What do you think?

Then I recalled the lessons I taught about sedimentary rocks and sand to my young scientists.

Sand is comprised primarily of mineral particles and rock fragments when rock is broken down through weathering and erosion. The fragments are transported by wind and water.

Sedimentary rocks form when sediments and organic matter are deposited and then solidify and harden over time. The sediments form layers and may contain fossils. Sedimentary rocks are often found near bodies of water.

So, what do you conclude?

Some examples of sedimentary rocks (conglomerate, sandstone, quartz sandstone, shale, and limestone.)

Live Cam of Greenway

Related Posts

Sand

Kinetic Sand

Sedimentary Rock and Fossils

Use natural phenomena to meaningly fill extra time or to jumpstart a conversation. I have shared many natural phenomena in previous posts that can be used at home or in your classroom. Search in the top right corner with the words, phenomena or phenomenon.

Young scientists learn to use their senses to describe the observable physical attributes (such as shape, size, texture, and color) of natural objects. Acquiring sensory vocabulary is an essential science skill. Let’s focus on texture, how objects feel to the touch.

A reptile’s skin does not stretch as they grow, so they shed their old skin for a new one that fits their growing body. Laminating preserves the delicate skin and permits young scientists to observe the patterns and feel the skin without tearing it. (See related post.)

Use the side of an unwrapped crayon to make rubbings and to identify the texture.

Watch full screen here.

Related Posts

Copperheads

Snake Skins in my Science Lab

Textured Art

Bark

Feely Box

Fun Fact: To distinguish between nonvenomous snakes and pit vipers’ skins, find the anal plate which is the last belly plate and the beginning of the tail. Most nonvenomous snakes have a divided anal plate and a double row of scales from there to the tip of the tail. Venomous snakes have a single row of scales.