Be a Botanist in Summer
Michigan Lilies
Lillium michiganense
(Photo by Loretta Kuse)
Plants
Think like a botanist. What kinds of plants do you want to observe? (Wildflowers, trees, shrubs, mosses, ferns, fungi, etc.)
What questions would you like to ask?
If you walked the trails in another season, think back to what you saw or did. Which observations might be the same or different in spring?
Use a camera and a notebook to keep a record of what you see and learn. Close up photos of plants are especially helpful in identifying likenesses and differences.
Be sure to DATE journal entries. When do plants begin to bud, bloom or go to seed? What plants could you expect to see at certain times in summer? How and when are they affected by other plants and animals? Dated journal entries can help citizen scientists record the interrelationships among different living things.
Habitats
What kinds of habitats exist along the trail that would be suitable for certain kinds of plants? (Soil conditions, temperature, moisture, light, competition with other plants and invasive plants)
Uses of plants for habitats. (Shelter, wind break, special environments produced by one plant for the benefit of other plants)
Gardening
Summer is a time when we care for plants in many ways. Some need to be nourished so they grow better. Others need to be trimmed, pruned or cut. Look for places where plants are being cared for or those that need care. What jobs need to be done?
Identify weeds that could take over or choke out other plants.
Which of the weeds have been identified as invasive species? How can they be controlled? (Purple Loosestrife, Garlic Mustard, and others)
Note places needing watering.
Think of ways to share what you know about caring for plants. How might you give a tour that describes what you see on the trail or in a garden?
Summer is a time when many parts of plants are harvested for food. Which plants have greens to be harvested? Which plants are grown for their fruits or seeds? How is food prepared from the various plants or parts of plants?
Some people enjoy making miniature gardens. What plants would work well in a tiny garden?
Insects are needed for pollination. What insects do you see pollinating plants along the way?
Look at gardens both wild and tame. Examine the material about gardening in these PowerPoint presentations.
Plants in the Garden
Plants in the Garden in PowerPoint format
Helping and Protecting Plants in the Garden
Helping and Protecting Plants in the Garden in PowerPoint format
Eating Wild Foods
Eating Wild Foods in PowerPoint format
Parts of Plants
Photograph plant parts and compare the pictures with some taken earlier or later in the season..
Compare new leaves to mature leaves. (Colors, shapes and sizes)
Find the flowers on many kinds of plants. What are the parts of the flowers?
Can you find pollen on some of the plants? How is the pollen moved from flower to flower?
If it is late summer, are there seeds beginning to form?
Wildflowers
Look at composite photos of wildflowers on this website.
Wildflowers by Family at Kuse Nature Preserve
How do the plants change through the seasons or over their lifetimes? Which ones might you see in summer? Which spring ephemerals have gone to seed? (Plants that disappear in later seasons) What parts of the plants can be seen now?
Wildflowers in Bloom During Summer at Kuse Nature Preserve
Trees and Shrubs
Look at composite photos of trees and bushes on this website to see what they look like in summer.
Identify the trees and bushes you see.
What is happening to branches and buds on bushes and trees in summer? Are there some that are frowning larger? Which plants are deciduous and which are evergreens?
What kinds of flowers do you see on trees?
Find bark of various colors. (Red bark - Red Osier, White bark - White Birch, Gray, black, brown or tan bark on various bushes and trees.) How does the color and shape of bark help you identify trees and bushes? Look at the bark on composite photos of bushes and trees. Find some of the different kinds of bark. Photograph the bark. Notice how field guides describe the bark. How does the guide description compare with what you observe?
Why does some bark have holes? What animals may have made the holes? (Squirrels, woodpeckers, chipmunks, insects, etc.) Is there sap coming out of any of the holes?
Take photos of the various kinds of conifers. Learn to identify the trees by their bark, shape, and needles. Look for cones under the trees to get close up pictures.
Shake seed cones and observe the shape and size of seeds that fall out. Have some opened and has the seed flown out while the cone was still on the tree? Is there evidence that some of the seeds have been eaten?
What products are made from different trees that you see? (Lumber, fuel, food source, etc.)
How would a forester, a farmer, a landscaper, and other users of plants look at those along the trail?
How might a botanist explain the differences between the colors you might see in summer and fall? What colors might an artist use to let a viewer feel that a picture was painted in summertime? Look for colors you are more likely to see in summer rather than fall or winter.
Lichen, Mosses, Ferns and Fungi
Find lichen on trees and rocks. Take photos of different kinds of lichen. Compare the photos with those in a field guide and learn to name the various kinds of lichen.
On which side of trees is lichen most commonly found? Why?
How many different kinds of moss can you find? How are they alike and different? Where do they grow?
How many of these kinds of ferns can you find? (Sensitive, Bracken, Lady, Interrupted, Oak and Ostrich ferns)
Can you find old or new mushrooms growing on plants or the ground? How does the amount of moisture affect their growth?