Education Corner: Spring 2018 is All About Plants

By Phaela Peck

It’s Spring, hooray! The winter has much to offer in terms of appreciating the outdoors, but for many of us, Spring brings a sense of hope and new beginnings — and a renewed interest in nature exploration. This Spring, I am particularly focused on plants. Perhaps it is because I recently moved and am learning about my new environment, or because I’m starting a large vegetable garden for the first time, but, whatever the reason, Spring 2018 is all about plants!

Below are several ways to explore, discuss and learn about plants. Note that I’m an educator, not a botanist. All of these ideas require little to no botanical expertise and can be conducted around your neighborhood or in a local park or natural area.

Go on a flower count extravaganza. Last Spring, my then 4 year old and I walked through Berkeley counting all the different flowers we saw. I still remember that our count was 88! Did we really see 88 different types of flowers? Unlikely, but I do know that it forced us to really pay attention to what was around us and I noticed many flowers I’d never seen before. I plan to go on a similar walk this year around my new neighborhood. If you live in the Wildcat or San Pablo Creek watersheds, check out our plant guide for those watersheds if you would like to identify new flowers.
Examine new growth. Spring is an excellent time to look closely at trees in particular. Use a magnifying glass and take the opportunity to practice your observation skills. What is different? What is similar?
John Muir Laws nature sketch
Make a scientific sketch. Choose a plant in your yard or a park and draw a picture of it. Use words, pictures and numbers to describe it. Save your sketch and use it to see how the plant changes over the year.
Conduct a new plant inventory. Walk along the Richmond Greenway, your favorite trail, or just down your block, and take note of any new plants you’ve never seen before. Think about why you’ve never noticed them. Are they new? Do they look different?
Go on a wildflower hike. This one goes without saying! A simple web search will provide many locations for wonderful hikes all around the Bay Area. Last year I visited a poppy preserve in Southern California, and while the orange hillsides were breathtaking, I’ve been just as excited by a few trilliums in the redwoods or tiny purple flowers on coastal hikes.
Go on plant scavenger hunt. Use the scavenger hunt we developed for our photo contest last year, or better yet, make your own and invite others to join you.
Take some photos. Recently I found our old digital camera and I remembered how much my daughter loved taking photos of flowers on our trip to Yellowstone. I quickly taught her how to use this camera. Now she is using it to take plant photos all around our yard. Older children might be further inspired by using apps such as iNaturalist.
Investigate an interesting phenomenon. During a heat wave in far Northern California earlier last year, I heard what sounded like a tree crackling. I’ve since discussed with others and learned more about serotiny as a possible explanation for what I heard. Have you noticed anything interesting lately that you might want to investigate? It’s ok if you don’t figure out the right answer! Sometimes an exploration or discussion of the evidence is just as meaningful as figuring it out.
Do something to help plants for Earth Day! Join any number of Earth Day events that support native plant restoration.
Observe animals and plants. I just watched a crow fly past my window carrying a piece of plant in its beak. Now I’m curious where it was going and which type of plant it was carrying. Which trees in my neighborhood are most likely to have nests? I don’t know yet, but this Spring, I will definitely investigate.