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CATKINS A Tree Study in January/February
(Senior Primary)
female catkins hazel nuts male catkins Choose
a hazel tree to observe and study.
Q
Is a hazel tree?
deciduous
evergreen
Examine the bark of a hazel tree. Circle
the words that best describe the bark. __________________________________________________________________
dull
shiny
rough
brownish/grey
smooth
with pores __________________________________________________________________ The
horizontal pores on the bark, enable the tree to breathe. The
flowers of a hazel are called catkins. Catkins
appear before the leaves so they can be pollinated by the wind. If the leaves
were on the tree first, the pollen might stick to them.
Hazels have male and female catkins on the same tree. Male
catkins begin to develop in autumn. They
are long and brownish/yellow in
colour. Early the following spring
they become a creamy/yellow colour. Female
catkins are small and brown with bright red styles. They ripen after the male catkins. Q
Which catkin do you think is sometimes called a lamb’s tail?
______________ Q
Why? __________________________________________________________ Q
How do you think the pollen from a male catkin is spread to a female
catkin? Please tick.
birds
Be careful of catkins if you suffer from allergies! Bring
some twigs with catkins into your classroom.
Place them in a jar of water. Leave
the jar on a sheet of white paper. Q
What do you notice after a few days?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________ Look
closely at a male catkin. It has
more than one hundred tiny flowers. Touch
a male catkin with the tip of your finger.
Q
What colour is your finger? ______________________________________ Q
What makes it yellow?
_________________________________________ Q
Name other trees that have flowers called catkins.
______________________________________________________________ Flowers
develop into seeds in autumn. Q
What is the seed of a hazel called? _________________________________
Think! How does the life cycle of
a hazel begin again?
_____________________________________________ Now
is a good time to read and enjoy the Song of Wandering Aengus by WB
Yeats. I
went out to the hazel wood……………… |
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