Tulips
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Tulip Garden Update: May 3, 2002

Today's Report Includes:

Bumpy Ride Brings Snow and Flowers
Spring continues its advancement in the Northern Hemisphere. Study this week's map as evidence of the gradual increase of daylength and temperature. Your reports give us a clear picture that nature's signals are urging your tulips to grow and bloom.

Since our last update 2 northern gardens reported emerged this week and we have 11 more blooming.


Interior Temperatures Hold Back Tulips
This time of year we continue to see patterns on our tulip maps that reflect temperatures and climate around North America. Take a look at the latest NOAA map of extreme minimum temperatures for the week. Now look at this week's tulip map; what kind of relationships do you see between the two maps?

Spring Snows Blanket Tulips
In Cabot, VT, students reported, "Although the Journey North map will show that spring has arrived in Cabot, Vermont, it is snowing today. Our beautiful tulips are covered with snow. It was 20 degrees F this morning and it has been snowing all day. Do you think the tulips that have not bloomed yet will live and bloom?"

Reporting from the Great Lakes, students in Stephenson, MI, "Our tulips emerged to beautiful sunny weather in the 80's and within a week we had freezing temperatures and snow. Almost all of the tulips seem to have survived however."

Swift River School in New Salem, MA, wrote a similar report, "The tulips appeared after a couple of very warm days. A few days later they were peaking through the snow. They look beautiful under our school flag pole."

And from Victoria, MN, we hear more: "Despite 6 inches of snow yesterday, there is a Red Emperor tulip blooming today in my garden today! The snow melted very quickly from the garden and it won't be long before other tulips will be blooming here too."
Reminder- Important Definitions
Just a quick reminder to help you in determining when to report your tulip data:

Important Definitions

Emerging
The first sign of the tulip leaves breaking the ground. (No matter how many tulips you plant, report the FIRST tulip to emerge.)
(Photo: Jo Leland)

Blooming
The first time the flower opens and you can see the pistils and stamens inside.


Finnish Tulips Emerge Signaling Spring
The power of the sun and the warmth of spring melted the snow and sent tulips emerging from the earth in Finland this week. Students at Utsjoen saamelaislukia (Utsjoki Sami Senior High School) reported, "We have 2 flower beds: one had about 1 metre snow a week ago, and now there is none left! The other one was in a sunnier place; and there our tulips emerged yesterday! This is really early. We hope there won´t be too cold nights!"

April 2002

May 1, 2002

More In Tune with Time
During the time your tulips are blooming you have the perfect opportunity to study one of the laws of nature. Have you ever noticed that your tulip flowers are closed in the morning? When do they open and when do they close? This phenomenon is waiting for you to investigate!

Keep an eye on your flowers and record what time of day they open and close.
  • Do they open at the same time every day?
  • Does the temperature effect them?
  • Does it make a difference whether it is sunny or cloudy?
  • Does it happen quickly or gradually?
  • Do older blooms perform the same as younger blooms?

If you have tulips blooming in more than one location

  • Do the flowers open and close at the same time in both locations?

What happens if you cut the flowers and bring them inside?
If you don't have blooming tulips, try this experiment with dandelions instead. If you have both tulips and dandelions blooming, compare their opening and closing times.

Challenge Question #16:
"Keep and eye on your tulip (or dandelion) flowers. What time do they open, and what time do they close? What factors affect your flowers' opening and closing? Why do you think they open in the daytime and close all night?"

(To respond to these questions, please follow the instructions below.)

Try This! Plant a Clock Garden
Carl Linnaeus, an Eighteenth Century botanist was fascinated by the idea that some flowers opened and closed at certain times of the day. He created a clock garden displaying local flowers that opened or closed at different times of the day.
Why not create your own clock garden? Research and find other flowers that open and close reliably. Plant them in pots and arrange them in a circle in order. Maybe you can use your flower clock project for the science fair!

Inquisitive Investigator Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus, known as the Father of Taxonomy, made observations of when flowers open and close during the day. He published his findings in PHILOSOPHICA BOTANICA in 1751.

Ephemeral Spring Beauties
The earliest spring wildflowers are sometimes called "spring ephemerals." Dutchman's breeches, spring beauties, and bloodroot are names of some of the most common of these early wildflowers. Spring ephemeral wildflowers unfurl their leaves, bloom, and set seed quickly in spring. By the time the trees are all leafed out and the temperatures are hot they are completely dormant, and sleeping until the next springtime arrives. They have just a short 'window' of time between the freezing days of winter and the steamy shady days of summer to make the most of spring sunlight and attract the attention of pollinators.

Dog Tooth Violet: What's In a Name?

Dog Tooth Violet
(Erythronium sp.)

Originally a name for the Old World plant, Dogtooth Violet (Erythronium denscanis), is also called the Trout Lily. This name seems like a better fit since it doesn't look like either a violet or a dog's tooth. The leaves are spotted and resemble a trout. Other names for plants in this genus are just as fun: they include adder's-tongue, fawn lily, snow lily, and glacier lily. Dog Tooth Violets are sometimes grown in home gardens.
Just as the ground thaws and the first scent of spring is in the air, take a walk through the woodlands and creek beds. Although all around it seems brown and dead looking, you may be surprised to find a lovely lily-like flower nodding above two narrow, light-green leaves. Where you find one, look carefully for others because they often cluster in one area.
All of these species have large bulbs, which in years past were eaten raw by Native North Americans.
The tulip and the Dogtooth Violet are both classified in the family Liliaceae.
Characteristics of plants in the Liliaceae (pronounced, li-LE-A-CEE-e):
  • six parted perianth generally
  • six stamens, one pistil
  • stigma generally three-lobed, or three separate stigmas on a three-branched style
  • fruits generally three-chambered pods or berries

Go take a look at your tulip flowers (or use pictures if yours are not in bloom) and answer this:

Challenge Question #17:
"How many characteristics of the family Liliaceae can you identify when you examine your tulip flowers?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Year-End Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts!
Please take a few minutes to share your suggestions and comments in our Year-End Evaluation Form below. The information you provide at the end of each year is the single most important tool used to guide our planning.

Journey North
Year End Evaluation
Please share your thoughts

Year-End Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts!


How to Respond to Today's Challenge Question

IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.

1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-tulip@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #16 (or #17)
3. In the body of the message, answer ONE of the questions above.

The Next Tulip Garden Update Will be Posted on May 17, 2002.

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