Journey North International Plant Study Spring 2004

Tulip Garden Update: April 30, 2004

Today's Report Includes:

This Week's Tulip Data and More
Reminder- Important Definitions
Dog Tooth Violet: What's In a Name?
Challenge Question #11
Tulip Models: Folding Your Way to Blooms in the Classroom
Ephemeral Spring Beauties
An Open and Close Case: Challenge Question #12
Sunlight, Blooms and Bulbs: Discussion of CQ #9
Year-End Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts!

This Week’s Tulip Data and More
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 3 northern gardens reported emerged this week and we have 31 more blooming.

As spring arrives across North America it is always interesting to compare this spring to a "normal" spring. Study this map, and then make a list of things you learned from it.


Today's Tulip Map	Departure from Normal credit: National Climate Prediction Center

Reminder- Important Definitions
Just a quick reminder to help you in determining when to report your tulip data:

Important Reminder
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.

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 might look brown and dead looking, a closer look and you might find a lovely lily-like flower nodding above two narrow, mottled, light-green leaves. Where you find one, look carefully for others because they often cluster in one area.

The tulip and the Dogtooth Violet share genetics! That is a scientist's way of saying they are like cousins. They're both classified in the family "Liliaceae." All of the cousins - or species - in the Liliaceae have large bulbs, which animals love to eat. The bulbs were actually once a source of food for Native Americans.

How many characteristics can you see?

Characteristics of plants in the Liliaceae (pronounced li-LE-A-CEE-e):

six parted perianth generally (the perianth is the petals and sepals)
six stamens, one pistil
stigma generally three-lobed, or three separate stigmas on a three-branched style
fruit generally three-chambered pods or berries

Go take a look at your tulip flowers and answer this:

Challenge Question #11:
"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.)

Tulip Models: Folding Your Way to Blooms in the Classroom

Students at Irwin Math/Science Magnet Elementary School in Fort Wayne, IN made models of the entire tulip plant as a classroom project and display.

The entire tulip plant can be made from small balloons for representing the bulb, shredded gift packing material for roots (taped to the bulb), a straw for the stem, green paper for the leaves, yellow pipe cleaners for the anthers and stigmas, and red paper folded into an Origami paper cup for the flower.
They wanted to share this fun project with all the rest of the Journey North Tulip Study participants.

Pictures and directions for Tulip Art

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.

Try This!
Can you pronounce, "ephemeral?" Look up the word in your dictionary and find the definition. Use it in a sentence. Go home and try it out on your family and friends!

An Open and Close Case
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 affect 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 #12:
"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!

Sunlight, Blooms and Bulbs: Discussion of CQ #9
Why do the Dutch farmers remove the tulip blooms before they develop? While this might seem pretty radical, the whole thing comes down to how the plant uses the food it produces from the sun. A plant makes energy from sunlight. This energy goes into growing roots, leaves and flowers.

Let's imagine the roots, leaves and flowers each get 1/3 of the plant's total energy. What would happen if you took off the flower? Now the leaves and roots can each use ½ of the plant's total energy. That means there would be more energy for the plant to produce large and healthy bulbs!

The Dutch farmers want to produce large and healthy bulbs each year. Right now they are growing the Red Emperor tulips for Journey North to plant for the Fall 2004 tulip season!

Try This!
Are you thinking like a scientist? I wonder if you could do your own experiment - maybe next year - to find out if plants with their flowers removed early would produce larger bulbs.

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.

In the coming year, Journey North will be fundraising to secure increased support from foundations, corporations and individuals. Your supportive comments will be a tremendous help. Thank you!

Journey North
Year End Evaluation

Please share your thoughts

How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:

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 #11 (or #12).
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions above.

The Next Tulip Garden Update Will Be Posted on May 7, 2004.