Journey North International Plant Study Spring 2009

Tulip Test Gardens

Update: March 5, 2009

Welcome to the Journey North Tulip Garden Study!

We have EMERGENCE! >>
Hepburn Lycoming Elementary School
What About YOUR Garden?

News: Excitement and Snow This Week!

"All our snow melted and we found small red and green points emerging from our garden!!! It was awesome!!!YEAH!!!!!!!! "
Powell, OH 02/27/09

"We have 'peaking' stems! It is forecasted to snow in two days. How will that affect our tulips?" Perkasie, PA 02/27/09

"We were thrilled when we spied the brillant, red shoots sticking out. Yes, they have been sighted, and hopefully, we can spray or put wire so our resident deer do not eat them, as they are a delicacy for our four legged friends. We lost them all last year." Ignacio, CO 02/26/09

March came in like a lion this year bringing record snowfalls in the eastern states and Canada earlier this week. How will these snowy conditions affect the tulips already emerged? This week we will explore this question.

And the first gardens have bloomed! Between 02/25/09 and 03/03/09, four gardens have reported blooming. Find them on our map.

Snowfall Map: Compare this with the tulip map. Whose emerged gardens got snowed on? >>

Do the Math:
We now have 117 gardens emerging. Last week we had 73 emerging. How many more have emerged since last week?

map/sightings
(North America)

map/sightings
(Eurasia)

map/sightings
(Asia)

Spring Along the 45—Dig a Little Deeper
Check out: This Week's Map Questions (Handout) >>

Thinking About Freezing Temperatures And Tulips

What do you notice about this ice crystal? List 10 words that describe it.

How could it affect plants? >>

Did you know that most plants are more than 85% water? What happens to plants when freezing temperatures hit? Makes you wonder, doesn't it! Why not set up some cool experiments to explore this question?

Here's what you need: water, sugar, and a freezer. You could experiment on real, live plant leaves, too!
For a "chilling" experiment, Try This!

Procedure, teacher explanation, and lab sheets >>

Printable Lab Sheet >>

Checking In : Spring Along the 45 Degree Line

Council, ID Garden Emerged

Did YOU notice anything happening along the 45 N Latitude line this week? We have our first garden to emerge! Which garden did you predict would emerge first? Did you predict Council, ID? Be sure to check out This Week's Map Questions Handout!

Gardens on the 45 >>

Link to lesson >>

Related Journey North Lessons and Links

Classroom: Charting Garden Progress with a Visual Punch >>
Experiment: How Freezing Temperatures Affect Plants >>
Lesson: What's Happening Underground >>
Helpful Weather Links: Climate Weather and Seasons >>
Tulip Garden Journals (click-and-print) >>

Please report:
1. Tulips PLANTED
2. Tulips EMERGED
3. Tulips BLOOMING

Click this on any page.

More Journey North Lessons and Teaching Ideas!

The Next Tulip Garden Update Will Be Posted on March 12, 2009.