It has been a bonanza week for the tulip garden across the Northern Hemisphere. Gardeners reported 11 new gardens have emerged and a whopping 32 bloomed this week.

Many gardens bloomed while students were away on spring break. Fortunately, all tulips don't usually bloom at the same, so the brilliant red flowers were enjoyed by all.

• "Our tulips have bloomed ! We planted 12 bulbs and so far 10 have bloomed in our butterfly garden!" Annapolis Royal, NS 04/20/09 (See more pictures >>)
• "We were so excited to come back from a three-day weekend to find 19 out of 90 bulbs have bloomed. What beautiful flowers! It has been interesting to note that none of the tulips planted near a walkway have emerged." Sandy, OR 04/20/09 (Read more >>)

"Today we were out in the Tulip Garden and we noticed that our tulips are all in bloom. The tulips are very red and beautiful and the tips of the leaves are outlined in red. We did encounter a little problem, something (animals?) has eaten some of our tulips right down to the root. The tulips are between 26cm and over a foot tall. We are very excited that the tulips are in full bloom." Redding, CT 04/20/09

All living things are classified into groups called families. What family does the tulip belong in? To find out you have to start with the flower.

Study your own blooming tulip or study this picture >>

A Botany Lesson: Try This!

• Look closely at a tulip flower.
• Draw the flower (include all the flower parts you see).
• Label the plant parts if you can.
• After reading the botany lesson make any changes to your drawing.

Journal Question
Your tulip flower drawing shows specialized flower parts called anthers and stigma. These plants parts are very colorful and beautiful, but in science there’s always a WHY behind WHAT you see.

• What purpose do the anthers and stigma have for tulip plants?

Write your response in your journal. Then see what we think >>

Looking closely at your tulip flowers and you may see something surprising. Students in Ulviyye Tahirova's classroom in Ismayilli, Azerbaijan, found something exciting and exotic in their Red Emperor tulip garden.

"One tulip attracted our attention. It was very strange...it had 8 petals and 8 stamens! Our students and teacher came and looked at our "miracle" tulip. Other tulips all had 6 petals, as normal."

How can this happen? Have you seen a tulip with 8 petals in your garden? It is a possibility. When growers propagate such large quantities of a bulb variety, it isn't uncommon for an odd tulip to show up now and then. These are called "sports," or "chimeras." Keep your eyes open and you may see one in your garden!