Mysterious holes were appearing in my garden plot. Sometimes I would find a plant or two pulled up, and sometimes not. Either way, the plant was thrown to the side and left untouched. Talk around the Juniper-Front Community Garden informed me that others were experiencing the same issue, and skunks were a principal suspect. This theory made sense to me because I had been seeing more skunks than usual in the neighborhood early in the morning. One morning I was a bit startled but also pretty excited to see a mama skunk with her nervous baby sneak into our garden through an opening in the concrete wall.
Although I was too intimidated to follow the skunks around and try to observe them actually digging the holes, some internet sources describing the kind of holes skunks dig (shallow with dirt tossed around them) made me think that they were likely responsible. It was frustrating to be losing plants after investing time, resources, and hope into my little seeds, but honestly, how could I stay mad at anything so cute as a baby skunk?
The fight to save my plants sparked an interest in some informal experiments to deter the skunks. Would a tomato cage protect the plants? Are the skunks that gardeners suspect are digging up our plants more interested in compost containing eggshells? These experiments have not been strictly controlled, and they are ongoing and as yet inconclusive, but they are still interesting (when not too frustrating)!
Gardens are filled with opportunities for informal science education. Just digging around in the soil to weed, plant, or harvest leads to new discoveries.
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Bringing students or my own child to spend time in a garden inevitably leads to new learning and a connection with the natural world. I've often been surprised at how excited middle school students get over finding a tiny insect, spider, or worm! Gardens attract pollinators and other wildlife that everyone enjoys experiencing.
Looking carefully at garden flowers is a nice springtime activity that can help you learn about plant families. I enjoy observing flowers as an adult, and children can be engaged this way, too. Did you know that tiny strawberry plants and tall apple trees are in the same plant family, meaning they are fairly closely related? Although a look at the entire plant would fool you into thinking otherwise, if you compare their flowers, you can see that their flower structure is very similar. Notice the similar structure of the strawberry and apple blossoms, including their five petals.
Both strawberry plants and apple trees are members of the rose family, Rosaceae. If you compare their blossoms with the photo of a wild rose below, you can see the similarities.
Being in the same plant family means that the plants had a relatively recent common ancestor. How could the strawberry plant and apple tree evolve to be so very different while their flowers remained so similar? Natural selection favors traits that help a plant survive and reproduce. Traits such as growing tall could potentially be beneficial, but a change in the structure of a flower- the plant’s reproductive part- could render the plant unable to reproduce. Changes in flower structure are risky and could be an evolutionary dead end if the plant has no offspring. This is why flower structure stays more constant as other plant parts evolve over time, and why looking for similarities in flower structure gives us a window into the evolutionary history of the plant and helps us identify plant families.
Whether watching for pollinators and other wildlife, observing flowers, or just digging around, a garden in the springtime is well worth a visit!
If you are interested in reading my blogpost on summertime in the garden, follow this link:
If you would like to know how to help collect data on local pollinators, here is a blogpost about the Great Sunflower Project:
Get Outdoors with Citizen Science! The Great Sunflower Project
Michigan State University Extension has a webpage on skunk holes versus other holes in your garden or yard:
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/whos_that_digging_in_my_yard_skunks_raccoons_or_moles
Thanks to Kerry Woods for sharing his vast knowledge and love of plants with me.
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Those skunks are so cute and so clean looking! Also, never would have thought that roses and apples were closely related, at least apple trees don't have thorns!
ReplyDeleteI thought the skunks were pretty cute, too, and they do look clean! I was also surprised when I learned that apples and roses are closely related. Thanks for your comment! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's hard sometimes to get kiddos out in nature but once they're there, they seem to thrive. Just as you describe, they get excited about tiny insects or trying a fresh tomato. I love that you were able to bring your class there
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about getting kids outside. Thanks for your comment, Priscilla!
ReplyDeleteThe photos are great in this article! Love it.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your feedback!
ReplyDelete