Nature Study: Lesson 144: The Dandelion


“Many plants have their flowers set close together and thus make a mass of color, like the geraniums or the clovers. But there are other plants where there are different kinds of flowers in one head, those at the center doing a certain kind of work for the production of seed, and those around the edges, doing another kind of work. The sunflower, goldenrod, asters, daisies, coneflower, thistle, dandelion, burdock, everlasting, and many other common flowers have their blossoms arranged in this way.”

Handbook of Nature Study, Anna Comstock


In our Nature Study this week we again looked at the humble Dandelion (we have done this before.) In preparation for this, I read pages 531-535 about dandelions in the in the Handbook of Nature Study and used it as a guide for leading observations and discussions.  We also discussed how the dandelion is a composite flower. Page 503 also explains how the dandelion is a composite flower. We looked for the disc flowers at the center of the flower and noted whether they were open or unfolded and then the ray flowers around the edges. (illustration in the diagram on page 575) We also located the green on the back of the flower, which acts as a cover of the flower before it opens and they learned the term "bracts." 
Dandelions also have a hollow stalk, called a scrape (just like garlic scrapes), in which a milky substance can be found, which the flower uses as a defense mechanism against pests.

Student painting of a Dandelion with it's seed head.


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