Plant Names & Categories
Strawberry
This kind of plant grows best at a site that receives less than 2 hours of direct light a day.
Shade
Nature operates on cycles and reciprocal relationships. "Reciprocal" means ...
a relationship where there is giving and receiving (no just takes)
The word literally translates as "variety of life"
Biodiversity
This common tree is valued in many cultures for healing. In Ontario, it may be used during traditional Indigenous fasts and sweat lodges or as a tea or bath.
Cedar
What is the difference between an annual and a perennial plant?
Annuals live and die in one growing season. Perennials return year after year.
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is short-term (can change in minutes, hours, day) and refers to what is actually happening outside. Climate is long-term and refers to what weather patterns we can expect in an area based on years and years of observation.
___ are nature's engineers and the landscapes they create filter and sustainably contain and control water
Beavers
can be done over and over again without running out and without affecting the the well-being of present and future generations
sustainable
This hardwood tree is revered in many cultures as a symbol of long live, strength and endurance.
In Celtic tradition, the entire trunk of this tree was kept burning for 12 hours on the eve of the solstice. If the fire did not go out, it meant the household would be protected and have an abundant harvest and good health in the coming year. A piece of that log was saved and used to start next year’s fire because, as the old log was consumed by the flames, any problems from the old year were thought to go with it.
Oak tree
What is the difference between an angiosperm and a gymnosperm?
Angiosperms produce flowers (which eventually form seeds for reproduction) and Gymnosperms do not (they produce cones or other "naked seeds".
Which of the following plants could be grown around here?
Plant A - hardiness zone 6 Plant B - hardiness zone 5
Plant C - hardiness zone 8 Plant D - hardiness zone 4
Plants B & D
When the ____ returned to Yellowstone National Park in the US, their actions ended up transforming the landscape and promoting biodiversity and thriving ecosystem
Wolves
a plant that appears to die off in the winter but its root is still viable and so the plant returns again next year
perennial
In some cultures, this tree symbolized new beginnings. Local (from a southern Ontario perspective) First Nations use a fungus that grows on this tree as medicine and there is scientific evidence that the fungus has anti-cancer properties. Bark from this tree is excellent tinder for fires.
Birch tree
This plant category refers to plants that have a system to transport water and sugar/food around the plant (somewhat like how we have veins and arteries) allowing the plants to live pretty much anywhere since they are not limited to living right near a water source.
What is a sunmap? Why do we make them? How do we make them? When is the ideal season to make them?
A sunmap shows the "full sun", "partial sun/shade" and "shade" areas of a site. We make them so we know where to place certain plants. We make them by observing the number of hours of direct sunlight received at different locations on the site. Ideally the observations are made in the summer.
Biomimicry
hardiness
This category of common plants has been prized by various cultures as a symbol of immortality.
Evergreens (e.g., pine, spruce, cedar, ...)
How are plant names determined?
List 5 considerations humans use when determining the name for a plant (from casual naming to culturally relevant naming including science naming)
Examples: Describe the plant's appearance, use as food, use as medicine, use for other purposes, relationship to other beings, where it is found, spiritual connection, similarity to other plants, ...
-Use dark mulch to keep the soil near it warmer and to keep soil damp and prevent other plants from growing too close to it
-Plant near a heat-retaining wall made of dark brick, stone, ... that receives lots of direct sunlight (so it warms up)
-Build temporary cold-frames or something similar around it for the colder seasons
-Bring it inside for the winter season
-...
The nodes are where nitrogen-fixing bacteria live on the root. The bacteria consume carbohydrates from the plant however they also take in nitrogen in the air, "fix it" (change it chemically to a form that the plant can use) which makes the plant grow better (nitrogen is a necessary nutrient for plants) and then, when the plant dies, the nitrogen goes into the soil making it more fertile.
There are 4 kinds of biodiversity we often talk about: _____, _____, _____, and ____.
genetic, species, ecosystem/ecology and cutural
In an old Norse legend, Frigga, the goddess of love, had a son named Balder who was the god of innocence and light. To protect him, Frigga demanded that all creatures—and even inanimate objects—swear an oath not to harm him, but she forgot to include ___. Loki, god of evil and destruction, learned of this and made an arrow from a sprig of ____. He then tricked Hoth, Balder's blind brother, into shooting the ____ arrow and guided it to kill Balder. The death of Balder meant the death of sunlight—explaining the long winter nights in the north.
Frigga's tears fell onto the ___ and turned into white berries. She decreed that it should never cause harm again but should promote love and peace instead. From then on, anyone standing under ____ would get a kiss. Even mortal enemies meeting under ____ by accident had to put their weapons aside and exchange a kiss of peace, declaring a truce for the day.
What plant is ____?