6, - :;
? 16/ -,?7
SEED DROP!
+]\IVL.WTL;MML8I\\MZV
CREATE
YOUR
SEED
Cut out ALL seed patterns
and follow the folding
directions. Write your team
name on the seeds.
E
L
P
M
A
S
?PQKP[MMLNITT[UWZM[TW_Ta'
Do small or big seeds fall more slowly? What about seeds
with longer or shorter wings? What do you think? Why do
you think so? Time to find out!
Hold the seed at
shoulder height and
let go. Check thatt the
seed spins as it falls.
ls.
4WKI\QWV" Discovery Forest (Harold C. Schott
Education Center). Select a place along
the railing overlooking the forest.
Have
Ha
ve one person stand at
the
e railing holding one
see
ed. Another person waits
seed.
on
n the forest floor to time
the
e seed’s fall. (Always drop
see
eds from same place.)
seeds
-[\QUI\ML<QUM" 10 minutes
*MNWZMaW][\IZ\" Find a partner and choose a team name.
6W\M" Don’t drop seeds near sloth. When
finished, recycle fallen seeds and all
ems to
trash. Please return all other items
your Wild Pack.
?0)<A7=6--,
0)<A7=6--,
Stopwatch
pwatch
Pen
Dipterocarpus Seeds
When the seed lands,
stop the stopwatch!
SMALL SEED
SHORT WING
Drop the first seed
over the ra
railing and
star
start the stopwatch!
BIG SEED
LONG WING
0W_4WVO,QLQ\<ISM'
Write the time in the chart.
SHORT WING
STEP 1. Cut along the solid lines
only. Fold the dotted lines.
Seed
Outlines
STEP 2. Fold A and B in
the opposite directions.
NOTE: For the most
accurate results, make sure
the angles for ALL the
seeds’ wings are the same.
STEP 3. Fold C and D over
each other so they overlap.
Big
Seed
A
Long
Wings
B
Team Name:
Big
Seed
Short
Wings
A
B
STEP 4. Fold the bottom up.
Small
Seed
Long
Wings
A
B
Team Name:
Team Name:
C
D
C
Small
all
Seed
Short
Wings
A
B
Team Name:
D
C
,QLAW]3VW_'
,QL
D
C
D
Scissors
Like a dipterocarp tree, the maple trees in our backyards
also have winged seeds. However, a maple seed has just one
win
wing instead of two.
<M[\7\PMZ;QbM;MML[
Repeat Step 3 through
Step 6 for all the other
seeds. Circle the longest
time in each category.
<=:67>-:
6, - :;
? 16/ -,?7
FUN FACTS!
6, - :;
? 16/ -,?7
RESULTS!
E
L
P
M
A
S
<WLIa¼[1V^M[\QOI\QWV
,QX\MZWKIZX;MML:M[]T\[
?QVOML?WVLMZ[
)VL\PM[TW_M[\[MMLQ[
Ever wondered how a seed travels? If a seed falls and
lands too close to its parent tree, it may struggle to get
enough sunlight and nutrients to grow. The seeds, or
fruits, of some trees are equipped with wings that slow
down their fall and allow the wind to carry them far
away. Large dipterocarp trees that grow in rainforests
have two-winged seeds that spin in the air like a
mini-helicopter. Do all seeds fall at the same speed? Do
small or big seeds fall more slowly? How does the size of
the seed’s wings affect how fast it falls? Does a seed with
longer or shorter wings fall more slowly?
,QX\MZWKIZX<ZMM
;KQMV\QNQKVIUM" Dipterocarpus
(How to say it: DIP-taroh-karp-uhs)
p uhs)
Dipterocarp trees aree tall hardwood trees that mostly
inforests. The name dipterocarp comes
grow in tropical rainforests.
from the Greek words for two-winged fruit. Every few
years the trees produce and drop huge loads of seeds,
called masting. Seeds that do not grow into new trees
n up by bats, squirrels, an
are eagerly eaten
and other
d from dipterocarp trees is used to
animals. The wood
ake furniture. It is important
importa to
build houses and make
eful way that does not damage
harvest the trees in a careful
the forest.
.I[\.IK\[
SEED DROP!
Range: Southeast Asia
rest
Habitat: Tropical rainforest
e
Height: 100 feet or more
SMALL SEED
BIG SEED
D
LONG WINGS
1[\PI\_PI\aW]\PW]OP\_W]TLPIXXMV'
YES
?PaLWaW]\PQVSQ\PIXXMVML\PI\_Ia'
?PI\¼[VM`\'
What other characteristics might affect a winged seed’s
speed? Which seeds travel farther away from the parent tree?
A7=:;<73--8
A7=:;<73--8
Project Dragonf ly
,QTXLU\_& RPPXQLW\_9RLFH
N
NO
Visit us on the web at ...
___?QTL:M[MIZKPWZO