Pine cones – an activity
by Lewis, 9 February, 2018, 1 comments
Half term is coming, and perhaps you will be visiting your own wood or walking through woodland during the holiday period. Below is a simple activity (that you could supervise) which might interest younger members of the family.
Did you know that sometimes pine cones stay on the trees for some years, before falling to the ground? During that time, seeds form under the scales of the pine cones. The scales have two important functions
to protect the seeds from bad weather and
to protect the seeds from foraging, hungry animals.
Eventually, the seeds are released so that they can grow into new trees. To have the best chance of finding fertile soil and growing successfully, the pine cone scales stay tightly closed (see featured image) when the weather is cold and wet as these conditions are not suitable for germination and growth of a young seedling. Read more...
