Do Honey Bees Hibernate?

As I was walking from my house to my car on my way to work this morning, I noticed a honey bee lying on my sidewalk. Two days previous, I had seen a dead honey bee on the window sill right above this spot on the sidewalk, so I checked to see if maybe this bee had fallen from its perch. It had not. The bee on the window sill and the bee on the sidewalk were both honey bees, and both had met their demise near my front door.

This got me to thinking. Where do honey bees go in the winter time? Why had these bees unfortunately strayed too far from warmth and safety and perished in front of my home?

It may come as no surprise that honey bees spend the cold winter months in their hives. But what they don't do is hibernate. Instead the bees form what is called a "winter cluster." The worker bees huddle and swarm around the queen bee, who is at the center of the cluster, and shiver in order to keep the center warm. The worker bees move in and out of this cluster so that no bee gets too cold in the outer layers of the cluster. I suppose this is similar to a March of the Penguins style when the males watching the eggs during the coldest months of antarctic winter form a rotating huddle and move in and out of the huddle to keep each other warm.

Studies of over-wintering honey bees have shown that the hive consumes about 30 pounds of stored honey during the winter months. The honey that bees work so vigorously to store during the spring, summer, and fall makes the hive's survival possible. Heat energy is produced by the oxidation of the stored honey and this heat is circulated throughout the winter cluster by the wing-fanning of worker bees. The center of the cluster hovers around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the outer edge stays around 46-48 degrees Fahrenheit. The colder it gets outside, the tight the cluster becomes to keep everyone warm.

So why were there two dead honey bees near my front porch this morning? Honey bees stop flying from the hive when the temperature reaches around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. At this time the temperature gets too cold for the bees to be able venture far from the hive without risking death of exposure. There is also not much reason for the bees to leave the hive because there are no flowers in bloom from which to collect nectar. But the bees still need to be able to eliminate their bodily waste, as bees are very tidy creatures. On warmer days, the bees will venture out of the hive to do this. These flights are very short and the bees generally do not venture far because they can't make it back to the hive if they get too cold.

This must be what happened to my resident honey bees. It did get rather warm on Sunday afternoon and yesterday afternoon and the bees were probably taking advantage of the few hours of radiant sunlight. There must be a hive somewhere near my house, but a bit too far for the bees to make it back safely. Hopefully these two will be the last that make it this far before heading back home to the life-sustaining warmth of their hive.

References:

Bug Info - Where Do Insects Go in the Winter? - text

Dave's Garden - text and hive diagram

Honey Bee Photo

Take a Break - It's Friday

I originally posted this on my blog for work, but I decided it was applicable here, too. Especially since this blog serves mainly a different audience - an audience I've been neglecting!

I don't know about you, but this week has been a very busy one. We are in the full throes of our Annual Conference preparation, recovering from being gone all last week in Portland, and of course all of the other "life-as-usual" things here at USEE. Needless to say, I am very happy that it is Friday!

I thought it might be nice to write about something other than the usual this afternoon. Something easy, that doesn't require a lot of research, but still might be at least somewhat interesting to read. So how about weekend plans?


This weekend I have a mix of fun, productivity, and relaxation on my list. Tonight I am going to dinner with my family at my uncle's to see his new house. After that, my sister is coming home with me and she will be staying with me for the weekend as she takes a break from her regular life. She owns a photography business, so we are going to visit Andree' to take pictures of Little Olive and the family. Saturday night my sister and I are getting together with an old friend - maybe we will all watch the University of Utah football game together, or maybe we will just laugh the night away after going to dinner. Those plans haven't been completely solidified yet.

Other than that, the rest of my weekend is free to do as I please, other than the regular things like cleaning out my garden area, cleaning the house, and early-morning runs. I hope to get in a good bike ride, or maybe even a hike somewhere below the snowline on Sunday. I feel some studying at the local coffee shop is also on the horizon.

I am definitely feeling the seasons change. Many of my friends have gotten really sick with the flu in the recent weather changes, I feel like I've missed fall completely since the snow fell in the mountains before the leaves had a chance to change, my house is very chilly, and I've pulled out the pumpkin candle, long-sleeved shirts, blankets, and hot tea. Part of me embraces the change. I look forward to the holidays and all of the festivities they entail, getting warm with hot cider under a blanket after cross-country skiing, and wearing slippers again. The other part of me is already nostalgic for late summer vegetables, long evenings on the porch, and flip-flops.

The transition from summer to fall is always a happy one for me, as fall is most definitely my favorite season. But when summer heads straight into winter, I find myself wishing it wouldn't all happen so fast. But don't get me wrong, I am excited to go skiing! And I plan on visiting the Black Diamond Gear swap tomorrow to see if I can get a good deal on some decent skis to justify buying a pre-season ski pass from Solitude. We'll see how that goes. For now, I'm going to try and enjoy the weather as best I can and hopefully I'll be able to get one more rock-climbing day in before the snow really starts to fly.

Jason (my boss) has informed me that he plans to do an 18 mile run tomorrow in preparation for the marathon he is running in a few months, followed by a short bare-foot relaxation run around the park on Sunday.

So what are you doing this weekend? Getting outside? Going for a run? Spending time with your family and friends? Enjoying life? I hope so!

Photos by Mallory Platt

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Independence Day is a day of fun, families, friends, and food! Ever since I was young we had hamburgers and hot dogs, watermelon, potato salad, corn on the cob, and usually some type of fruit pie with homemade vanilla ice cream on the side. I find this to be traditional fare among many American families. But the 4th of July is special in my family for a different reason...


It's my birthday!

Having a birthday on the 4th is an interesting affair. When I was younger I couldn't imagine having it on any other day and when I would ask my mother if the fireworks were for me she would always reply, "Why yes of course!" I felt special...And I made sure my little sister heard this and was prompt to note that she never got fireworks on her birthday. Children can be so vindictive.

But being a Yankee-Doodle-Dandy isn't all it's fire-crackered up to be either. As I got older I wanted to have parties with my friends. But since they were all doing stuff with their families, I stuck close to home. When I was in college I spent most of my birthdays alone as my family started making their own Independence Day plans by going to the local minor league baseball game to eat hot dogs and watch the fireworks on the baseball diamond lawn. I didn't want to spend my birthday that way and they naturally assumed I'd be with my friends or roommates anyway.

Not so. My closest friends have amazing 4th of July traditions that are unwavering and every year it baffles me. Even though it's an important holiday for my family too, especially with it being my birthday, we never have that many plans or traditions. Maybe it's because of my birthday that we don't.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It's just an interesting predicament that surprises me to this day. This year I've tried to get rid of my expectations and embrace the day for what it really is. It's about remembering hundreds of years of history, but I think more importantly, however, that it's about setting aside time for family, whatever that means for you. This year I am going to the baseball game with my family and on Sunday we are having a family/holiday/birthday dinner.

Now that I'm a vegetarian, the traditional 4th of July feast is altered a bit. Instead of burgers and hot dogs (much to some members of my family's chagrin) we will be having shrimp and veggie kabobs. We still have pie - I've never been a lover of cakes. This year my mom is making a wonderful cherry pie. We used to have peach, but the peaches around here aren't ripe yet, which means they come from California or somewhere farther. My mother has discovered a lovely farm about 45 minutes up the highway that grows cherries and freezes them over the winter to sell in the early spring at the farmer's market. These are what will be our pie.

In the mean time, I hope your holiday is full of sunny skies, parks, parades, fun runs, festivals, family, friends, fireworks, hot dogs/hamburgers/kabobs, and of course, cherry pie.


Photo Credits: Fireworks, Cherry Pie

7 Random Things

I originally was tagged back in December. I started the post but never finished. I came across it today when going through all of the drafts I have of unpublished blog posts. I decided to finish it today:

Well, I got tagged about a week ago (thanks Mom) so I guess I should probably follow through on that, even if it's belated. The rules are pretty straight forward: list 7 random facts about yourself and then tag 7 other people to do the same. Most of the people I know to tag my mom already got, so I'll see what I can do about that one later.

But for now, here's to seven.

1. I grew up in a musical family. And when I say musical family, I mean musical family. You know, the kind where we are all judged on what instrument we play, how well, and for how long. The kind of musical family that contains generations of band directors (from junior high on up to college), professional performers, singers, private lesson teachers, and well, really anything you can think of, on almost every instrument. So naturally, I spent most of my youth learning to play the piano, and then later the French Horn. When I got to college, I didn't pursue music as a major, but I was in the marching band for all four years which was a lot of fun and provided an instant group of friends. Now that I no longer choose to dedicate my time to honing my skills at the piano or horn, I am learning to play the guitar. So far it is filling that musical void nicely.

Photo Credit

2. I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with my life. Whomever decided that by the age of 18 you need to go to college, pick a major, and soon thereafter begin a career obviously knew what they wanted to do when they were 5. There are so many options! I'm five years past the point when I was supposed to "pick something to do with my life" and I still haven't figured it out. I do know one thing, however: no matter what I choose, no matter where I end up, I will always be in a place where I'm doing my best to have a positive influence in this world. I want to be a giver, not a receiver.

3. Even though I don't know where I want my life to go, who I'll meet along the way, or how I will get there, I would say that I'm pretty satisfied right now. Sure, there are ups and downs, stress over how long I will get to keep my job, what goals am I working toward now? and when, where, and what grad school will be about. I've got a lot to think about, no doubt. However, I am enjoying my little apartment, the shops that are near by, still living fairly close to my family and friends, being able to ride my bike to work, taking guitar lessons, reading all kinds of books, and otherwise being happy. And that is what this is all about.

4. I love to cook, however I wont claim to be good at it. I just took a bread baking class through the community education program, which was great! I like perusing recipes and trying out new flavors. Many people ask me if being a vegetarian (which I've been now for about 2.5 years) is difficult, but I don't think so. Though it was challenging at first, it's actually been quite the positive experience. I feel I am more healthy, I don't have to worry about the environmental impacts the meat industry is making since I don't support ANY of it or what humane practices are or are not being used, and I have discovered so many new wonderful cuisines because of it.

5. I have one of the rarest personality types in the world (INFJ). This personality type is widely misunderstood, which explains why people have a tough time understanding where I'm coming from. I've never met anyone else who thinks the same way I do, aspires to the same things, and is also afraid of the same things. One way INFJ's are described is: "They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people...on the contrary, INFJs are true introverts." This can sum up my life pretty well. I hate making phone calls, I dislike giving presentations, and I get extremely anxious when being put on the spot. (Though this has gotten better in the past year with some of things I have to do at work.) But when I tell people I hate these things, they generally don't believe me. I don't give too much stock to my personality type dictating my life, however it does provide some interesting insight.

6. When I'm brushing my teeth at night and swishing around my mouth wash I think about what I would do if I were ever on one of the Listerine commercials? How would I swish this stuff around? What kind of face would I make? This one? Or what about this? Oh, that one was good. THAT would be funny on a commercial.

7. Everything in life seems better after a good thunderstorm. It doesn't rain here much (though after this week, it might be hard to tell). It's a desert. It's hot. Especially at this time of year. The cool days of spring are fading and the crisp burn of summer will soon be upon us. But when the weight of the world is on your shoulders, there is nothing better than spending the evening sitting on the porch, watching the lighting in the distance, hearing the consequent rumble, counting the passing seconds to discern how far away the center of the storm is, thinking of all the other times I've sat on porches doing these same things, and smelling the plants breathe again as the humidity rises...Then comes the rain. It washes the world clean, carrying the stresses of today away until another tomorrow. The neighborhood is refreshed as steam rises from the hot, black streets after the passing storm. I am rejuvenated and can take on anything. Drink it in.

Photo Credit

A Small, Unrelated Rant for this Amazing Day

In the midst of this historic day I find myself in the midst of overwhelming frustration. I took the day off from work for two reasons. (Originally, I was going to be working from home, but as events have unfolded the work has just not been done.) The first was that my car's check engine light is on so I am at my parents house where the trusted family mechanic is just down the street to fix my car today. My registration is due this month so it's important to get this fixed. His shop is a busy one and though I called a week ago about my car, today was the first day he could fit it in.

The second reason I am home from work today is that it is Inauguration Day. I do not own a television, nor do I have internet at my house, so I am spending the day at the 'rents watching the inauguration festivities and waiting for my car to get better. What an amazing day! Besides President Obama's inauguration speech, I think my favorite part was John Williams' Air and Simple Gifts performed by musical giants Yo-Yo Ma, cello, Itzak Pearlman, violin, Gabriela Montello, piano, and Anthony McGill on clarinet. I hope you all caught it.

Now, I am awaiting the start of the inauguration parade. I am a proud former member of the University of Utah Marching Band which was invited to march in parade. I hear they are third from the last and the parade is an hour or so behind. That's what CNN says anyway. So while I am sometimes patiently and sometimes very impatiently waiting to see if I can find my friends in the band for the parade (complete with herald trumpets, which only brought out for these special occasions and I myself have only seen them once during the Fiesta Bowl parade in 2004), I get a call from my mechanic.

It's the O2 sensor. Okay, no big deal. The part costs about $85, plus labor. It's a little lower than I was expecting, so I'm happy.

Still waiting for the parade to start. Another call from the mechanic. Maybe my car is done already! No. The mechanic tells me I don't want to hear from him right now. I don't want to hear from him right now because my model of Honda Civic doesn't use the regular, standard Honda O2 sensor. It uses a different one that has an extra wire that costs $449.

What!?! My mechanic tells me that he's sorry. He says he can just reset the computer and try and get the check engine light to go off. If I can drive it for about 35 miles and the engine light is still off it might pass the registration tests. But he doesn't think the light will stay off. I am thinking that this is something that needs to be fixed anyway. I am thinking about how O2 sensors work and that it's not only important for my car and it's own fuel economy, but it's also important for the environment. In Japan, cars must have new O2 sensors every two years to make sure they are getting the best fuel economy and the cleanest emissions possible. My mechanic tells me over the phone, as I'm weighing my options, that it is recommended that all cars get new O2 sensors every 60,000 miles, but no one does because they're so expensive.

Well, I'm chalking this one down as an expense that is both economical and ecological right now. I could have my mechanic turn the light off, hope it stays off for my emissions test, and then wait until next year to get a new O2 sensor. In the mean time, the fuel I would be wasting without an effective oxygen-to-fuel manager and the harm that causes to the environment...well I don't know what the exact numbers are, but just getting the darn thing fixed will probably be worth it in the long run.

But at least the parade has started now. President Obama's high school band from Hawaii is marching by right now. I'm sure those kids are ecstatic to be there today. The Ute Marching Band is supposed to be third from the last. Until then, I will enjoy what the rest of the nation provides for the parade.

Jumping on the Simplicity Bandwagon

With all of the efforts that seem to be going on around me of people taking their lives back-to-basics, I'm making some changes of my own. Inspired by Andree's "buy nothing new" resolution, the start of the Voluntary Simplicity class I'm participating in, as well as the book I'm currently reading, Not Buying It by Judith Levine, I have decided to forgo getting the internet in my home.

Photo Credit

I moved into a new studio apartment not more than a month ago. My previous 2 residences have all had free internet available. After going for a year and half without having to pay for internet service, I am reluctant to sign up with any company that is going to make me shell out $30 to $50 for something I've been able to take for granted for so long. Now that I've been in my new apartment for several weeks without any internet access, I find myself getting back to doing the things I really love to do. I've read two books in the last two weeks, gotten caught up on my ever-long to-do list, spent some quality time with my guitar almost every day, exercised regularly, enjoyed the company of close friends spontaneously getting together, and have cooked several excellent meals while listening to my favorite music.

In light of all this merriment of enjoying the things that really make me happy, I am going to try going without the internet. I still have plenty of ways to access the things that require my online attention such as paying bills, my banking information, email accounts, and all other various online "needs" by staying a little late after work, using my lunch break wisely, or by heading down to the local coffee shop. It's easy to fall into the habit of coming home, dead-dog-tired, and logging on to email, Facebook, and the ever expanding realms of Hulu to watch all of my favorite TV shows (I don't have a television either, and haven't for a couple of years now), or even blogging after work. Then before you know it, it's practically time for bed to start the whole mundane process all over again. Well, I've had enough of that.

So this is my experiment. In this time of fast-paced technology, can I take a step back and lead a simpler life of not being plugged in to Goolge constantly to satisfy my want for impulse information? Can I realize the importance of taking the time to call my mom for cooking tips and recipes, rather than searching for them online? Can I relax and enjoy the fact that I'm not constantly available on whatever chat program of your choice? That's what my cell phone is for, isn't it? I think so. I've already begun to realize the benefits of the disconnected life and am savoring it.

I don't have a set goal; maybe I should. Three months? That sounds good. Done. We'll see how I feel in April.

Plant Anatomy 101: Pumpkins!

I thought this one would be appropriate for the season. However, I have already posted this idea on my work blog, so if you would like to check that one out, here it is. I like the Plant Anatomy series. I get a lot of pleasure in looking up all of the information about the different kinds of plants. In college I worked in a botany lab where I did research on the tomato plant family, Solinidae. This includes tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplants.

My time was split between growing and taking care of the plants up in the greenhouses where I would pollinate the plants and then plant the seeds that came from those fruits. Then in the lab I would record my findings, run DNA tests on my plants, and otherwise coordinate with the other lab researchers. It was a great job and my advanced interest in plants directly springs from that.

I never had a garden growing up, but being in the greenhouse everyday was really a treat. The greenhouses were located up on the roof of one of the university's biology buildings. I was usually the only one up there. It was always so quiet and peaceful. I loved the days when it snowed. It would be snowing all around me, the flakes falling down on the roof, but I was inside a tropical wonderland. It reminded me of being in a reverse snow globe. And all of the bays were filled with such amazing plants. Some were from our own backyard and some were from foreign places. There were a lot of different plants up there. My favorite were the "living stone" plants. These are succulents that grow in Africa where they blend in with the rocks and soil by actually looking like rocks! They live in an arid region that has little water, a short growing season, and by looking like rocks they can avoid being grazed.

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

But since this is supposed to be about pumpkins. Here are some links of fun recipes to try with pumpkins:

Cocoa Pumpkin Brownies

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds in 3 Ways

Homemade Pumpkin Pie (from a real pumpkin)

Enjoy!

This is just sad...

It has been almost two weeks since my last post! Sorry all of you blog-friends, I guess my life has been a little bit crazy lately. And I suppose that is bound to happen as well when you are writing for two blogs. A lot my creative ideas come to me during the working hours, especially in the morning, so all of those blog ideas get poured into Green Fork. And for some reason, even though I have done it before and will probably do it again, I feel a little guilty when I cross post from my work blog on to this one, no matter how applicable the subject.

And now, as I come to the realization that it has been almost two weeks since my last post, which was a cross-post, I find I am out of creative energy at the end of the work day. Why am I out of energy? Well, I have been running around trying to maintain my busy life and even now all I can think about is why I don't have creative energy instead of a topic to post about.

So, in the past couple of weeks I have been working, house sitting, trying to study for the GRE, thinking about big decisions like what, exactly, do I want to study when I go to grad school? where should I go to school? who should I talk to to see if I can be part of their research team? (I'm leaning toward ecology.) And then on top of that I am thinking about moving again. So where, with whom, if anybody, and what can I afford? I spent the weekend at a friend's cabin in the mountains, which was so peaceful, but put me behind in these big decisions. But these are just my excuses for why I have neglected my blog for so long. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more inspiration and energy to display to the world. Until then, happy blogging!

Photo Credit

Plant Anatomy 101: Strawberries

The thing about having two blogs (one for work, and one where I feel I can express myself a little more freely) is that there are some things that I do for one that completely applies to the other, and vice versa. So when I posted the potato-blog the other day, my boss wanted me to put it up on my work blog. I'm not sure what the etiquette is on getting double-duty on a post, but I guess that's just the way it's going to have to be. So with out further ado, I'm double-posting again for plant anatomy 101, only substitute potatoes with strawberries. (This post originally appeared on Green Fork Utah.)

Plant Anatomy 101: Strawberries

Have you ever wondered why strawberries have their seeds on the outside of their fruits? When I worked at Red Butte Garden, this was a point that we brought up frequently with the first graders. We mostly just pointed this fact out and never really talked about why, other than a quick suggestion of possible seed-distribution benefits. Well today I was thinking about strawberries for whatever reason, and now I want to share what I've discovered!

As we learned in the potato post, there is a big difference between what botanists classify as fruit and what we regular ol' plant eating people define as fruit. Here I will be talking about strawberries as defined by the botanists. Let's back up a second: a true fruit is a fruit from which all tissues are derived from a ripened ovary and its contents. Simple fruits, such as oranges, develop from a single pistil and are true fruits. True berries are also simple and true fruits in that they develop from one ovary. Blueberries, cranberries, grapes, tomatoes, and even bananas fall into this category. It seems that there are a lot of definitions for basically the same thing.

Strawberries, on the other hand, are not true fruits. They are called aggregate fruits which means that the strawberry is formed through many ovaries ripening. The "seeds" on the outside of the strawberry are actually individual little "fruits" that have ripened in their own separate ovaries. These little "seeds" are called achenes (ah-keens) and inside each achene is a little seed. Sunflower seeds are also achenes where the hard shell is the outside of the fruit and the seed is inside the hard shell. Since an aggregate fruit forms from many ovaries, it is also known as a complex fruit. Other complex fruits include blackberries, raspberries, and mulberries. These fruits however, because they lack achenes, are not aggregate fruits.

Photo Credit

But what about the bight fleshy part of the strawberry that we eat? Strawberries are not only aggregate, complex fruits with achenes, they are also accessory fruits. Accessory fruits are fruits that contain a significant amount of other tissue in addition to the ripened ovary and mature seeds. Apples and pineapples are accessory fruits. In the case of the strawberry, the extra tissue that we are consuming is the enlarged end of the flower's stamen. Because of this, strawberries must be picked at full ripeness, otherwise they wont ripen after they have been picked.

Random strawberry factoids:

• Until the mid-nineteenth century, strawberries were considered poisonous in Argentina.
• Native Americans had already been cultivating strawberries when European colonists arrived. They would crush the berries and bake them into cornmeal. Colonists adapted this practice and made it their own by making the first strawberry shortcakes.
• Medieval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and on the tops of columns to symbolize perfection and righteousness.
• In Ancient Rome, the strawberry was the symbol for Venus, the God of Love.

Who knew that strawberries were so complex and had such rich histories!

Strawberries Photo Credit

Plant Anatomy 101

Potatoes. Potatoes are one of those things that tended to come up during my field trips that I used to teach when I worked at Red Butte Garden. The first grade field trip curriculum is based on teaching and discussing with kids the different parts of plants and which of those parts we eat. We talked about the roots (carrots, beets, turnips) the stems (celery, broccoli - "Right, most of the broccoli plant is the stem while the dark green parts on the top are what? Flowers, that's right" - asparagus, sugarcane) the leaves
(lettuce and salad - "Right, salad. What else? Have you ever herd of kale or Swiss chard? Those are different kinds of lettuces that people eat. What about spinach? Raise your hand if you like spinach! Yeah, I love spinach, too") and the fruits of the plant (tomatoes, watermelon, peaches, raspberries, strawberries - "Now where are the seeds on a strawberry? Right, the outside!" - bananas, pineapples, carrots - "Are carrots a fruit? Remember when we talked about those during the root section? That's okay if you forgot, that was a little while ago. What about peppers? Are they fruits? Well, they have seeds inside them, right? So if something has seeds inside of it, what does that make it? Exactly, a fruit" - apples and oranges.)

But what about potatoes? They're a root right? Well, not exactly. Which brings me to the point of this post. Today at work a co-worker, Andree', and I had a tabling event at Bend in the River, where we were doing an outreach event geared towards teachers. A teacher, who had just been to Red Butte Gardens with her first grade class last week, wanted to know if we knew what potatoes were. Are they fruits? Because you can plant a new potato plant from the actual potatoes. But they're not seeds, so technically, not fruits. And the potato plant, just like every other plant in the Solanaceae family which includes tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants as well as potatoes, flowers when conditions are right and gets pollinated by honey bees. But when the flowers are pollinated, what kind of fruit ripens in their place? Can we eat these fruits, or would they be poisonous like Deadly Night Shade (which is also in the potato family)?

Are they a root? Well, no because actually they are tubers. But what is a tuber? It stores energy for the plant for use at a later date, maybe during the winter for energy in the spring. That is why potatoes are so starchy and full of energy in the form of carbohydrates. And is a tuber a root, or what is it? No, a tuber is something different. A potato tuber is a type of subterranean stem. This differs from a regular stem as plants use stems for the transport of water from the roots to the leaves of the plant and for the downward transport of vital sugars (chlorophyll) from the leaves to the roots that provide energy for the plant. Besides potatoes, bulbs such as onions and leeks are also subterranean stems. You can tell this from the way the bulb is in between the stem that is above ground and the actual, smaller roots.

photo credit

Potatoes. Potatoes are a subterranean stem. I think with a little patience and some really fun pictures of potatoes, (or even better, use an actual potato plant that you can dig out of the ground to explain this all, and make something yummy later. You would be amazed at how many kids don't know that our food comes from plants that live in the ground!) a first grader might be able to grasp this concept...maybe.

On the Lighter Side

When I was younger, all the way into high school actually now that I think about it, I never wanted to make my bed. I hated making my bed. When my mom would tell me to make my bed I would get so mad and nearly refuse to do it. Eventually, I started reasoning with my mom, and myself, that making your bed is pointless because you're just going to mess it up when you go to bed again anyway.

Now that I am older, my reasoning has changed. Making your bed is the best! It is the best way to make your room look better. I mean, think about it, all of the pillows and blankets that are carelessly strewn about when you clear off your bed to finally crawl into a hopefully deep slumber. They cause a large mess. But then in the morning, with a little effort of less-than-five minutes, the tornado that had hit the evening before had never been. Presto change-o, insta clean room!

Unfortunately, with as easy as it is to clean your room by making your bed, it doesn't necessarily mean that making your bed will keep your room clean.