Scavenger Hunt, June/July 2007

Great fun for anyone who loves nature, these scavenger hunts are also a wonderful family activity and an engaging assignment for students of any age.

Occasionally we list a number of items found in the wild and discussed in recent Botany columns, for you to go out and find for yourself. You are invited to post a description of something you observed or learned on your hunt – see Scavenger Hunts under “Discussions”.

For the June/July 2007 scavenger hunt, go outdoors and seek the following items:

1. Two plants from the mint family.

All mints have square stems, opposite leaves, and lipped flowers, and many (but not all) are aromatic. There are many different species, and many of them flower in summer. See The Mint Family for details on identifying wild mint species.

2. Two different kinds of flowers with four petals.

All mustard family plants have four-petalled flowers, but not all flowers with four petals are in the mustard family. Look around, count petals, and see what you come up with.

3. A plant with milky sap.

Break a stem and see if any sap flows out. Dandelion, wild lettuce, chicory, milkweed, and dogbane all have white sap. You might even find a plant with brightly colored sap, like celandine or bloodroot.

4. A plant with hairy leaves.

Leaf textures vary from smooth to bristly to furry. Stroke leaves and see if you can find one that’s hairy.

5. A plant with fragrant leaves.

If you found two mints from item #1, probably one of them was aromatic. Other families contain plants with fragrant leaves—scratch and sniff, and you will find one.