Hm… we could wish for a beautiful sunny day so we can go play outside.
[Squeaks squeaks]
Oooh, inspiration for new experiments.
Oh hi! Squeaks and I saw a bunch of dandelion flowers out at in park today.
It can be fun to blow on the fluffy dandelions and make a wish,
so we’re thinking of wishes to make.
[Squeaks squeaks]
Aw, Squeaks!
Squeaks wants to make a wish that helps the dandelions.
But get this: By blowing off the fluffy tops of dandelions, we’re already helping them!
If you look closely at a puffy dandelion,
you can see that the tops of them are covered in fluffy seeds.
Seeds are basically baby plants.
They start small, but when you put them in some soil and give them water, air, and sunlight,
they change and grow into big, grown-up plants.
When the wind blows by, or when you make a wish and blow all of the seeds away,
you’re helping those seeds travel somewhere new.
And spreading seeds like this is really helpful for plants.
[Squeaks asks why.]
Well, seeds need to travel because they need a good place to grow up.
Like I mentioned, seeds need a place to grow with good soil, clean water and air,
and sunlight. But they also need to have enough space to grow.
Plants tend to make a lot of seeds all at once,
so if they all tried to grow right next to the parent plant,
there wouldn’t be enough space for all of them.
The seeds wouldn’t all have enough soil or water,
and the parent plant might block the sun.
So to grow, most seeds need to travel away.
[Squeaks squeaks.]
Ah, good question Squeaks! How do seeds travel?
Well, how a seed gets around depends on its structure,
or what it looks like.
For instance, many seeds have something attached to them
or covering them that helps them travel.
Like, dandelion seeds get blown away by the wind.
You see those fluffy little tufts at the top of the seed?
Those structures help the seed float up and away in the wind, like a kite or a feather.
Their function, or their job, is to make the seed fly!
Other flying seeds have structures that help them catch the wind, too,
like the wings of a maple samara.
Now, other seeds might travel in totally different ways —
like a coconut!
[Squeaks is surprised.]
It’s surprising, right? But coconuts are seeds! Just really big ones.
They’re the seeds of coconut palms, which are trees.
Coconut palms tend to grow near water, so when the coconut falls down,
it might end up in the water. Then, the coconut floats.
It’s a little bit like a boat.
The coconut floats someplace new, and grows into a big coconut palm tree.
Mangrove seeds, lotus seeds, and bladdernut seeds travel like this, too,
floating in the water until they get to a new space to grow.
Other seeds travel using animal helpers — like burrs!
If you crack open a burr, you’ll find seeds inside.
And the outside of the burr is covered with tiny hooked structures.
These little hooks can stick to your clothes, or fur or feathers.
When burrs get stuck to an animal’s fur,
the animal usually carries them someplace new without realizing it.
Then, when the animal finally scratches the seeds off,
the seeds might have traveled all the way across town!
There’s another way that animals can move seeds, too.
See, nuts are a kind of seed. And lots of animals want to eat them!
Some animals, like squirrels, carry these seeds away to eat later.
Sometimes, they bury their seeds in the ground for safe-keeping. It’s called caching.
And if the squirrels forget where they put their seeds, the seeds grow into new plants.
Lots of oak trees grow from acorns that squirrels forgot about.
But do you want to hear my favorite way animals move seeds?
Okay, check this out:
The fruits you eat, like apples and melons, have lots of seeds inside them.
[Squeaks asks a question.]
Great question, Squeaks!
Squeaks is wondering why the parent plant would want to cover their seeds
in something so tasty. Wouldn’t an animal eat it?
Well, that’s exactly what the parent plant is hoping for!
When animals eat these fruits, they carry the seeds away in their stomachs.
Then later, when that animal poops, the seeds are stuck in the poop!
[Squeaks is surprised!]
It is a little different from how other seeds travel!
And it might seem a little gross, but it’s actually perfect for the seeds.
After all, the seeds are now far away from their parent plant!
It’s amazing how many different ways that seeds have to travel around.
And there are even more ways than what we’ve talked about today!
If you want to find out how the plants near you move their seeds,
just look closely at what structure is attached to, or covering those seeds.
Do they have wings for flying? Or tiny hooks for sticking?
Or maybe there’s something else!
[Squeaks squeaks]
That’s a great idea, Squeaks! When we go back to the park,
we can wish all of the seeds good luck on their travels.
And good luck to you finding seeds!
Remember, if you want to keep exploring with Squeaks and me,
Mister Brown, and the rest of our friends,
make sure to hit the subscribe button.
We’ll see you next time, here at The Fort!
[ outro ]