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How do plants spread their seeds to new areas?

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With Americans producing 600,000 tons of garbage a day, it is important to look at what we throw away.

This week's experiment is a result of preparing for next week's experiment. It began as an experiment with insects, but it was getting too long, so I chopped it in half. (The experiment, not the insect.) This week, we will look at the amazing variety of insects that can be found almost everywhere.

The first thing to do is to carefully examine the bushes. You want to be sure not to disturb a nest of wasps or bees. Also check for bird nests. Since this experiment is not about the birds and the bees, we want to be sure that we don't bother them and they don't bother us.

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This week's activity is one that I use for Schoolyard Ecology workshops. It is a great warm up for getting people to slow down and really look at the world around them. To try this, you will need:

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The idea for this week's experiment comes from my wife, Nancy. I was sitting here at the computer, trying to decide what to write about when Nancy made a comment about how good the flowers on the table smelled. Nancy loves flowers, and always has lots of them around the house. That one whiff and this week's newsletter practically wrote itself.

If you are lucky enough to have flowers around your house, take a few minutes and smell them. If you don't have flowers around the house, you should be able to find a variety of flowers at your local grocery, hardware store, or nursery. Once you are surrounded by the flowers, take the time to sniff them, one by one. Keep track of your observations (sniffservations?) What did you notice?

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This week's experiment is a result of preparing for next week's experiment. It began as an experiment with insects, but it was getting too long, so I chopped it in half. (The experiment, not the insect.) This week, we will look at the amazing variety of insects that can be found almost everywhere.

You will need:
- an umbrella
- a magnifying glass
- some shrubs or bushes

The first thing to do is to carefully examine the bushes. You want to be sure not to disturb a nest of wasps or bees. Also check for bird nests. Since this experiment is not about the birds and the bees, we want to be sure that we don't bother them and they don't bother us.

Next, open the umbrella. Hold it upside down, so that it hangs down from your hand instead of being over your head. Hold the umbrella under one side of the bush. With your other hand, grab the bush and give it a good shake. Now you know why we checked for bees. It is hard to do science experiments while you are running from an angry bee. The bowl shape of the upside down umbrella makes a perfect way to catch falling creatures. After a few good shakes, you should have some leaves, but you should also have quite a few other things. Place the umbrella on the ground and grab your magnifying glass.

Depending on where you live, what the season is and which bush you picked, you probably got several kinds of insects. I say insects, not bugs, because while bugs are insects, not all insects are bugs. Bugs are a specific group. Their mouth is a long, sharp tube, like a drinking straw. Most of them feed on plant juices, so you probably have some bugs in your umbrella, but you probably have insects from other groups too.

You may also have collected spiders, lizards, frogs, or other creatures. Examine them carefully. We don't want to hurt them, and we don't want to disturb any that might bite you. As you examine your catch, you may want to write down notes, draw pictures or take photographs to help you keep track of what you found.

When you are done, tip the umbrella over the bush to put them back where they belong. Then move to another bush and try it. You will find that the insects and other creatures will vary from bush to bush. Different kinds of bushes are eaten by different kinds of insects. Even with the same kind of bush, location makes a difference. You will probably get different things from a bush in the sun than you do from a bush in the shade.

When you are finished, be sure to tip the creatures back into their bush. If you put them on the wrong bush, they might not find anything to eat. If you forget to put them back, the next time it rains, you may get quite a surprise when you open your umbrella.