140 Plants: Supplemental Guide 6A | Evergreen Trees
Show image 9A-5: Pine cones on ground
Wherever you find evergreen trees, you can find these things
scattered around on the ground. If you look up while standing under
an evergreen tree, you might see some of these growing on the tree’s
branches. They are called cones.Most evergreen trees are called conifers. Conifers are trees that
have needle-like leaves. Unlike deciduous trees which grow flowers
and fruit, conifer trees do not have flowers and they do not grow fruit.
Instead, conifers make cones and seeds grow inside their cones.When a cone opens on the ground, the seeds fall out. If the seed falls
into the soil and has the right amounts of food, water, air, and light, it
might grow into a seedling and then into a sapling. Show image 9A-6: Pine sapling
Can you find the sapling in this picture?[Have one student come up and point out the sapling.]
This sapling will continue growing until it is big enough to produce its
own pine cones one day. Remember the seeds are inside the cone.Tell your partner what might happen if the seeds fall into the soil and
have the right amounts of food, water, air, and light.[Allow fifteen seconds for students to talk. Call on a volunteer to answer.]
The seeds might germinate and sprout into seedlings and grow into
saplings. Eventually, they may grow to become mature trees that
produce their own cones with seeds inside. Show image 9A-7: Tree rings
Did you know that a tree adds a new layer of wood each year? This
new layer forms a growth ring. You can tell exactly how old a tree is by
counting the rings.
Can you estimate—or guess—how old this tree is?[Count the layers to give students an idea of how old the tree is.]
This tree was a little more than fifty years old, which is actually pretty
young for a tree. If it hadn’t been cut down, this tree might have lived
to have a hundred or more growth rings!