Rocket sweeps the porch. Little winged seeds are everywhere! "Where did all these come from?" he asks.
He points up at the maple tree. "That tree is way over there."
Raven picks up a seed and turns it slowly. "What do you notice about its shape?"
Nova hovers near the papery wing. "A tree cannot walk," she says. "So how could its seeds get here?"
A plant stays in one spot its whole life.
It cannot walk its seeds to a new place.
So plants have other ways to move their seeds.
Scientists call this seed dispersal.
Many plants simply drop their seeds.
But a seed right under its parent may have a hard time growing.
The big parent plant can take the sunlight and minerals the little one needs.
A seed that travels away has a better chance to find what it needs.
| Way | How it works |
|---|---|
| wind | Light seeds blow or flutter away. |
| water | Some seeds float away on streams and rivers. |
| animals | Seeds ride on fur or get carried and dropped. |
| bursting pods | Dry pods pop open and fling seeds out. |
Seeds land in all kinds of places, good and bad.
So many plants make lots and lots of seeds.
That way, at least some seeds land in a good spot.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| A plant can walk its seeds to a new place. | ? |
| Seed dispersal means the ways seeds move away. | ? |
| Some seeds travel by wind. | ? |
| Every seed lands in a perfect spot to grow. | ? |
Great thinking, seed scout! Tomorrow we ride the wind with dandelions and maple seeds.