“COME,” cried Bouncing Bet. “Now, I am going to tell you a wonderful, true fairy story. You never realized, did you, that plants travel? I mean that they travel without the help of human beings.”
“No,” the girls shook their heads.
“You can’t deny that they spread from place to place, can you?” asked Bet.
“Indeed, I can’t,” said Mary Frances; “the dandelions have spread all over our land within a short time.”
“And I’ll tell you how they did it,” Bet went on. “But first I’ll tell you—
If the seeds of a plant always fell on ground nearby, the space would soon become choked up, and the new seed babies would have no chance to live; so, many plants have been provided means of sending their seed babies a long distance from the motherplant, and in this way they have spread or traveled from place to place, until some cover very large areas.
If the seeds of a plant always fell on ground nearby, the space would soon become choked up, and the new seed babies would have no chance to live; so, many plants have been provided means of sending their seed babies a long distance from the motherplant, and in this way they have spread or traveled from place to place, until some cover very large areas.
Did you ever think, when you pick “beggar lice” and “sand burrs” off your clothing and throw them down on the ground, that you are helping the plant mother do just what she wanted you to do with her seed baby?She put “stickers” all over the coat of her seed baby so that it might catch hold of your dress, or of the fur of your doggie, or your cow, and be dropped in a new place where the seed baby could grow with better chances than at home near her.When you make burr baskets out of the sticky burdock seeds, unless you burn them, you are helping the burdocks to travel.
Did you ever think, when you pick “beggar lice” and “sand burrs” off your clothing and throw them down on the ground, that you are helping the plant mother do just what she wanted you to do with her seed baby?
She put “stickers” all over the coat of her seed baby so that it might catch hold of your dress, or of the fur of your doggie, or your cow, and be dropped in a new place where the seed baby could grow with better chances than at home near her.
When you make burr baskets out of the sticky burdock seeds, unless you burn them, you are helping the burdocks to travel.
The mother plants of the “spider plant,” and of the pansy, and of the violet send their seed babies to new homes by using seed pods which burst open and shoot the seeds far and wide in all directions.
The mother plants of the “spider plant,” and of the pansy, and of the violet send their seed babies to new homes by using seed pods which burst open and shoot the seeds far and wide in all directions.
Some mother plants actually carry their seed babies to new places.The “tumble weeds” of the West dry up in Autumn, and arebroken off near the roots by the wind, which carries them along over field and meadow; and everywhere they go, they are dropping seed babies in new places. If you watch them as they tumble about you will feel like laughing at their comical appearance.Now we have come to the fairy seed babies, the—
Some mother plants actually carry their seed babies to new places.
The “tumble weeds” of the West dry up in Autumn, and arebroken off near the roots by the wind, which carries them along over field and meadow; and everywhere they go, they are dropping seed babies in new places. If you watch them as they tumble about you will feel like laughing at their comical appearance.
Now we have come to the fairy seed babies, the—
You’ve seen them often—seed babies flying about on the wings which their plant-mother gave them. Sometimes you have helped them start to fly.Oh, yes, you have.Don’t you remember when you pulled the fluffy head off a dandelion, and blew it to “see what time it was?”Of course you didn’t know it, but you sent scores of dandelion seed babies floating off in the air on their fairy wings. Perhaps the wind took one up where you left off blowing, and landed it such a distance away from its old home that it might have seemed like hundreds of miles to the little thing.Milk-weed seed babies fastened to their beautiful silky down, which is so light it floats along like a fairy’s feather, actually travel on the “wings of the wind.”Some trees, too, give their seed babies wings. Haven’t the winged seeds of the maple fooled you into thinking they were birds or insects of some kind? It has amused you, too, to notice how far the wings of these seed babies have carried them on the wind.
You’ve seen them often—seed babies flying about on the wings which their plant-mother gave them. Sometimes you have helped them start to fly.
Oh, yes, you have.
Don’t you remember when you pulled the fluffy head off a dandelion, and blew it to “see what time it was?”
Of course you didn’t know it, but you sent scores of dandelion seed babies floating off in the air on their fairy wings. Perhaps the wind took one up where you left off blowing, and landed it such a distance away from its old home that it might have seemed like hundreds of miles to the little thing.
Milk-weed seed babies fastened to their beautiful silky down, which is so light it floats along like a fairy’s feather, actually travel on the “wings of the wind.”
Some trees, too, give their seed babies wings. Haven’t the winged seeds of the maple fooled you into thinking they were birds or insects of some kind? It has amused you, too, to notice how far the wings of these seed babies have carried them on the wind.
“Haven’t the plant mothers provided wonderfully for their seed babies’ welfare!” exclaimed Mary Frances.
“Yes,” replied Bet; “back of the plant mother is another mother—Mother Nature. Oh, but she is wise!”