Protecting Our Plants

Press the play button if you would like to listen to this post. If you can’t hear it, click here.

Happy Friday Everyone,

Today we will be continuing our discussion on life cycles. Last week you were asked to think about what factors might interfere with the life cycle of a plant. Some of your responses were:

  • Not enough water
  • Not enough sunlight
  • Poor soil conditions
  • Seeds are not scattered because there is no wind or animals to carry them

Well done. These factors most certainly affect the health of a plant. Human activity also has a significant impact. This short animation provides some examples. It is mainly focused on animals but plants are affected by similar reasons.

Plant life cycles are damaged when:

  • Land is cleared to build or farm on
  • Plants have a negative reaction to pesticides (chemicals used to kill bugs) or fertilizer (an additive to soil that is meant to help it grow)
  • Humans trample plants by stepping on them or driving over them with vehicles
  • Plants are over picked
  • Plants from other countries are introduced and then take over the land of local plants (we sometimes call these plants “alien”)
  • Pollution changes weather patterns and air quality and plants no longer have the proper conditions to grow.

Emma also mentioned that humans may scare away animals and birds which affects the scattering of seeds. This is true. Human activity not only affects the living space of plants but also the habitats of animals around them. Nature is interconnected and when we disturb the life of one living organism, another is affected.

Endangered Plants

When the life cycle of one or a few plants is disrupted the species or type of plant can still survive. When many life cycles of the same plant are destroyed however, it may become threatened or endangered. Endangered means that there is a threat to the plant’s overall survival, and it might disappear from our Earth. There are several plants in Canada that have this risk.

The Pink Coreopsis is disappearing off the coast of Nova Scotia due to trampling and people clearing the land to build on.

The Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus lives in South Western Ontario. It is disappearing due to the land becoming too hard and from people illegally picking them for their own use.

The Barrens Willow of Newfoundland has been affected by climate change.

The number of Dense-flowered Lupine on Vancouver Island is declining due to other plants taking over the land and building development.

(Images and information taken from, https://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/flora/canadas-plants-in-peril.html)

We are fortunate in Canada, that many plants continue to grow and flourish. It is important that we continue to focus on respecting nature and being mindful of our actions so that we can keep species off the endangered list. In your response booklet, write the title, Importance of Plants and then answer the following question:

Why are plants important and how are they used? 

Think about their importance to humans, animals and the environment in general. You are welcome to write your responses in point form. Please send them in when you are done. I look forward to reading them.

Unwind for the Weekend

Let’s end the week by calming our minds and bodies. Follow along with this video by GoNoodle to relieve stress and unwind any tension.

Have a great weekend everyone. I will meet you back here on Monday.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.