Fieldwork to Carson Nature Center

Our students visited Carson Nature Center today to participate in our second fieldwork with Ranger Beth. The students had the opportunity to visit wetland, the river edge, and grassland habitats to discover organisms. The students were able to discover the following information about each habitat:

Wetlands are sunny, wet, windy, and near water. Wetlands include any habitat that has shallow water. Organisms such as cattails, mice, ducks, and beavers live in this habitat.

 

The river edge is where the river meets the land. In this habitat, it is sunny, shady, wet, and windy. Organisms such as cottonwood trees, raccoons, mice, squirrels, ducks, rabbits, and beavers can be found in this habitat.

Grasslands are habitats that are large open areas of grass. This habitat is sunny, dry and windy. Tall and short plants, raccoons, mice, chipmunks, rabbits, and even snakes live in this habitat. (See if you can spot the snake in the photograph of grass below!) :)

Along with learning about different habitats, the students had the opportunity to learn about seed dispersal and pollination. The students discovered that some animals pollinate and others disperse seeds. Seeds can be dispersed through water, wind, scat, and even by connecting on to another animal's fur.

The students also had the ability to interact with a flood table. The students were able to place plants and animals in areas they believe would best survive. Once a flood appeared, the students noticed the flood affected the entire wetland and river edge! They moved animals and plants around to finally discover the best place for these organisms to thirve.

This fieldwork helped us learn about different habitats. In the weeks to come, we will compare these different habitats and discover how organisms survive and thrive.