Q: Dear Owlie,My class and I recently went on the Water Discovery Field Trip. We saw a bunch of cool plants and talked about the different ways seeds can be dispersed to grow new plants. Would you mind reexplaining seed dispersal and the different seed dispersal methods to me? I really want to share this awesome information with my family! Thank you Owlie!
Sincerely,
Need for Seed
A: Dear Need for Seed,
I’d love to reexplain! Seed dispersal is the movement of seeds away from their parent plant to a new location. Seed dispersal can happen through one of three ways. The first way is by wind. For example, plants such as dandelions are extremely light and have feathery bristles, making it easy for the seeds to disperse after a gust of wind.The second way seeds can be dispersed is by water. Imagine a coconut falling off a palm tree and into the ocean. The tide can carry the seed away to a new stretch of land where it can begin growing into another palm tree. Pretty cool, right?
The last and most fun way is by animals! Willow trees, for example, naturally produce cotton-looking seeds that fall to the ground. An animal can walk by and get the seeds stuck in its fur. As the animal travels, the seeds fall off its fur and back onto the ground where another Willow tree can grow in a different location.
Who could’ve guessed seeds could be dispersed in so many awesome ways? Hopefully this helped and you can share with your family!
Talk to you soo(HOO)n!
Owlie