Calendar of Events

September 2007
Mighty Oaks

"Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed and a giant oak in an acorn."
William Arthur Ward

What to Do This Month:
Listen to Dane County Parks' Wayne Pauly tell the story of Grandmother Oak on "To the Best of Our Knowledge" (starting at minute 26).

Get informed on insects and diseases that my affect your neighborhood oak trees and what to do about it.

Take part in Aldo Leopold Nature Center's Grandparent's Day celebration: Acorns to Oaks.

Compost the oak leaves that fall in your yard.

Join the Arbor Day Foundation's Nature Explore Club and receive tree-filled stories and activities each month in the mail.

Check out the Nature Net Calendar of Events for fun family programs.

Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Leaf Collecting
Collecting fallen leaves at the end of September is a great way to learn more about nature’s differences as well as get into the spirit for the upcoming Halloween season! When collecting leaves, compare and contrast what you find from one tree to the next. Are they the same? Similar? What makes them different? In our area, a comparison of leaves from the White Oak and Black Oak trees is fun – the top of a White Oak leaf is rounded (like a ghost’s outline); the top of the Black Oak leaf is pointed (like a witch's hat). Can you tell the difference?

Instant Outdoor Expert:
From Little Acorns...
It's the time of year for acorn collecting and invariably thinking of bringing one home to stick in a pot of soil to grow your own little oak tree. Well, there's a reason oaks produce such an abundance of acorns: for every 10,000 produced, only one is likely to become a full grown tree. Not only do acorns need just the right temperature, soil moisture, and (for some species) a two-year cycle of dormancy, once sprouted they must somehow evade browsing deer, squirrels and voracious insects. For the hardy survivors, the first step towards adulthood occurs when moisture soaks into the acorn and the seed coat splits open. From the opening emerges a tiny root called a radicle which, covered with even tinier root hairs, begins to creep into the soil, seeking water and nutrients. From the same opening, a shoot, called an epicotyl, then appears, reaching for the sun. Before the first leaves appear and begin the fuel-producing photosynthetic process, radicle and epicotyl growth are fueled for several weeks by the "meat" of the acorn (the cotyledons), an amazing little package of stored food for the emerging tree.
Still want to try planting your acorn? Find tips for sorting through the 9,999 non-promising acorns and how to provide the best growing conditions from the USDA Forest Service.

If you're not able to plant acorns, try eating them - with special preparation first, please! Find out more and discover acorn recipes from Suellen Ocean's "Acorns and Eat 'Em" (.pdf)

You may also want to try this fun internal acorn investigation from the National Science Teachers Association "Science Scope" (.pdf)

Eco-Exercise:
Tree Stretch
Trees come in an amazing variety of shapes and degrees of flexibility. Study the overall shapes of trees, including their branches, and use your imagination and stretch your body to be these trees…
A pine tree on a summer day
A pine tree after a snowy winter day
A willow tree on a calm day
A willow tree on a windy day
A white oak tree in the summer
A burr oak tree in the fall

UW Arboretum
Widely recognized as the site of historic research in ecological restoration, the UW Arboretum includes the oldest and most varied collection of restored ecological communities in the world, including tallgrass prairies, savannas, several forest types and wetlands. It also houses flowering trees, shrubs and a world-famous lilac collection. Educational tours for groups and the general public, science and nature-based classes for all ages and abilities, and a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for groups, families and individuals are available.

The Arboretum Visitor Center is open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and weekends from 12:30 to 4 p.m. (excluding holidays). Trails and the Visitor Center parking lot are open year-round from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Other Arboretum parking lots are open from dawn to dusk.

Acorn Necklace
Bring a bit of the autumn bounty closer to home with this charming acorn necklace. Adult supervision and assistance is needed for this craft.

Head out to your favorite oak tree to find an acorn top and a nut that fit together nicely.  Back at home, place the acorn top on a sturdy work surface and drill two small holes - from the top down - near the base of the stem. Thread a thin leather or silk cord through the holes and knot the ends together so the knot is tucked up inside the acorn top (be sure the finished length of the cord will fit around your head). Now, glue the acorn nut to the acorn top with a strong, permanent glue. Let dry, and it's ready to wear. If you wish to further adorn your necklace, add beads prior to threading the cord through the acorn top. You can also make the necklace length adjustable by creating a loop at the back of the necklace and stringing on a tight-fitting bead that can slide up and down.

Suggested Reading:
"The Acorn and The Oak Tree" by Lori Froeb (age 3-7)
"In Grandpa's Woods" by Sharon Hart Addy (age 4-8)
"A Woodland Counting Book" by Claudia McGehee (age 4-8)
"In the Woods" by Ermanno Cristini and Luigi Puricelli (age 4-8)
"A Log's Life" by Wendy Pfeffer (age 4-8)
"The Oak Inside the Acorn" by Max Lucado (age 4-8)
"Oak Tree" by Gordon Morrison (age 5-10)
"Wisconsin Forest Tales" by Julia Pferdehirt (age 8-12)
"The View from the Oak: The Private Worlds of Other Creatures" by Herbert and Judith Kohl (age 10+)

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