4-H Field Trip

We took a great 4-H field trip recently to the University of Washington Greenhouse and Insect Lab. We got to see poisonous frogs, carnivorous plants & the worlds biggest seed. Here it is. It comes from a palm. Crazy.

We reviewed how plants reproduce using pollination. We talked about what a fruit is. We saw lily pads big enough to hold small children.

We saw lots and lots of incredibly gorgeous plants. It almost made me want to keep all of my orchids instead of giving them away because I forget to water them. Maybe.

Here is a picture of the kids getting to touch a Venus Fly Trap to make it close. We got to watch as our guide fed a little squirming caterpillar to the plant. The kids loved that part!

After seeing all of the plants in the greenhouse, we went to the Insect Lab and learned about research being done on giant moths and how they fly. We got to watch a moth flying in a wind tunnel where scientists study their shape and aerodynamics in the hopes of applying what they learn to robotics and engineering. Very cool. A soon-to-be moth...

This was a wriggling pupae that we got to hold. Apparently, one researcher made a mold of one of these and now periodically fills the mold with chocolate...which he then leaves out on the counters in the lab for people to munch on during the day. Hee hee. I like a good sense of humor.

Thanks University of Washington scientists!!! We had a great time!