Aashika

Eukaryote – an organism whose cells contain nuclei. The presence of a nucleus is the key characteristic differentiating a eukaryote from a prokaryote. The squirrel on the ledge is a multi-cellular organism and a eukaryote.

Frond - an often large, finely divided leaf. The leaf of a fern plant is an example of a frond. I took the following pictures amid multiple ferns in my music teacher’s backyard.

Fruit: dry with seed – Dry fruits are one of two broad categories of seed-bearing fruit, in which the entire pericarp becomes dry once the fruit reaches maturity. The acorns from the oak tree in my backyard are dry fruits with seeds.

Fruit: fleshy with seed – Fleshy fruits are the second of two broad categories of seed-bearing fruit, where the pericarp and the rest of the fruit are made up of succulent tissues. The apple from the crab-apple tree in my backyard is surprisingly small, no larger than the size of one or two acorns, in fact. It is a fleshy fruit containing seeds.

Gymnosperm cone – a cone-shaped structure with seeds that are not enclosed by a protective fruit. Our pine tree, for instance, produces pine cones which are gymnosperm cones. When these pine cones fall in optimal soil, they grow into new pine trees.

Lichen – a complex organism that consists of a fungus in symbiotic union with an algae, typically found on trees and rocks. The lichen that I found was greenish in color, and it was growing on a couple damp rocks by my friend’s pool.

Pollen – powdery yellowish grains or spores that serve as the fertilizing element of flowering plants. We planted cantaloupe in our garden this year, and although no fruits have come up yet, plenty of cantaloupe flowers abound; each cantaloupe flower has a yellow center containing pollen.

Pollinator – an agent, often times an insect, that carries pollen from one flower to another to accomplish fertilization. A butterfly is an example of a pollinator. As the butterfly draws up a flower’s nectar with its proboscis (a mouthpart that acts as a straw), its legs accumulate pollen. Then the butterfly flies over to another flower and pollinates it.

Herbaceous stem – a green, brittle plant stem with little or no woody tissue. The banana pepper plants in our garden are annuals, meaning they die after one season and we have to plant new ones in the spring. Basically, the stem has only a year to mature before the winter chill gets to it; thus, banana pepper plants have green, herbaceous stems.

Woody stem – a stem of a plant that has been growing for over two years, thickening and accumulating woody tissue. Herbaceous stems grow thick and woody after two years of life, which is why most plants with woody stems are perennials. This oak tree branch has a woody stem.