Wild-Flower Study 575 



The dandelion is a composite flower and may be studied according to 

 Lesson CXXXV. All the florets have banners or rays. 



Observations i. Where do you find dandelions growing? If they 

 are on the lawn, how long are their blossom or seed stems? If in a meadow 

 or among high grass, how long is the blossom stem ? Why is this ? Is the 

 blossom stem solid or hollow? Does it break easily? 



2. Dig up a dandelion root and then explain why this weed with- 

 stands drought, and why it remains, when once planted. 



3. Sketch or describe a dandelion leaf. Why was the plant named 

 "lion's teeth?" How are the leaves arranged about the |root? How 

 does this help the dandelion and hinder other plants? In what condition 

 do the leaves pass the winter under the snow? Why is this useful to the 

 plant ? 



4. Take a blossom not yet open. Note the bracts that cover the 

 unopened flower-head. Note the ones below and describe them. 



5. Note the dandelion flower-head just open. Which flowers open 

 first? How do the buds look at the center? Do all the florets have 

 banners? Are the banners of the central florets the same color and 

 length as of those outside? Examine a floret and note the young seed. 

 Is the pappus attached to it or above it? 



6. What happens to the dandelion blossom on rainy or dark days? 

 How is the dandelion family hidden during the rain ? When does it ap- 

 pear again? Do you think that this has anything to do with the insect 

 visitors ? Do bees and other insects gather nectar during dark or rainy 

 days? 



7. Note at what hour the dandelions on the lawn go to sleep and at 

 what hour they awaken on pleasant days ? 



8. Make notes on a certain dandelion plant three times a day : How 

 long does it take the dandelion head to open fully on a sunny morning? 

 How long does it remain open ? How long does it take the flower-head to 

 close? What proportion of the flowers in the head, blossoms during the 

 first day ? What proportion of the flowers in the head, blossoms during the 

 second day? How long before they all blossom ? Does the flower-head 

 remain open longer in the afternoon on some days than on others, equally 

 sunny? Does the stem bend over before the blossom-head opens? 



9. After all the little flowers of a dandelion family have blossomed, 

 what happens to it? How long does it stay shut up in its house? Meas- 

 ure the stem, and see if it stretches up during the time. How does the 

 dandelion look when it opens again? Look at a dandelion-head full of 

 seed, and see how the seeds are arranged to make a perfect globe. Shake 

 the seeds off and examine the "bald head" with a lens. Can you see 

 where the seeds were set? 



10. Examine a dandelion seed with a lens. Describe the balloon, the 

 beak or stem of the balloon, and the seed. Why do you suppose the seed 

 has these hooks? 



11. How early in the spring, and how late in the fall, do dandelions 

 blossom? 



12. Watch a bee when she is working on a dandelion flower, and see 

 where she thrusts her tongue and which flowers she probes. 



13. Tell all the things that you can remember which the dandelion 

 does in order to live and thrive in spite of us. 



14. What use do we make of the dandelions? 



