Cultivated-Plant Study 



609 



Photo by Verne Morton 



LESSON CLIII 



The Pansy 



Leading thought — The pansy is a member of the violet family. The 

 flower often resembles a face; the colors, markings and fragrance all 

 attract the bees, who visit it for the nectar hidden in the spur of the lower 

 petal. 



Method — The children naturally love pansies because of the resem- 

 blance of these flowers to quaint little faces. They become still more 

 interested after they see the little man with the green head, which appears 

 in the flower as it fades. A more practical interest may be cultivated by 

 studying the great numbers of varieties in the seed catalogs and learning 

 their names. This is one of the studies which leads directly to gardening. 

 There are many beautiful pansy poems which should be read in connec- 

 tion with the lesson. 



Observations — i. How does the pansy flower resemble a face? Where 

 are the eyes? The nose? The mouth? How many petals make the 

 pansy forehead ? The cheeks ? The chin ? 



2. Where is the nectar in the pansy? Which petal forms the nectar- 

 tube? 



3. Describe how a bee gets the nectar. Where does she stand while 

 probing with her tongue? 



4. Where is the pollen in the pansy? What is the peculiar shape of 

 the anthers ? How do the two lower stamens differ in form from the three 

 upper ones? 



