Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson CXXXVIII · Topic 21: Flower families: the composites
138. The white daisy
Goal: Your child studies the white daisy as a flower family, using the composite outline, and compares it with the buttercup.
You'll need
- Nature notebook, pencil and colored pencils
- A hand lens (magnifying glass)
- A few daisies from a field
- Your notebook page from Lesson CXXXV
What's in the book
A short Teacher's Story about the daisy with a photograph of a daisy meadow. The lesson itself is only a Leading thought that sends you back to the outline in Lesson CXXXV.
The lesson, step by step
When and where
White (ox-eye) daisies bloom in June and July in sunny meadows, hayfields and roadsides, often beside buttercups. They are a common weed, so pick a few.
The leading thought
The white-daisy is not a single flower but is made up of many little flowers and should be studied by the outline given in Lesson CXXXV.
Count the family
How many banner-flowers are there in the flower family you are studying? How are the banners arranged to make the flower-head more attractive?
Count the white rays. Then look at the yellow center with the lens and estimate how many disk-flowers there are.
The center
Do the florets at the center or at the outside of the disk open first?
The center of a daisy is slightly sunken in the middle where buds are still closed.
Daisy and buttercup
Put a daisy and a buttercup side by side. Say: Which is one flower and which is a family? How can you tell? (Lesson CXXVII)
Nature notebook
Draw a daisy and, beside it, one white banner-flower and one yellow disk-flower enlarged.