Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson CLIV · Topic 23: Spring garden flowers
154. The bleeding heart
Goal: Your child takes a bleeding heart flower apart and explains its “swing door” that dusts a bee with pollen.
You'll need
- Nature notebook, pencil and colored pencils
- A hand lens (magnifying glass)
- A stem of bleeding heart with flowers in all stages
- Garden gloves
What's in the book
A Teacher's Story with drawings of the flower and its parts, then the lesson: Leading thought, Method and six questions. (The scan's text garbles this lesson heading slightly; the lesson begins on this page.)
The lesson, step by step
When and where
Bleeding heart blooms in gardens in May and early June. Comstock says it is easier to study than its small wild sisters, Dutchman's breeches and squirrel corn (Lesson CXXI). Bleeding heart is poisonous to eat and can irritate skin: use gloves or wash hands after.
The leading thought
The bleeding heart flower has its pollen and stigma covered by a double swing door, which the bees push back and forth when they gather the nectar.
Hanging hearts
How are these flowers supported? Do they open upward or downward? Can you see the tiny sepals?
How many petals can you see in this flower? What is the shape of the two outer petals?
Take one apart
Take off the two outer petals and study the two inner ones.
Can you find the hinge in these petals?
Gently push the spoon-shaped tips to one side and then the other. They swing like a door.
Be the bee
Supposing a bee is after the nectar, where must she rest while probing for it?
When she pushes these spoon-bowls back, what happens? Does she get dusted with pollen?
Nature notebook
Draw a flower whole, then with the outer petals removed. Draw an arrow to show which way the door swings.