This week I visited Lime Hollow Nature Center in Cortland, NY to gather some ideas and take pictures of plants that children might find exciting! To identify the plants, I will use various plant identification applications, plant identification books, and the input of Master Gardeners:
Included in this Nature Center was an “Art Walk,” which featured many sculptures and painted pieces:
As I’ve explored the Ithaca area, I’ve kept my eyes open for playful plants, mystical tree trunks, magical hiding places, and the like!
I was waiting for a friend in downtown Ithaca, and spotted the leaves pictured below. I believe that the leaf galls (bumps on the leaves that indicate insects are feeding on this tree) and the plentiful immature buds could both be interesting educational tools, so I took a quick photo:
To round this off, I developed a framework in Google Sheets which can be used to systemize and categorize the plants I find.