In my online Bio 2 class the instructor posed a question on the discussion board: "If you were lost in the woods, using knowledge from our course and other sources, can you think of a plant that would help you determine which way was north or south? Why or why not?"
I said the best plant for finding directions is of course a compass rose. But before that, I went outside to see what I could see on the farm. I couldn't find any moss to test the old saying about moss growing mostly on the north side of trees because it's darker and damper there. I did notice that trees standing by themselves seemed to have more small branches on the south side, and sometimes their trunks leaned a little south, presumably to get lots of leaves on the sunniest side.
This wasn't universally true. Trees on the edges of fields lean toward the field, and trees growing close together seem not to orient themselves in any one direction. So I said you might survey a lot of trees in the immediate area and sort of get a vote on which direction is south. Anybody know a better way?
I shouldn't have been surprised, but did get a laugh, when one of the other students said she didn't know before about a compass rose, but it sounded like a great idea, and the next time in the woods, she would certainly look for one.
I said the best plant for finding directions is of course a compass rose. But before that, I went outside to see what I could see on the farm. I couldn't find any moss to test the old saying about moss growing mostly on the north side of trees because it's darker and damper there. I did notice that trees standing by themselves seemed to have more small branches on the south side, and sometimes their trunks leaned a little south, presumably to get lots of leaves on the sunniest side.
This wasn't universally true. Trees on the edges of fields lean toward the field, and trees growing close together seem not to orient themselves in any one direction. So I said you might survey a lot of trees in the immediate area and sort of get a vote on which direction is south. Anybody know a better way?
I shouldn't have been surprised, but did get a laugh, when one of the other students said she didn't know before about a compass rose, but it sounded like a great idea, and the next time in the woods, she would certainly look for one.