Feb-April
This currant has a good, typical flower to peer into and can
of development
from flower bud to early fruit
A whole class (of 20) can stand around a
big currant bush and look at flowers all
together.
How many petals do you see? (Good practice, counting around
a circle.)
How many stamens? (Have yellow
tops)
How many pistils?
(slender
green thing)
Can you see any nectar in the open flower?
Do you see any pollinators visiting these flowers?
(Hummingbirds and bumblebees love red-flowering currant.)
Can you find a flower bud? (a flower not yet open) Is it farther from the branch or
closer to the branch than
the open flower?
Can you find a flower that is getting old? (drier, shriveling)
Is it
farther from or closer to the
branch?
Can you find an old flower with a lump, like a small pea, developing in it?
Come back in a few months to see the
fully developed fruit, the currant.