Scienceland articles from September 1997

Scienceland archives from September 1997

A little bit of autumn. (maple leaves change color)
September 22, 1997... The shadow on the cover is a katydid (ka te did). What can you actually see? (A pair of antennals and parts of the katydid's legs) The long, warm days of summer have come gone. This pair of maple leaves is not as green as it was in summer....

From green to red. (ground charry changes color as it becomes ripe)
September 22, 1997... The ground cherry is also called the Chinese lantern plant. Can you tell why? When most plants grow fruit, their flowers dry up or fall off. But the ground cherry flower closes around the fruit like a cage. Ripe ground cherries can...

The hare. (the hare changes color in winter)
September 22, 1997... Winter has come. This hare has changed from thin, cool summer fur to thick, warm winter fur. Its color, too, has changed -- from brown to white. Now the hare cannot easily be seen in the winter snow. What is the difference between a...

Ready for winter. (how animals change in preparation of winter)
September 22, 1997... What do you do when the cold comes? You wear a sweater or coat to keep warm. What about animals? Many change their coats of fur or feathers. Their coats become thick and warm. How do these animals change color? Feather by feather,...

The crow. (bird behavior)
September 22, 1997... The day after a storm, a crow walks along a river bank. It collects bits of junk that the storm tossed onto the bank. The crow carefully hides its treasure behind some rocks. What do you think it will do with these things? Crows are...

Playing with fallen leaves. (animals made from leaves, vines, and berries)
September 22, 1997... There are many kinds of maple trees. These are from the cut leaf maple. They are much smaller than the leaves of the common maple. The bagworm is the larva of a moth. It will pupate, or turn into a moth, in spring. All the things...

Vocabulary. (science terms)(Glossary)
September 22, 1997... 6 chlorophyll klor' a fil Noun A substance that colors plants green and makes food. 6 carotenes kar' a tenz Noun Substances that...

Is it true. (a beetle the color of gold)
September 22, 1997... Can you believe that there is a golden beetle that really looks and shines like real gold? Not only that, it laminates or layers the gold coloring on its body exactly as people do when laminating real gold. The beetle is so beautiful, it is...