Exploring Nature

Food Webs: How plants and animals interact in a balance of predator and prey can be made evident by a good illustration pointing out a typical scenario. Food chains are clear views of who is eating who, but do not exist in isolation. In real life all food chains are really part of complex food webs.


Keystone Species: Sometimes a species plays a significant role in an ecosystem. If it is removed from overharvesting, over-hunting or environmental changes, the whole habitat can be altered. It can be an interesting exercise to identify keystone species in the area and point them out. Even just species inter dependance is an interesting concept to consider. The Canadian lynx is dependant on snowshow hares for food. If there are fewer hares, the number of lynx will drop as well.


Habitats Within An Ecosystem: Pointing out specific habitats can open up the eyes of visitors. i.e. A bog and a marsh are very different kinds of wetlands. The similarities and differences can be pointed out for students to note.

Life Cycles: The changes throughout a creature’s life can be a fascinating study in natural history. Pointing out a particular creature, animal or plant, and following its life cycle can be a great educational tool. i.e. The complete vs. incomplete metamorphosis of insects.
Complete metamorphosis of the Isabella moth (woolly bear caterpillar):
Frog metamorphosis from egg to tadpole to adult frog:

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