When you look at a tree, what do you see? You see leaves on the tips of the branches; the powerhouses of the tree, busily converting energy from sunlight into sugar. You see a strong trunk covered in bark, holding up all the branches that support the leaves. If you’re lucky you see some roots that have broken the surface of the ground, roots which anchor the tree to the ground, and collect water and nutrients from the soil which the tree lives off. All in all, quite an impressive picture.
But what happens when you look closer, say with a magnifying glass? Is that an insect scurrying along a leaf, and what’s that hair-like stuff growing out of the bark? Maybe if you look closer you’ll find the answers. What happens when you put that hair-like stuff under a microscope? Is it all the same? Are there different things in there too? Where did they come from, do they grow out of the tree? Is it killing the tree by growing out of it, or could it possibly be helping it?
There is a way of finding the answers to ALL of these questions; SCIENCE! That’s right. Science isn’t just staring at text book diagrams and trying to remember a million different terms; it’s about getting out into the world and looking at things! Ask questions, explore, discover! Wouldn’t you like to join us and unravel these mysteries?
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