How Do Seeds Get Around? How Do Seeds Get Around

Seeds need a good place to grow. If they fall too close to the plant that made them, they may not get enough sun or water. So how do they get to a good spot on the ground?

Some seeds travel a long way from where they start. In fact, some move miles away. How do they do it? They fly, float, or hitchhike.

Flying Seeds

Some seeds have wings like an airplane’s. They glide through the air. The seed of an Asian climbing gourd has long wings. It glides in large, wide circles. Other seeds fly like a helicopter or drift like a parachute.

Floating Seeds

Some seeds float on water. A coconut palm tree may drop its seed into the ocean. The ocean current can carry it a long way. Sometimes the seed will travel 1,000 miles before it reaches dry land.

Hitchhiking Seeds

Some seeds travel by animal. Cocklebur plants make seeds covered with little hooks. These hooks grab onto the fur of passing animals. The seeds stay on an animal until they are scratched or pulled off. They might land far away from where they started.

Seeds can also travel inside animals. Seeds that animals eat end up in animal droppings. The seeds grow wherever the droppings land.

Plants create seeds that grow into new plants. But seeds need a good place to grow. They can fly, float, or hitchhike to get there. It’s amazing how seeds can really get around!

Answer the questions about place value and solve the problems below. There is a hard copy that could be downloaded form the Math Aid site on my web page of the number of the day. There are 2 different versions.