Crane flies look like huge mosquitoes, but they are actually fragile giants. For more information and a peek at the larvae, check this previous post.

Any ideas what kinds of seeds these might be?

Nasturtium seeds (Genus Tropaeolum)!

These colorful plants were originally from South America, but are now grown worldwide.

Some people use nasturtium flowers in salads (make sure to use organically-grown). They have a spicy flavor.

When looking up information on nasturtiums, I found some websites with recipes for pickling the seeds. Does anyone know if this is real?

This is a video of an interview with Dr. Letisha McLaughlin, an astronomer at NC State. She talks about how she became an astronomer and how she was inspired when her mother got her a telescope.

I was also able to find this video tribute to Women Astronomers in History: Telescope Women in History.

Please Note: One of the images in this video is a star map overlaid with a drawing of a woman with one bare breast, which some people may find offensive. Please preview this video for suitability for your children.

Finally, here is a video about Women in Astronomy from NASA, which begins with a recent history of the field.

Last week I showed you the larva of an Arizona species of flower fly (Syrphidae). Today I found two adults feeding on desert marigold and brittlebush.

Everything is blooming right now.

Hint:  These seeds are about the size of a large pea.

What do you think they are?

Edit:  The answer is now posted.

There are a lot of palm trees growing in the Phoenix metropolitan area of Arizona. One of my favorites is the date palm.

They have a lovely shape.

Although Phoenix dactylifera is the scientific name, date palms are probably originally from northern Africa.

Date Tree photo self-taken for Wikipedia by Balaram Mahalder

There are a number of different cultivars of date palms. The fruit vary somewhat in shape, size, and of course, flavor.

The book, A Seed is Sleepy, by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long, tells about a scientist finding a seed of an extinct date palm that was thousands of years old. When the scientist planted the seed, it grew!

See if you can find a date seed and plant it (just make sure it hasn’t been cooked). Let me know if you grow one.

Even if you don’t want to participate, check out the way the constellation Orion appears to us under different “magnitudes.” According to the site, magnitude is how astronomers describe the brightness of an object.

While you are at it, compare what you see to this view of Orion from the Hubble Telescope (Image from NASA Images).

What magnitude is the view in your area?

The sunflower project involves growing a specific type of sunflower, Lemon Queen, and recording the types and how many bees come to visit the flowers.

This year the organizers are asking the participants to buy their own seeds because they can not fulfill the orders for the huge number of requests they received last year.

If you are interested in participating, the first step is to go to the website and register.  You will  find more instructions there and get future newsletters with information and updates.

The sampling protocol has been simplified a bit. This year you and your children will:
1) count the number of flowers on your plant with pollen;
2) record all bees (not just the first 5) your sunflower for 15 minutes; and
3) enter the data online.

Our family participated last year. I have to say I hadn’t had much success growing sunflowers before, but these Lemon Queen variety seeds grew beautifully.

We had quite a few bees visiting, although no honey bees.

Did you participate last year?

Let us know, we’d love to hear from you.

Note:  The videos are meant to complement her book We Dare You. Therefore some of the videos don’t have an explanation of the science, just a “to find out more go to the book” message. You might want to preview the “Vampire Fire” video before showing it to sensitive children.

As you can see from this promotional example I found on YouTube, the videos have a homemade charm.

Vicki Cobb’s books are perfect for the child who wants to do hands on science that’s fun, and maybe just a bit messy.

Leave me a comment if you have any questions about the videos or the science behind them.

Note: I have no affiliation with Vicki Cobb, but I do have an affiliation with Amazon. See the disclosure page for more information.