Objective

Students will become familiar with field guides and practice using them by identifying drawings of plants and then identifying plants in the field.

Materials

• Wildflower field guides
• Wildflower Identification worksheets
• Colored pencils/crayons

Procedure

1. Suggest to students a familiar place where there are wildflowers growing (along the edge of the schoolyard, a nearby field or vacant lot, along a footpath, etc.).  What would you do if you wanted to know the names of those wildflowers? (Look in books, ask an expert, etc.)  Have you ever heard of a book called a field guide?  Field guides are books used to identify things in nature such as wildflowers, trees, animals, and rocks and minerals.  They feature pictures of the items to be identified along with brief, but detailed physical descriptions and descriptions of what kind of habitats they can be found in and what part of the world they call home.
2. Hand out the Wildflower Identification worksheets.  Allow students to look over the wildflowers pictured to locate any with which they are already familiar.  These should be labeled and colored first.
3. Using field guides, have students work in pairs to identify the remaining wildflowers.  Each drawing should be colored and labeled with its scientific and common names.  They should also include the page number and name of the field guide used.
4. Introduce simple drawing techniques to students to get them ready for nature journaling in the field.  Allow them to practice by choosing a different wildflower from one of the field guides and creating a journal entry with a sketch based on the drawing or photo provided in the book.  Encourage students to choose wildflowers that occur in your area by instructing them to consider the given habitat and range information.
5. If possible, bring in examples of the wildflowers on the worksheets.  Encourage students to match the drawings with the real specimens.  Discuss any inconsistencies they may find between the real specimens and the drawings.  Discuss and make a list of what to look for when identifying wildflowers - color, size of blossom, number of petals, number of stamens and pistils, height, leaf shape/size, hairs or thorns, etc.
6. Take a wildflower identification hike through your study area and look for the wildflowers from the worksheets as well as new and unfamiliar ones.  Create journal entries with labeled sketches for each new wildflower and use the field guides to identify them.
7. Inevitably, students will want to pick the wildflowers to carry back to class or show to a friend.  Lead a discussion either prior to your field work or while in the field about things to consider before picking a wildflower.  Use the following questions to lead the discussion:
   • Are there more than 100 other plants of the same kind in the area?
   • Can we learn something important from picking the plant that we couldn’t learn by leaving it?
   • Will the plant serve some use or help someone else or yourself in some way?
   • Will the whole plant live if you pick just the flower?
   • Will the area be impacted positively or negatively by picking the plant?
   • Will the plant be saved from destruction if it gets picked?
   • Will the whole plant die soon even if it doesn’t get picked?
   • Is there wildlife in the area that uses this plant for food or shelter?
   • Is the plant safe to pick?
   • Is the plant endangered or threatened?
8. Extend the activity by encouraging groups of students to work together to create wildflower “scavenger hunts” for fellow groups or classes.  Identify an area of your study area to be the “hunting grounds” and send students out to choose flowers to include in their games.

Download the wildflower identification worksheet.

Wildflower Identification Worksheet Answers

1. ragweed
2. milkweed
3. dandelion
4. burdock
5. cocklebur
6. wood-sorrel
7. bull thistle
8. Queen Anne’s lace
9. chicory
10. goldenrod
11. black-eyed Susan
12. buttercup