🦁
Kitimu says: "This is it — your FINAL MISSION for the Plant Power module! You're going to do a real scientific plant survey, just like professional ecologists do in the bush. Count, measure, classify, and create your own Plant Life List. Let's go, Cub!"
🎒 What You Need
A garden, park, or wild area
A measuring tape or 10 big steps
String or sticks (to mark your plot)
Your worksheet
Pencil & crayons
A stick (for height measuring)
📋 How To Do It
Mark your survey plot: Measure out a 10m x 10m area (about 10 big steps in each direction). Use string, sticks, or stones to mark the four corners. This is your official survey plot — everything inside it gets counted!
Count the trees: Walk through your plot and count every tree (anything with a woody trunk taller than you). Record the number on your worksheet. Try to identify each one by name if you can.
Count the shrubs: Now count all the shrubs — woody plants that are shorter than you, with multiple stems. Record the number. Note any flowers or fruit on them.
Survey the grasses: Look at the ground layer. How much of your plot is covered by grass? Estimate: less than 25%, 25-50%, 50-75%, or more than 75%? Count how many different grass types you can spot.
Find groundcover and climbers: Look for low-growing plants that spread across the ground (groundcover) and any vines or creepers climbing up trees or walls (climbers). Count the different species of each.
Calculate the winner: Add up your totals. Which layer has the most species: trees, shrubs, grasses, groundcover, or climbers? Write your answer and explain why you think that layer dominates in your area.
Measure the tallest tree: Find the tallest tree in your plot. Stand at its base, walk 10 steps away, then hold a stick at arm's length and line it up with the tree top and bottom. Use this to estimate the height. Record it on your worksheet.
Create your Plant Life List: On the back of your worksheet, write your official Plant Life List — every plant species you identified in your survey plot. This is YOUR scientific record as a Forest Guardian!
Ranger Tip: Professional ecologists use exactly this method — called a quadrat survey — to study plant communities. Your data is real science! The more carefully you count, the more accurate your survey.
Final Challenge: Compare your survey with a friend's. Did you find more species or fewer? Different areas can have very different plant communities even if they're close together. That's biodiversity!
📸
Take a photo of your survey plot and your completed Plant Life List, then share them in the Junior Rangers WhatsApp group to earn your Forest Guardian Badge!