The Ecology of a Tree

Trees provide food and shelter to many living things and summer is the best time to observe the ecosystem of a tree. Adopt a tree for the year and watch as the seasonal cycles change and animals, birds and insects come and go. Deciduous trees are wonderful to watch through the seasons, but if you’re in the tropics, choose an evergreen and watch for seasonal changes.

Mini Ecology of a Tree Study

Indoor Prep Work

• Read Tree – Wikipedia: Tree Ecology
• Leaf Litter: Exploring the Mystery of the Hidden World by Rachel Tonkin
• Tuart Dwellers by Jan Ramage
• DK Backyard Science by Chris Maynard: Tree of Life, pg 38.

Field Work

Look for a tree to adopt for the year. It may be a deciduous or evergreen tree. The idea is to observe the ecology of the tree through the seasons. You’ll examine the tree by asking these questions:

• What is laying at the base of the tree?
• What could be hiding or living under the fallen leaves and bark?
• Are there any clues of visiting animals on the trunk?
• Is there any fungi growing on the bark or beneath the tree?
• Do you see any moss, lichen or liverworts on the tree?
• Are there holes in the trunk or beneath the tree? What do you think made them?
• Look for small animals on or beneath the bark. Why do you think they live there?
• Are there any mammals living in the tree? Possums or Koalas perhaps?
• Do you notice any nests? What bird do they belong to? What materials are the nests built with?
• How many different kinds of birds use the tree? What part of the tree do they feed from?
• Do any moths or butterflies visit the tree? Can you see any caterpillars or cocoons?
• Examine the leaves of the tree. What might be eating them? What may be hiding behind the leaves? Can you find any galls in the leaves?
• What plants are growing under the tree? Now look further away from the tree. How is it different from under the tree?
• Are there any flowers on your tree? What insects or birds are visiting them? What might they be doing?

Field Journaling

Sketch your tree inside your journal. Take note of the shape and the pattern of the bark and leaves. What shade of green are the leaves? Now add your observations to the sketch. You can either write notes or draw what you saw living or visiting the tree. John Muir Laws encourages naturalists to use these three prompts for a deeper nature observation: I notice…..; I wonder…..; It reminds me of….. Try it and practice it.

Activities

• Take a photograph of the adopted tree through the seasons and create a collage with your images. What changes do you notice in each of them?
• Use The Ecology of a Tree to show your observations.
• Make a tree rubbing of the bark by using wax crayons.
• Measure the width and height of the tree.
• Create a tree poster or chart to present the information you gained through your observations.
• Take some leaves with galls on them. Place them in a jar with a gauze cover and see what hatches out of them.

So tell me! What did you find living in your tree and what changes did you observe through the seasons?

Happy Exploring!

Marie