FLOWERS By: Abby Copeland Their Life Cycle

Life Cycle of a FLOWER One of nature’s seeming miracles is life that develops in the cool darkness of the earth as a new plant pushes its way both down into the soil and up toward the light in the quest for survival.

GERMINATION The tiny seed of any plant goes into the soil. Inside the seed is an endosperm that will provide food for the plant until it develops and is able to take food from the soil on its own. Germination depends upon several factors, including hours of daylight to darkness, temperature and moisture.

ROOT The first part of the seed’s development begins with the root establishing itself. It burst from the seed and stretches down into the soil, finding food and making a foundation for the plant. Branches begin to develop off the root, strengthening the foundation that will support the flower and help it absorb water from the soil. ROOT

SHOOT Once the root is established, a shoot grows from the seed and pushes up from the earth toward the light of the sun. Under the soil, the shoot moves with the sun until it grows strong and tall enough to push its way through the soil and above ground.

LEAVES The small shoot then begins to develop leaves that contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll contains pigments that take in energy from the sun and convert it to carbon dioxide and water into sugars—the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis allows the plant to feed itself and continue to grow. The plant must reach this stage of development before it has used all of the nutrients available to it in endosperm.

REPRODUCTION Once the plant has reached the stage where it can produce its own food, it begins to develop toward reproduction. Flowers develop, producing pollen and eggs. The eggs are combined with another flowers pollen, this process is called pollination. The fertilized seed is known as fruit once it ripens inside the parent plant’s ovary. It falls to the ground, and beneath the soil, it germinates, and the life cycle begins again. POLLEN

IN CLOSING: It is a wonderful thing for the life cycle of a flower to happen. The world would be so plain without beautiful flowers for us to enjoy. Beautiful Daisy