Dissect this tree by slicing it down the middle.

Healthy Plants

Healthy plants are a crucial part of the environment. They provide food and shelter for wildlife, insects, and humans!

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Drag the pieces of the tree to their correct spot to learn more!

Roots/Taproot

The part of a plant that absorbs water and nutrients from the soil—roots can branch out to seek more water. The main root that goes deepest into the ground is the taproot. Taproots serve as anchors in large plants and store energy. A common taproot is a carrot, and a delicious source of energy for us when we eat it.

Stem

The part of a plant that holds the leaves and flowers and gives the plant shape and structure. Stems also move water and nutrients throughout the plant. The trunk is the main stem of a tree.

Bud

A small, bulbous structure on a stem that can produce a new leaf, a flower, or another stem. Buds are often covered in protective layers called scales.

Leaves

The part of a plant that performs photosynthesis. Plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide to create their own energy. This energy later becomes accessible to us through our food!

Vascular Tissue

Internal tissue that functions like long tubes to carry water and nutrients throughout a plant. This tissue is like a highway that helps transport water hundreds of feet into the air to reach the tops of trees.
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Flower — Petal

The colorful part of a flower that surrounds the reproductive organs. Petal colors and designs are often used to attract bees and other pollinators.
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Flower — Pistil

The female reproductive part of a flower that usually protrudes from the center of the flower.
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Flower — Stigma

The female reproductive part of a flower where pollen is received.
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Flower — Ovary

The part of a pistil that contains ovules, which upon fertilization by pollen become seeds, and in some plants turn into tasty fruit and nuts as well.
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Flower — Stamen

The male reproductive part of a flower that has a stalk (called a filament) and an anther.
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Flower — Anther

The top of the stamen where pollen is produced. Pollen is a powder-like material that enables plants to make seeds by fertilizing the female reproductive part of a flower. Also collected by bees to make honey.

Healthy Plants

A green plant will pull carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis and release oxygen in the process, providing two other key services: giving us oxygen to breathe and removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which helps to limit climate change.

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Unhealthy Plants

Plants can become unhealthy for a number of reasons. A plant needs a certain amount of water, food, and sunlight, and too much or too little of those can cause a plant to suffer. Diseases and climate change‌, as well as insects and other pest species, can also impact plant health.

Build the Puzzle

Drag the pieces of the tree to their correct spot to learn more!

Bud

Buds are a sign of healthy growth. An unhealthy plant will soon stop producing buds.

Stem

Over time an unhealthy plant’s stem becomes weaker and loses its structure. Deep cracks and splits may appear in the trunk of an unhealthy tree.

Roots

Roots will rot and gradually cease to function.

Leaves

When leaves fail to perform photosynthesis, due to disease or other causes, a plant becomes starved of energy.

Vascular Tissue

Some insects and diseases attack the vascular tissue, causing a plant to die from a lack of water and nutrients.

Flower

Unhealthy plants will not have the energy to produce many flowers.

Unhealthy Plants

When a plant species dies, many other species can be affected. For example, large areas of pine trees in the western United States have been killed by the mountain pine beetle. This loss has had a huge effect on the ecosystem. Many species—such as red squirrels, pine warblers, and mountain chickadees—suffer population losses after these beetle outbreaks.

Congratulations! You are now an expert on the inner workings of plants.

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