How Seeds Travel

One day, Mattie and Annetook their dog Bruno for awalk. Anne saw somethinggrowing in the front lawn. She

reached down and picked it."Mattie, look what I found.Isn't it pretty?" she asked.

"That's a puffball," said Mattie. "Make a wish and blow on it."

Anne blew on the puffball. She watched as little seeds flewaway. "Is it true? Will I really get my wish?" she wanted to know.

"Your wish may not come true," answered Mattie. "But you justhelped that plant spread its seeds. If the seeds land in soil, newplants will grow."

"Do other seeds travel tonew places?" asked Anne.

"You are full of questionstoday!" laughed Mattie. "Let'sgo to the library. We can get abook about seeds."

Some seedpods pop open.They fling seedsinto the air.

The girls and Bruno ran across a vacant lot on the corner. Itwas full of weeds. When they reached the library, Anne pointed toBruno. She shouted, "Look at all those stickers."

©2002 by Evan-Moor Corp. 25 Read and Understand, Scienc J303

"Each one of those stickers is a seed," Mattie told Anne. "The

hooks stick to animals that pass by. Can you see how they stuck to

Bruno's fur? When he rubs against something, the seeds may fall

off. The seeds may grow in that new place. Now you watch Bruno

while I go in and get us a book."

Mattie found a book about

how seeds travel. She read

the book to her little sister. She

pointed out pictures of plants

and their seeds.

The girls passed the vacant

lot on the way home. Mattie told Anne, "Look at the vacant lot.

Seeds carried here by wind or animals may grow. Then the lot will

be filled with new plants."

Seeds are spread in many ways!

This is a maple seed.It has little wings.The wind blows it tonew places.

Some animals eat fruit.They may spread seedsin their feces.

Squirrels and some birdsbury seeds. If they forget

1 the seeds, plants may startto grow.

©2002 by Evan-Moor Corp. 26 Read and Understand, Science 5303

Name

Questions about How Seeds Travel

1. What happened in the story?Draw a line from the beginning of each sentenceto the correct ending.

Anne blew s to Bruno's fur.

Stickers stuck seeds fly to new places.

When the wind blows a book about seeds.

.

At the library, Mattie got • how seeds are spread.

The book was about

2. List four ways seeds are spread.

on the puff ball.

©2002 by Evan-Moor Corp. 27 Read and Understand, Science 03

Name

VocabularyA. Match each word to its meaning.

-not the same

2. different

3. grow

4. burst

5. library

6. vacant lot

7. puffball

to get larger and older

animal hair

a place where you can borrow books

a ball of flower seeds

to crack open

an empty piece of land in town

B. Use words from the story to name the pictures.

©2002 by Evan-Moor Corp. 28 Read and Understand, Science -33C

Name

Spreading SeedsCircle the part of the seed that helps it travel to new places.Explain how the part helps the seed move.

©2002 by Evan-Moor Corp. 29 Read and Understand, Science« J03