Visit the South Carolina Department of Education for Science standards.
Take a quick look at all Science series on Knowitall.org
Photo
(Magnolia fraseri) This fast-growing tree with multiple stems, large deciduous leaves, and sweet-scented flowers, occurs in moist slopes and along streams. It is only found in the southern Appalachian...
Photo
(Carpinus caroliniana) This slow-growing understory tree occurs along streams and in moist bottomland forests. Its wood is extremely hard and was used in the past for golf club heads, mallets and tool...
Photo
Almost all trees in cove forests are deciduous - that is, they drop their leaves in the fall and produce new ones in spring. The Canada hemlock, in contrast, is an evergreen - it retains its needle...
Photo
(Tilia americana) A medium to large tree that frequently occurs in the understory but may also reach the canopy. The large heart-shaped leaves are finely toothed and have an asymmetrical base. The...
Photo
(Halesia tetraptera) This small to medium-sized understory tree has distinctive white-yellow vertical streaks on its young stems. In early spring it produces white bell-shaped flowers that develop...
Photo
(Fagus grandifolia) The smooth gray bark, sharp-pointed buds, and papery toothed leaves make beech one of the easiest trees to identify. Because it can tolerate deep shade, individuals occur both in...
Photo
(Aseculus flava) The palm-shaped leaves of this deciduous tree are divided into 5-7 large leaflets. Yellow buckeye is one of the first trees to leaf-out in the spring. It produces clusters of tubular...
Photo
The forest floor functions as a wastebasket for all the layers above it. Materials accumulate most rapidly in the fall as the dead leaves of deciduous species fall to the ground. However, a steady...
Photo
Herbaceous plants, or herbs for short, are green plants that have soft rather than woody stems. Most wildflowers and grasses are herbs, as are ferns and mosses.
Photo
Shrubs are woody plants that have several stems and are generally shorter than trees. In ravines and along creeks, shrubs such as rosebay rhododendron from dense thickets. In other areas, shrubs may...