Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

leaves

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Science and Nature Program and Nature Explorers

Fantastic Fall Flowers
Are the gentle scent of flowers on the breeze, bright colors dotting field and forest, buzzing insects drinking nectar making you think it must be spring? Not necessarily! Many amazing plants wait until fall to bloom. Come learn about this unusual strategy and some of the Powdermill Nature Reserve native plants that use it. Then we’ll head outside to look for fantastic fall flowers!

Leaves and Seeds
What’s more fun than planting flower seeds? Throwing them, of course! Come learn about some of the local wildflowers and their importance. Then get your hands dirty as you make your very own seed bombs to take home and use to blast your garden!

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Storytime and More

Why Do Leaves Change Color?
As the weather begins to cool, the trees put on a dazzling show! “Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out” what is going on with this behind the leaves sneak peek! Afterwards, we’ll go outside to collect beautiful fall leaves to press.

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Critters in the Litter, Earth Day walks at Frick Park

Children with Dr. Pearce digging in the leaves
Dr. Pearce with walk participants finding
critters in the leaf litter (Photo by Alice W. Doolittle.)

by Timothy A. Pearce

Since trees drop leaves every fall, why aren’t we up to our necks in dead leaves?

Thirty-seven people joined me on a series of four walks in Frick Park on April 24 to discover the answer: leaves are consumed by a myriad tiny creatures that turn them back into nutrients so plants can grow again.

Among the tiny creatures we found that consume leaves (and some that consume the leaf-eating creatures) were earthworms, sow bugs, spiders, daddy long legs, millipedes, centipedes, beetles, spring tails, and several species of snails, which are my favorite creatures. After the walks, we scrutinized our finds with magnifying glasses. The weather was sunny and the perfect temperature for walking outside. The children especially enjoyed digging in the soil.

Timothy A. Pearce, PhD, is the head of the mollusks section at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.