We Explore The Woodland (1957)

[Music] Pam and her brother Ken had looked forward to this day for a long, long time. Grandpa was taking them on a hike to explore the woodland. Pam hoped they'd find some blackberries in the woodland. Grandpa carried a pair of field glasses and a magnifying glass. And Ken carried a book that told some things about the woodland. From the top of a hill, they see the woodland they're going to explore. Grandpa says there are many kinds of woodlands all over the world. In northern lands are forests of trees that grow well in a cold climate. In southern lands are forests of trees that need a warm, moist climate. There are woodlands near sandy beaches and woodlands on farms. And then there's this woodland, the kind that's found in many places all over the country. It's the home of many animals and plants. Just look. Growing around the edge of the woodland are wild flowers. Bergamont is one kind of wild flower that grows only along the edge of the woodland. Blackeyed susans are another. It's easy to see why they're called blackeyed susans. There's a chipmunk eating a nut that fell from a tree. Chipmunks are common woodland animals. And there's a woodpecker, one of the most common woodland birds. The woodpecker eats some of the insects that live in the woodland trees. Let's remember that all living things here depend upon other living things. We'll be careful not to disturb the animals or destroy the plants. Let's keep the woodland a beautiful place to visit for everyone. What's Grandpa found? Ken, Pam, look here. It's a spider's web. The thin, strong threads look silvery in the morning light. The web helps the spider catch insects for food. Perhaps the spider will catch something in her web. Let's look again when we come back later in the day. Grandpa, look, says Ken. Christmas trees. That's right, says Grandpa. This is a fur tree. Let's take a closer look. See, it has long, thin leaves that look like green needles. Many of these needles stay on the tree all year long. That's why the fur and other trees like it are sometimes called evergreens. Evergreens are one kind of tree growing in the woodland. Some trees like this oak have large flat leaves. Leaves like these provide plenty of shade and help to make the woodland a cool, pleasant place. You can always tell this kind of oak tree by the smooth, shiny leaves that have pointed edges. Ken sees another tree that has large leaves. This is a maple tree. The maple and the oak are not like evergreens. They shed nearly all their leaves in the fall. Look here on the ground. all sizes and shapes of leaves on the forest floor. Here's an oak leaf and a maple leaf. Can you see the difference? These leaves on top fell last autumn. Under these leaves are the leaves that fell the year before and even the year before that. The leaves on the very bottom are old and crumbly. They're decaying and becoming part of the soil. Look, says Pam. Here's a beetle. It's a softwing flower beetle, says Grandpa. Let's look at it through the magnifying glass. The glass helps us see the small things that live in the woodland. Beetles are among the many insects that live on the forest floor. Many plants, too, live on the forest floor. Some plants like this mushroom grow in heavy shade and in soil made rich by the decaying leaves. So falling leaves help build up new soil for plants to grow in. And they supply a feeding ground for some of the woodland insects. The leaves on the ground are interesting. The leaves in the trees give us cool shade. Pam looks way, way up to the very tops of the trees. She hears a sound, a bird. The woodland trees provide good homes and sometimes food for birds. That's why there are so many birds in the woodland. Let's use the field glasses to see what bird it is there. Why, that bird's something like one in Ken's woodland book. Now, let's see. Here it is. That bird is a blue j. Ken's book says blue jays are often seen around woodlands. That's right, says Grandpa. Most of the plants and animals we've seen are usually found in woodlands where they find the kind of food and shelter they need. But Grandpa says Pam, we haven't found any blackberries yet. Don't worry, says Grandpa. There are some blackberries growing on the other side of the stream we're coming to. Be quiet now. There may be an animal at the stream. Yes, there's something there coming out of the tall grasses. It's a raccoon. Raccoons often come to woodland streams to search for food and to drink. Many other animals come to the stream for water. Let's see what plants grow near the water. Well, there are ferns. Ferns are dark green almost feathery looking plants. The blue fringed gention, another plant, is a wild flower that often grows in the cool wet places of the woodland. Well, says Grandpa, we'd better cross the stream so that we can get to the blackberry patch. Watch your step, Ken. Ken finds some moss growing on an old log. It feels like velvet. Like velvet? asks Grandpa. Here, look at the moss under our magnifying glass. Moss is many tiny green plants growing very close together. Moss grows in the darker, damper places in the woodland. There's much to learn about the plants and animals living in different parts of the woodland. Soon they came to a clearing in the woods. Here, wait a minute. Do you know what these plants are? Blackberry bushes with large ripe blackberries. Mother will be glad to get these. They'll make a wonderful pie. We'll only take as many as we need because blackberries are also the food of some animals that live in the woodland. Later, Pam's basket is filled with blackberries. Well, says Grandpa, I think it's about time we started for home. So, back from the clearing they go past the woodland stream. Do you think you could find some of the plants and animals near a stream that Ken and Pam saw? They saw a raccoon. What animals do you think you might see? Back through the shady large trees and past the tall evergreens they go. Can you tell what Pam and Ken learned about trees and about wild flowers? What kinds of wild flowers do you know? Suddenly, Grandpa remembers something. Do you know what it is? The spider's web. Has the spider caught something in her web? An insect has been trapped in the threads of the web. Now the spider has some food. The spider and her web are only two of the many things we found while exploring the woodland today. This has been a wonderful day. Pam and Ken want to explore the woodland again very soon. [Music] Perhaps now you can tell about what they saw and did today as they explored the woodland. [Music]