Seeds under the Microscope
- Megan
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Microscope challenge of the month- May 2025
While microscopes are an amazing scientific tool, sometimes figuring out how and when to use them takes a little help. This month came so easily, as I was starting to plant my garden. I was considered just making the topic seeds, but with so many types, I decided to focus in on just flowers, which still has hundreds of options!
Finding your Subject: What is it?
Before you can investigate and learn about this month's topic, you need to know what it is.
Seeds are how most plants reproduce. The seed germinates and sends up a stem, which eventually blooms into a flower. The flower is pollinated, and eventually, the flower produces seeds which will fall off the plant and start the process all over again. For flowers, most of the seeds are small, but the similarities stop there. Sizes are often called lunch boxes because of the "food" they carry for the plant. Shape can help the seed be carried away to a new location. It's texture that's the reason this topic is so awesome under the microscope, though!
Learn about seeds by reading this article on Kids Britannica,
Watch these videos to understand more about why seeds come in different sizes and shapes
Finding your subject: where are they?
Since it's May, one of the best places to find a large diveristy of seeds will be the home garden store such as Homedepot, Lowes, Ace hardware store, and the like. Getting started can be as easy as buying a variety pack of flower seeds. one variety pack can have thousands of seeds and dozens of variety in them. It can be fun to sort them by shape or size.
If you have a less powerful microscope or only a magnifying glass, you can purchase larger seeds that will be easier to see. In flowers, those are sunflowers, sweet peas, zinnias, cosmos, morning glory, kochia, and marigolds. Stay away from snapdragons, lavender, petunias, pansies, and coleus. While the flowers are beautiful, the seeds are very microscopic.
Note: If you wanted to go out collecting seeds to view under the microscope, most plants will produce seeds in late summer or fall.
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