The study of plants is extremely varied and can be tailored to the needs of the vising group. Possible areas of study include: parts of the plant, plant growth, pollination, seed dispersal and different species. Pupils can benefit from the wide range of wildflowers at Pelham and use live specimens for their studies.

Looking at parts of a plant, pupils can be given the opportunity to dissect a plant (buttercup) and label the different parts from the stem to the stigma. This then leads nicely into studying the pollination and fertilisation of such flowers where the study of moths and honeybees (using our observation hive) fits in well when describing the job of pollinators.

When studying the varied nature of plants pupils use quadrats (photograph above) and estimate the coverage of each species within that area. The same experiment can then be completed in a different habitat for comparison.This allows the pupils to familiarise themselves with the variety of plant species growing in the wild and requires them to assess their coverage spatially.