Young Naturalist Awards 2003: scientific discovery begins with expeditions

Natural History, July-August, 2003

Kyle wanted to see if he could find examples of each stage of a saguaro's life. He made several trips to the Sonoran desert where he documented, in words and images, the life cycle of this monumental plant.

"After spending all this time with the saguaro cactus, I felt as if I had gained another friend.... I learned that being a scientist is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun."

A Comparison of Native Tree Seedling Growth on Fallen Hapu'u Ferns and the Adjacent Forest Floor in Volcano, Hawaii, by Kolea Zimmerman (Waiakea High School, Hilo, Hawaii; Grade 11)

Venturing into the rain forest just behind his house, Kolea noticed an abundance of tree seedlings growing on the fallen logs of the hapu'u tree fern. He hypothesized that the fallen hapu'u logs served as "nursery logs" for the development and growth of certain species. To test his hypothesis, he compared the number of seedlings and saplings on hapu'u logs to the number of seedlings and saplings on an equal area next to the logs.

"Fond childhood memories always included being respectful of all the native plants. We were taught from a very young age to respect the hapu'u and other native plants of our forest."