Botany Project

• Learn what plants do for us
• Collect and identify different types of seeds
• How are seeds dispersed
• Diagram the life stages of a plant
• Examine the parts of a plant and their function

• Learn about fertilizer and other nutrients for plants
• Collect several different types of flowers and identify parts
• Research the benefit of hybrid seeds
• Make a pressed plant collection

Learn about plant breeding and genetics

Join your local Tree Board, adopt and care for a flower bed at a park, help an adult teach a gardening class, or volunteer to help your local garden club.

Give a presentation on plant taxonomy, make a video on how to start seeds or transplant a plant, teach your 4-H club how to identify common garden weeds, or give a presentation on plant breeding.

Become a crop scout, work for your local Soil Conservation District helping to plant trees, start your own vegetable, fruit, and/or flower garden and sell the produce, or start a landscaping business.

Examine plant parts under a microscope, make your own hydroponics growing system, develop a plant phone or computer application, or develop a new tool to control weeds.

Complete a botany project for County Achievement Days or the ND State Fair, participate in the 4-H Agronomy, Land Judging, and/or Range Judging contests, prepare a botany related Project Expo, or speak about a botany topic at your local and/or district Communications Arts contest.

Visit a local nursery, florist or farm for a day to see what they do, interview a local Master Gardener about their interests, help an adult work in a garden, or visit a professor at NDSU or another educational school to learn about plant breeding and biotechnology.

• Exhibit a seed or plant collection with proper species identification

• Compare two varieties of the same plant species

• Show the results in a display

• Make a poster describing the different parts of the plant

• Make a poster describing the different types of flowers and their parts

• Prepare a bouquet of native plant species and identify each plant

• Cross-pollinate two distinctly different plant varieties and make a poster of the process and results

• Research different methods of growing plants and prepare a poster with the results

• Prepare a poster with the different techniques and uses of biotechnology

• 4-H Project Plan
• Planning for My Project Adventure (Ages 8-10)
• 4-H Plan of Action (Ages 11-18)
• ND 4-H Participation Summary for 11- to 19- year-olds

Supplies: unlined index card, scissors, hammer, 2” painter’s tape or masking tape, flowers and/or leaves.

Cut a piece of tape a little longer than the length of the index card. Place tape sticky side up. Cut another piece of tape the same length and lay it next to the first piece with a half-inch overlap lengthwise so the tape ends up about the same size as the index card. Tape should be slightly longer and/or wider than the card to hold the card down on a smooth surface. Collect fresh flowers and/or leaves. Place the flowers onto the sticky side of the tape with the colorful petals upwards. Place the top side of the leaves onto the tape with the bottom of the leaves upwards. Take the tape having the flowers and/or leaves and place it upside down onto the index card and smooth it out. Gently pound the tape having the flowers and/or leaves with the hammer to leave an imprint onto the index card. Carefully peel away tape and flowers and/or leaves from the index card. The “flower and/or leaf ink” should be visible on the index card.