The Seed Sowers

The Seed Sowers

Finned Farmers Fall sunlight peeks through the trees and shines on a stream below. A breeze scatters leaves and fruit across the water. Suddenly, a fish breaks the surface to feed. The fish snaps up a floating piece of fruit. Then it disappears beneath the water and swims downstream. It's easy to see how the trees help the fish, but the fish also helps the trees. By eating the fruit, the fish is spreading the tree's seeds. It's one of nature's seed sowers.

Room to Grow Seed sowers are important to plants. Seeds are the way most plants reproduce. All seeds need the same things to sprout and grow. Plants must get enough sunlight, water, and nutrients to thrive. People who grow crops know this. They do their best to make sure their plants get those things. Farmers spread seeds so plants don't have to compete for what they need. They plant the seeds far enough apart for each plant to thrive.

Trees and other wild plants need room to grow, too. They can't depend on farmers to spread their seeds. Instead, wild plants depend on nature to do the job. Some seeds are blown by the wind, while others float away on water. Some seeds are carried off by animals, often on purpose. Animals may hide seeds to eat later, or they may take seeds to feed to their young. Some animals spread seeds without even trying. Many seeds sprout far and wide thanks to animal seed sowers.

Tasty, Pretty, and Sticky Wild plants have many ways to get animals to carry their seeds. Some seeds just taste good. Animals seek them out to eat. For example, bears and deer love the taste of acorns. Even if a seed doesn't taste good to an animal, its fruit might. Papaya seeds taste peppery. The fruit around the seeds, however, is sweet. Animals that eat the fruit sometimes eat the seeds, too.

Many plants make fruit or seeds that are easy for animals to spot. Some animals see certain colors better than others. Blackbirds, for example, are attracted to red fruits and berries. Seeds on the ground have a special trick for getting around. Many, such as burrs, have small hooks or teeth. The hooks attach to the hair or fur of passing animals. If you take a dog for a walk through a field in autumn, it may come home covered in burrs.