Some maple fruits remain hanging on the tree almost all winter, and then on its branches you can meet northern guests - bullfinches. Agile birds deftly and quickly gnaw out the sweet seed from the fruit. It looks very beautiful when the leaves fly and land on the ground with ease. But as far as I know, they fly when dry. And when the leaves are green, they no longer fly so beautifully. Well, the people called maple seeds “helicopters”.
The fruit is a lionfish, consisting of two wings with one seed in each, located at an angle of less than 60 degrees relative to each other. Each wing is about 4 cm long. The fruit ripens in August - October, but remains hanging on the tree until spring. Seeds without endosperms, 2-3 times longer than wide, noticeably wrinkled. Flowering lasts until the first leaves appear.
The seeds of many trees are called helicopters. These are spruce, pine, larch, and ash - their seeds have one wing. Birch and alder have two wings. With the help of wings, the seeds fly away from the mother tree. Chestnuts are not edible, and they can also cause poisoning.
How to distinguish maple from other trees?
Maple is distinguished by a scaly structure of brown-gray bark. Young trees have smooth, light silver bark. Maple can be easily recognized by its “airplane” seeds. WILLOW Trees, shrubs or shrubs with spirally arranged, mostly short-petiolate, leaves.
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Description and distribution locations
Maple is a tree from the large Sapindaceae family. It grows in Europe, Asia, and North America, where there are about 150 species of maples. About 20 species grow in our country. The most common of them:
- holly;
- Tatar;
- white;
- field.
These trees can be found in the European part of Russia; they do not grow beyond the Urals.
An adult plant reaches a height of 30 m. Large three-lobed leaves with a finely toothed edge are up to 17 cm in size. The tree has light green bark with a network of veins. It blooms with small greenish, yellow or orange flowers. They have five petals and sepals. Flowers are male and female. The female ones have two carpels with elongated wings, which is how they differ from the male ones.
Not everyone knows what maple fruits are called. Their scientific name is lionfish. The fruits have dry pericarps and leathery wing-like outgrowths, with the help of which they move through the air. At the same time, lionfish are capable of flying over long distances.
The seeds themselves are flattened and covered with a thin skin. Inside them is a folded embryo. Maples are distinguished by abundant fruiting and produce a large number of seeds. The seeds ripen in September and often remain on the branches until the following spring.
Autumn gerberas from maple lionfish and plasticine. Master Class.
Autumn gerberas from maple lionfish and plasticine. Master Class.
Bright, unusual gerberas from maple lionfish can be made with middle and older children. The manufacturing technology is very simple. Children will enjoy doing this during class. The simplest techniques for working with plasticine and natural materials will allow your children to do this kind of work. This type of work develops fine motor skills, dexterity, imagination and artistic taste.
For work we will need:
- maple lionfish,
- plasticine,
- wooden skewers or twigs,
And most importantly - a good autumn mood.
Roll plasticine balls, then flatten them and insert maple lionfish. We place the lionfish close to each other (it is important that their direction coincides)
These are such wonderful flowers.
Now let’s paint our flowers in our favorite color.
Our gerberas are ready.
We wish you good luck and creative ideas!
Preparation of natural materials for their further use
Nature is the best artist; she creates natural materials that, in skillful hands, turn into works of art!
It is better to collect leaves in the fall, when they are especially beautiful. Leaves of oak, maple, and chestnut can be used to create all kinds of applications:
Birds made from leaves
Insects from leaves
The shells of these snails are made according to the principle of assembling a rose from leaves:
Examples of other leaf applications:
Wreaths made of bright leaves are the most atmospheric autumn decor!
This option for assembling a wreath is much simpler than the previous one - even children can handle it:
For long-term storage, the collected leaves are placed between paper sheets and ironed with a warm iron. Then they are laid out with old newspapers, thin cardboard and pressed down on top with a small weight.
Use of juice, leaves and fruits
The ability of the plant to relieve depression, reduce nervous tension, and restore human energy has long been known. The bark, leaves and fruits of maple are used to treat various diseases. Tonic and restorative drinks are prepared from young leaves. Maple brooms, like birch brooms, are taken with you when visiting the bathhouse.
Maple sap disinfects and heals wounds well. This is an excellent antioxidant with anti-cancer effects. The world famous maple syrup is made from the sap of certain types of maple (reddish, silver and sweet). It is not only tasty, but also healthy, as it has a whole complex of vitamins and minerals. Maple syrup contains a large amount of fructose and can be consumed by people with diabetes and obesity.
The fruits have a diuretic and antimicrobial effect. Their decoctions are used to treat stomatitis. Maple preparations are added to medications for bronchitis , viral infections, hepatitis, and kidney disease. In folk medicine, maple bark ash diluted in water is used to strengthen hair. Crushed young leaves are applied to the skin for various skin diseases.
Lionfish helicopter
This craft is a little more complex, and therefore the process of making it will be more fun. In addition to maple seeds, we will need material for the helicopter body. A chestnut or walnut, or a peach pit, would be suitable here. Without them available, you can make the body entirely from plasticine.
The first step is to sculpt the main part of the helicopter. If you are using a nut, then stick plasticine on it to form a body. Next we make the top and rear blades, attaching the winglets to the cockpit. The helicopter will also need windows and landing gear. They can be made from plasticine.
Caring for ukurunda
The yellow maple is decorative in all four seasons, just like the American maple. In winter, it stands out beautifully with red shoots against a general white background. In spring and summer, it attracts attention first with its unusually shaped inflorescences, arranged vertically and containing many beautiful yellow flowers.
Then - velvety large foliage. In autumn there is a riot of colors, and the plant takes on the most beautiful appearance of the year.
It is used in landscape design, it is planted singly and in groups in gardens, parks and city squares; gardeners plant it on their plots to decorate the landscape. The plant is grown even in such large Russian cities as Moscow and St. Petersburg.
It tolerates winter well, but young plants need to be protected from the cold until they reach maturity. Prefers well-lit places, but will not die in the shade.
Growth is quite fast, early it forms a beautiful crown, which recovers well after pruning and severe frosts. To form it, you only need to remove frozen and dried branches on time and regularly.
Soil for planting
The plant needs well-moistened soil; there are no other soil requirements.
Transplantation and propagation
In the wild, the maple reproduces itself, this is its difference from the Norway maple. At the end of fruiting in the fall, its winged fruits are carried by the wind in different directions and in the spring they already germinate.
In artificial cultivation, the collected seeds are also planted in the soil in the fall in October and sprout in late spring. You can also plant seeds in the spring; in this case, after collection, they must be stratified in an earthen mixture of sand and peat for five months at zero temperature. The depth of planting seeds is five centimeters.
DIY tools
To create a beautiful craft from natural materials, you will need additional tools and materials.
It can be:
- colored paper;
- cardboard;
- leather scraps;
- scraps of fabric;
- bird feathers;
- Styrofoam;
- plasticine;
- wire;
- PVA glue, “Moment”;
- gouache;
- stain;
- varnish, etc.
Paper is very often used as a complement to natural materials. Children, bending and gluing it, make the work much more interesting.
Plasticine is used to hold together individual parts of simple toys at the initial stage of work. It is not very durable, but as an addition it is often used in kindergarten and elementary school.
The frame of a toy and the connection of its parts are most often made from wire. Copper wire with a diameter of 0.29-0.35 mm - soft, flexible and durable - is most convenient. And for the frame, wire of a larger diameter is used - 1-1.5 mm.
It is better to take thick, multi-colored threads (No. 10).
It is better to use white PVA, BF, etc. glue. However, in kindergarten it is better to use PVA glue.
They also use foil, pebbles, cherry pits, and bristles.
It is better to store additional material in a small box with compartments for each type of material.
The use of additional material depends on the plan, the skill of the children, and the degree of development of imagination! Offer your options, but rely more on children's intuition and desire.
It is also additionally necessary to have certain tools for making crafts from natural materials:
- knife;
- art scissors;
- awl;
- jigsaw;
- tweezers;
- pliers and wire cutters;
- sewing needles;
- brushes for glue and paints;
- a cotton cloth for wiping off glue residue.
Scissors for children should have blunt ends, small, and have rings that are comfortable for a child's hand.
The awl should be made of durable material with a handle length of about 6 cm, a diameter of about 2 cm, and the piercing part is 3.5 cm.
You need a large sewing needle. Be sure to store it in a pincushion with a thread threaded into it.
Attention! Only adults use pliers, pliers, and drills!
To draw the outline of the cut part, you need a simple pencil. For example, a dress, hats for a doll, etc. It is better to take a soft pencil (2M).
It is recommended to use gouache or acrylic paints in special sets.
Brushes (soft for painting, harder for glue). It is better to buy squirrel tassels (No. 4 and 6). For glue, use brushes with hard bristles.
A stack is a tool necessary for processing a surface made of clay or plasticine. The length of the stack for children is about 12 cm. You can make the stack yourself from a worn-out brush: round it on one side and sharpen it on the other.
