Forever Green by Carol A. Greenhalgh HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Forever Green by Carol A. Greenhalgh HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Forever Green by Carol A. Greenhalgh ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Susan Carlson, Steve McEntee PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover age fotostock/superstock; tp mauritius images/age fotostock; 2, 5 Siede Preis/Getty Images; 3 age fotostock/superstock; 3 6, 8 13 (border) Siede Preis/Getty Images; 4 Garden Picture Library/Photolibrary; 7 James Randklev/Corbis; 9 Tom Bean/Corbis; 10 Mary Ann McDonald/Corbis; 11 mauritius image/age fotostock; 12 Roy Morsch/age fotostock; 14 Dan Lamont/Corbis. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. With the exception of nonprofit transcription into Braille, Houghton Mifflin is not authorized to grant permission for further uses of this work. Permission must be obtained from the individual copyright owner as identified herein. Address requests for permission to make copies of Houghton Mifflin material to School Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116. Printed in China ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02343-4 ISBN-10: 0-547-02343-X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 RRD 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08

Table of Contents All About Evergreens 4 Many Important Parts 6 Examples of Evergreens 7 Benefits of Evergreens 10 Evergreens All Over 13 Glossary 14

How come the leaves drop off some trees in the fall, but other trees keep their leaves all winter? This is because there are actually two kinds of trees. Those that shed their leaves in the fall are called deciduous (duh-sid-yu-us). Those that don t shed their leaves are called evergreen because they always stay green. Some evergreen trees can keep their leaves for up to 45 years! This photo shows both deciduous and evergreen trees. Can you spot the evergreens? 3

All About Evergreens Evergreens are found in many different places. Over time, evergreens shed some leaves, but they are always growing new ones at the same time. You may have noticed that the leaves on some evergreen trees are shaped like needles. That is why these kinds of trees are also called needleleaf evergreens. A blue spruce is a popular evergreen. Some Types of Evergreens firs spruces pines hemlocks redwoods 4

Some types of evergreen trees have shallow roots. As a result, many of these evergreens prefer to grow in soil that has a lot of moisture in it so it is easy for the roots to find water. Needleleaf evergreens that produce seeds in cones are also known as conifers (KON-i-ferz). You have probably seen these cones on trees and on the ground. Each kind of conifer makes a different-shaped cone. Dry Weather Dry weather makes the water in the air evaporate. This may cause some of the needles to become dry and fall off an evergreen tree. 5

Many Important Parts All evergreens share the same basic tree parts. The trunk and branches support the tree. They are covered by bark, which protects the trees from the heat, the cold, insects, and more. The water and nutrients from the roots flow through the trunk and branches to the leaves. Then, with sunlight, the leaves are able to make food for the tree. Basic Parts of a Tree Crown 6 This evergreen tree has needle-like leaves. The branches and leaves together are called the crown. Leaves Trunk Roots

Examples of Evergreens Evergreen trees come in all shapes and sizes. Two giant evergreens are the coast redwood and the sequoia, both of which are found only in California. The coast redwood is considered the tallest tree in the world, and the sequoia is the largest all-around tree in the world. Though the sequoia isn t as tall as the coast redwood, it can sometimes grow to be as wide as 30 feet! Coast redwoods can be more than 350 feet tall. That s taller than a 30-story building! 7

Tree Height Around 350 ft. Around 150 ft. Around 3 6 ft. Diagram of Tree Heights Bolander Pine in Pygmy Forest Bolander Pine in Redwood Forest Coast Redwood Tree This diagram shows the difference between a coast redwood and normal- and dwarf-sized bolander pine trees. Sometimes there are giant and dwarf versions of the same kind of tree. For example, the bolander pine is usually about 150 feet tall. However, bolander pines in the Pygmy Forest along the California coast grow to be only three to six feet tall! How high they grow depends on the makeup of the soil. 8

Great basin bristlecone pines are another interesting evergreen. They grow in harsh conditions that include cold temperatures and high winds. Rather than grow with other trees in dense groves or groups, these trees are more independent and often grow alone on rocks and other rough areas. They can also live for a very long time! One bristlecone pine was found to be 4,900 years old! 9

Benefits of Evergreens Besides being beautiful, evergreens can be very useful. Chickadees and other little birds pick insects from the branches. Small animals use the lowest branches to hide from their enemies, and porcupines eat evergreen bark. Squirrels store the seeds from a conifer s cones to eat in the winter. Snakes live in the needles and cones that collect on the ground. Some birds perch on the top branches of evergreens to look for their next meal. 10

An early snowstorm will snap the branches off many deciduous trees, but most evergreens stand up to the snow. The branches just bow down and the snow piles up on top of them, making cozy little spaces that protect wildlife during the winter. Under the snow, many creatures are enjoying the protection and food of these needleleaf evergreens. 11

The wood from many evergreen trees can be made into a lot of different things. Evergreens help people as well as animals. For centuries, one of the customs of people has been to escape from the hot summer sun and relax in the shade. Throughout history, civilized people also have used the wood from types of evergreens to make paper, cabinets, and even matches. Evergreen trees are one of our important natural resources. 12

Evergreens All Over More than twenty thousand types of trees grow on every continent except Antarctica. Among them, there are more than five hundred types of conifers alone! The United States is home to many types of evergreens, so you may have many opportunities to see and enjoy the fascinating evergreen family. Locations of Types of Evergreens 0 0 500 Mi 500 Km Blue Spruce Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Coast Redwood Eastern Hemlock Great Basin Bristlecone Pine and Coast Redwood Blue Spruce and Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Blue Spruce and Eastern Hemlock 13

Glossary conifer A type of tree that stores its seeds in cones. crown The branches and leaves of a tree. deciduous A type of tree that loses its leaves in the fall. needleleaf Another name for trees whose leaves look like needles. pygmy Unusually small in size. 14

Responding TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder The vocabulary word opportunities ends with -ies because it describes more than one opportunity. Can you think of any other words that end with -ies? Copy and complete the chart below. Base Word opportunity berry?? Words Ending with -ies opportunities berries?? Write About It Text to Text Write a paragraph about a tree or plant you have read about in another book. Describe what it looks like and where it lives. Use one word from the Word Builder. 15

TARGET VOCABULARY civilized continent customs dense evaporate independent moisture opportunities resources shallow TARGET STRATEGY Monitor/Clarify Notice what is confusing as you read. Find ways to understand it. What vocabulary word rhymes with something that you could use to separate your yard from your neighbor s? 16

Level: P DRA: 38 Science Strategy: Monitor/Clarify Word Count: 846 4.5.23 Build Vocabulary HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books ISBN-13:978-0-547-02343-4 ISBN-10:0-547-02343-X 1032231