Leaffoney NS

In May 2009, we went on a field trip to investigate a stream. The stream we looked at runs along the back of our school.

• The features we looked at included erosion and deposition.
• We observered the width, depth, speed and sound of the water.
• The sediment carred by the stream.
• The shape of the banks.
• The plants and animals living along side the water and the activities of people.

We will continue to investigate the stream during the different seasons to compare our findings.

Frogs
We observed baby frogs and tadpoles.

Frogs lay up to 4,000 eggs at one time. The jelly around the eggs help to keep them worm. The temperature inside a clump of eggs is often much higher then the temperature of the pond water around them.

We found the scarlet pimpernal growing along side the stream.
Scarlet pimpernel is a small annual, commonly found on bare and disturbed ground and on dunes. Known as the "poor man's weatherglass" because the flowers close when the sun goes in, it is one of our prettiest common weeds. Very rarely the flowers are blue.

Germander
Speedwell

Germander Speedwell very beautiful petals are strikingly blue and with the flower 's white centre one can see where it other common name "Bird's-eye" came from. This flower is often mistaken for the forget-me-not, which is more of a sky- blue in colour and has bristly hairs all over the plant. The germander speedwell is a far-creeping perennial and is common in grassy place and on edge of wood. It is said to bring good luck to those on journey.

Mints

Mountain-mint is edible and medicinal, raw or cooked the flower buds and leaves are edible and have a hot, spicy or mint-like flavour that makes a great spice or seasoning for meat.

What is Deposition

A steam's sediment load is typically deposition, eroded, and redeposition many times in a stream channel, especially during climatic variations such as flooding.

What is Erosion

Erosion is defind as the removal of soil, sediment, regolith, and rock fragments from the landsceap.

Plants and animals

When we were investigating the stream we found many kinds of plants and animals such as Mint, Germander sepeedwell, Scarlet pimpernet, Dog rose, Clover, Buttercup, Tadpoles and baby frogs and a creature that looked like a sea horse.

To Measure the width of a stream.

Standing at A, sight an object X directly opposite on the far side of the stream. Walk parallel to the river from A to C, placing a marker at B half way between A and C. Walk to D (at right angles to A-C) until D, B and X are in line. The distance from C to D is equal to that from A to X.

To Measure the depth of a stream.

The stream we looked at was fairly small and shallow so it was possible for us to stand in the water and measure the depth using a metre stick. We measured it at a number of points across the bed of the stream.

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