The Vines Will Not Stop! UFLI Foundations Lesson 105
Practice Words
Vines like to stretch and grow this way and that. Some creep along the ground and display wide green leaves and curly tips. Other vines climb high up branches and reach for the sky. With their twisting stems, vines grip and hold on tight. A snail rests on one big leaf. A ladybug sits on the next leaf along.
Vines can climb high up a tree trunk. They can also stretch far down a branch to a distant spot. As vines grow, they make room for leaves, blue flowers, and green fruit along the way. A green insect crawls along one stem, and a ladybug sits on a small fruit. Did you ever see a tree clad in vines?
Lots of vines grow flowers and fruit, like squash, beans, and tiny gold berries. The flowers bloom first, bright and bold to bring in bees. Bees love this bright display! Once the blooms drop, fruit starts to swell in the same spot. A ladybug rests on a leaf to watch it all.
People plant vines to cover homes, arches, and fences because the bright flowers and berries look so pretty. A small bird zips in to sip from the blooms. But vines grow fast! If we do not trim them back, they take over sheds, arches, and trees, and leave the yard in disarray. Vines can harm the things we love. We must keep them in check or they will wreck it all.
Vines can sometimes cover a tall tree from top to base. The thick vines block the sunlight from the leaves up above. They steal water from the soil down below too. The poor tree is in deep distress! With less food and light, the tree grows weak and thin. Its leaves drop, and in time, it may even fall and die.
Some vines cling on with tiny curls. These little curls are called tendrils. The tendrils reach out and twist around stems, stakes, or any frame they can find. Once a tendril grips on tight, you can not dislodge it from its spot! That vine will hold on for life. What a strong, twisty grip it has!
A vine can split in two when it hits a fork in a tree. Each part keeps climbing up its own branch. Both reach for sunlight and room to spread out. The two parts do not disagree at all. They just go their own ways! That way, one vine can cover twice as much tree.
Some vines grow food on a farm. These watermelon vines sprawl across the ground from end to end. Big round fruits rest among the wide green leaves. The farmer cuts a path across the patch so the vines do not disrupt the picking. That way the watermelons are easy to reach and grab.
Some vines grow food under the ground! These vines are distinct from the rest. Their leaves soak up sunlight up top. Then the leaves send that food down to the roots. That is how sweet roots grow big and plump under our feet. A yellow bug hums by a stem close by.
Wild vines can take over a vast hillside! They creep across yards, climb up fences, and choke big trees. Some vines come from a distant land. They grow too fast and displace the plants that belong in this spot. We look on in dismay as the vines eat up the land bit by bit. We must keep them in check before it is too late!
Vines come in so many shapes and sizes! Some grow sweet fruit. Some grow pretty flowers. Some just spread their green leaves far and wide. Next time you walk down a street, by a farm, or out in the wild, see how many kinds of vines you can spot. Then we can sit down and discuss every one!
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