NPS Graphic / Gregory Purifoy Discovering the Natural WorldValley Forge National Historical Park is an excellent place to connect with the natural environment. The park provides habitats for different kinds of plants and animals — including forests, meadows, rivers, and wetlands — and more than 30 miles of hiking trails for you to explore! Activity 1 – Birds, Beaks, and HabitatBirds live in many different environments. At Valley Forge they can be found in places like forests, meadows, rivers, and streams. But not all birds have the same size and shape — some birds are big and some are small, some have long legs while others have short legs — and they also have different kinds of beaks depending on what kind of food they eat. InstructionsRead each question below, then choose which beak of the two beaks is best adapted for eating the kind of food described. Write down either Beak 1 or Beak 2, then click and drag the slider to reveal the bird's name and habitat. You can check your answers at the end of the activity. QUESTION 1Sometimes I use my beak to spear my prey. Choose Beak 1 or Beak 2 from the options below and write down your answers on a sheet of paper. 
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QUESTION 2I use my beak like a meat hook to tear flesh from my prey. Choose Beak 1 or Beak 2 from the options below and write down your answers on a sheet of paper. 
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QUESTION 3I use my beak to sift plant life from the water. Choose Beak 1 or Beak 2 from the options below and write down your answers on a sheet of paper. 
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QUESTION 4I use my beak like tweezers to catch insects. Choose Beak 1 or Beak 2 from the options below and write down your answers on a sheet of paper. 
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Answer Key 
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Activity 2 – Know Your TreesValley Forge has more than 100 kinds of trees! There are several ways that you can identify a tree, but each method requires you to observe and pay attention to details. One method for identifying a tree is to notice the shape of the leaves. Another method is to notice how the leaves are arranged on the branch. You can also pay attention to buds, bark, fruits, and other tree parts. Let's practice observing some of the details of trees and learn how to identify some of the species at Valley Forge! InstructionsRead each of the numbered sections below and decide whether the left or right photo best describes the question in bold. Click on the Answer button below each set of photographs to see if you're correct! 1. Alternate and Opposite ArrangementsIf you pay close attenion to trees, you will notice that they have leaves, buds, and branches that are arranged in a certain way. Scientists have come up with words to describe these different arrangements. One word scientists use is "opposite." Another is "alternate." Only a few species found at Valley Forge have leaves, buds, or branches that have an opposite arrangement, meaning there’s a bud, leaf, or branch directly across from another one. Those species include Maple, Ash, Dogwood, Honeysuckle, Viburnum, and Horse Chestnut. Which picture below shows a tree branch with an opposite arrangement? 
The left image!
The left photo shows the branch of a maple tree with buds directly opposite each other. The right photo shows the branch of a Paw Paw tree. Notice that the buds only appear one at a time on the branch. This is an alternate arrangement. 2. BarkUsing the bark to identify a kind of tree can be tricky, but there are a few species whose unique bark makes them easy to identify. The American Beech, for example has relatively smooth light gray colored bark. Which photo below shows an American Beech Tree? 
The right photograph!
The photo on the right shows the smooth bark of a beech tree. It's usually pretty easy to pick these trees out when you're on a hike. You might even notice graffiti carved into beech bark sometimes - this actually hurts the tree and can make human hikers feel bad too - so please don't carve into beech bark! The photo on the left shows the bumpy bark of a different kind of tree. It can be difficult to identify a tree that has bark like this because so many different trees have bark that looks similar! 3. Leaf ShapeLeaf shape is often one of the best ways to identify a tree. While both the leaves below have smooth edges (margins), they have very different shapes. A redbud tree blooms in early spring with pinkish purple flowers. After the flowers, the heart-shaped leaves emerge. Both of the leaves shown below are from flowering trees, but which photo shows a redbud leaf? 
The photo on the right!
The right photo shows the heart-shaped leaf of the redbud tree. The left photo shows the leaf of a dogwood tree. The beautiful flowers of the dogwood tree can be seen in the springtime at Valley Forge. 4. Fruits, Nuts, and SeedsSometimes the best way to identify a tree is to look down instead of up! You can search on the ground for clues like fruits, seeds, or nuts, which can help you to identify the type of tree. For example, oak trees produce acorns, a smooth shelled nut that may start out green and then fade to brown as time passes. Which photo below shows nuts belonging to an oak tree? 
The photo on the left!
The left photo shows the hard and smooth-sided nuts of an oak tree. Nuts are actually a type of fruit that some trees make, which contain a seed inside a hard casing, like these acorns. Indigenous people use the acorns of oak trees in many traditional recipes. The photo on the right shows the spiky seed pods of the Sweetgum tree. 5. NeedlesYou may have noticed before that some trees have needles – did you know that needles are actually a special kind of leaf? Generally speaking, the trees that have needle-shaped leaves are called "conifers," which means that they spread their seeds using cones instead of flowers and fruits. Even though conifer trees might seem really similar at first glance, you can pay attention to the differences in their needles to tell trees apart! White Pines have long, soft needles that have a whiteish-colored stripe running down the back. The needles attach to the branch in groups of 5. Which photo below shows the needles of a White Pine? 
The left photo!
The left photo shows the long needles of the White Pine. The right photograph shows short needles similar to those that can be seen in other kinds of conifer trees like spruce, fir, or hemlock. Next Page →Finished with these activities? Click below to proceed to the next page! Part Two - The Valley Forge Encampment|← Back to BeginningClick below to go back to the Virtual Junior Ranger program welcome page and Table of Contents. Welcome to the Valley Forge Virtual Junior Ranger Program |
Last updated: April 16, 2021