Plants

Learning intentions

To know why plants are vital for the environment.

To know that plants provide habitats for other living things.

To investigate some unusual plants in the green kingdom

Introduction

Plants and trees are vital for life and our long-term survival. Plants are an essential resource - we rely on them for food, water, medicine, the air we breathe, habitat and our climate.

Habitat

Plants are incredibly important for providing habitats for a huge number of different species. 

The oak tree supports more life than any other native tree. It provides habitat for hundreds of insects and food for birds and mammals such as deer and badger. It supports fungi, lichens and even bats. Bat species will roost under loose bark and then feed on the insects in the tree canopy.

Native wildlife depends on native plant and tree species like the oak - without them they wouldn't be able to sustain themselves.

Air pollution

A range of chemical pollutants can cause problems to health in industrial and urban environments. It has been increasingly shown that the presence of green spaces in these areas can be vital in acting as a sink for these pollutants, therefore improving air quality.

Any green space has the capability of reducing air pollution. Woodland planted near urban and industrial environments would be able to absorb the pollutants.