Impatiens

We got the idea to germinate these impatiens seeds a month and a half ago, after our first Classical Conversations meeting. The science lesson was about seeds. So, we germinated impatiens seeds in a ziploc baggie with wet cotton balls. They took about 5 weeks to sprout.

This is an impatiens in a pot on our patio. I'm not sure what species. I scattered a mix of wildflower seeds a couple of years ago, and the impatiens keep coming back because they reseed themselves.

A flower's job is to make seeds, which my daughter learned from Ruth Heller's book The Reason for A Flower.

Impatiens make seed pods that pop open when you touch them, and for this reason, they are nicknamed Touch-Me-Nots.

POP!