Rainforests to Deserts: Grade 11 Botanical Garden Field Trip

The grade 11 students in Environmental Systems & Societies went to the South China Botanical Garden to explore the vast, diverse plantations that the garden offers. From tropical rainforest plants to bird sightseeing to the desert biome, the Botanical Garden offers the opportunities to explore regions that are hard to reach for a fellow citizen. If you just want to explore the outside appearance of the Garden, which covers 4,500 mu or 471 acres, the ticket price is 20 RMB per person. From unique trees from all around China to diverse species of birds, the South China Botanical Garden is a great place to go to for all individuals ranging from kids to scientists. If you are wanting to see more, the Botanical Garden also offers an extra ticket allowing you to go into all of the greenhouses that the Garden offers at the price of 50 RMB per person. This is also combined with the original freedom of roaming around the Garden. The greenhouses can range from tropical rainforests to desert biomes. Within each greenhouse, info cards are placed all around to inform what type of species the different plants are. The info card states the scientific name and a description of what the plant does both in Chinese and English.

The tropical rainforest greenhouse offers varieties of rainforest plants. The greenhouse itself also has its own waterfall system to help moisturize the air to keep the tropical rainforest’s humidity level natural. Inside the tropical rainforest greenhouse, over 500 species of plants and trees are present, ranging from tall to short ferns, twisted hollow trees, and aquatic plantations. Tropical rainforests are hot and moist biomes found near Earth’s equator. Tropical rainforests receive 60 to 160 inches of precipitation distributed throughout the year. In order to maintain such hot and moist ecosystems, greenhouses trap in sunlight rays, which range from IV (infrared) rays to UV (ultraviolet) rays, and they heat the interior to a certain degree. Greenhouses are also built to keep plants away from certain pesticides in order for their survival and preservation.

The desert greenhouse is similar to the tropical rainforest greenhouse. They both offer unique plants and flowers for their own individual ecosystems. The desert greenhouse plantation offers plants that are meant to survive in dry and hot conditions. Plants can range from tall cacti to short and stubby wildflowers. Desert plants’ main goal is to preserve as much water as possible and to go through photosynthesis as least as possible. To protect their own water supplies, they usually will be prickly, such as the cacti. This helps them be protected from dangerous predators wanting water or food. In order for greenhouses to obtain such ecosystems, engineers, designers, and scientists are taking nature into consideration and are finding ways to use it wisely. A proven type of greenhouse structure for this type of extreme climate is usually a simple tent with poles set deeply into the ground. It should be built with high-tensile steel wires to form a basic framework, which is covered in a single layer of fine insect mesh and is stretched and secured to all edges.

The South China Botanical Garden helps people experience unique species from all around the world at an affordable price of 20 RMB. It costs 50 RMB for the extra greenhouse visits and is a great experience for kids, adults, and scientists. The South China Botanical Garden can range from hundreds of bird species to different environments presented in the greenhouses. The Botanical Garden is a great place to relax, admire, and learn more about the world we live in today.