Phenomenon Description: The Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) has specialized leaves that snap shut to capture and digest insects, which the plant uses for nutrients.
Location: Found in the subtropical wetlands of NC and SC, Carolina Beach State Park, Wilmington, NC
Grade Level or Course: Grade 6
Question: If Venus flytraps photosynthesize like other plants, why have they also evolved to get nutrients by trapping and digesting insects?
Topics Related to Grade 6
Phenomenon Description: North Carolina often experiences minor earthquakes, but the state is not located near a tectonic plate boundary.
Location: North Carolina
Grade Level or Course: Earth and Environmental Science
Question: Why does NC experience earthquakes?
Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect: Mechanism & Explanation
Science Domain: Earth and Space Science
Phenomenon Description: Blue hue of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains
Grade Level or Course: 6
Question: Why are the Blue Ridge Mountains Blue?
Crosscutting Concepts: Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation
Science Domain: Physical Science