Herbology lessons
Location: Hogwarts
Date: October 2016
"Can anyone here tell me what this is?" Neville asked, holding up a pot containing a small leafy plant with vase shaped flowers that pointed upwards. Its branches wriggled as he spoke, and a couple of tendrils waved at his face, but the Second Years in front of him looked blank. One boy raised his hand hesitantly.
"Yes, Nigel?"
"Um, is it a Flutterby bush?"
"Close, but no. This is a Bat bush, named for its distinctive batwing-like leaf shape and ability to sense where things are by their sound. A fully grown bat bush can shoot out its tendrils at passing flies or wasps and catch them by winding the tendril around tightly. It then passes the insect to one of its flowers, which hold a small well of weak acid, where the insect dissolves and provides nutrition to the plant."
Neville put the plant on the table, followed by two more. "I'd like you all to draw a quick sketch of the Bat bush in your books, pointing out in particular the features of the flowers and tendrils."
Once the students were busy with their task Neville moved away - he didn't like to look over their shoulders in case he made them nervous - and began clipping at an overgrown Devil's Snare that took up a good corner of the greenhouse. It made a lazy attempt to catch his foot, but he kicked it off easily, and snipped off the offending tendril just to be sure.
Date: October 2016
"Can anyone here tell me what this is?" Neville asked, holding up a pot containing a small leafy plant with vase shaped flowers that pointed upwards. Its branches wriggled as he spoke, and a couple of tendrils waved at his face, but the Second Years in front of him looked blank. One boy raised his hand hesitantly.
"Yes, Nigel?"
"Um, is it a Flutterby bush?"
"Close, but no. This is a Bat bush, named for its distinctive batwing-like leaf shape and ability to sense where things are by their sound. A fully grown bat bush can shoot out its tendrils at passing flies or wasps and catch them by winding the tendril around tightly. It then passes the insect to one of its flowers, which hold a small well of weak acid, where the insect dissolves and provides nutrition to the plant."
Neville put the plant on the table, followed by two more. "I'd like you all to draw a quick sketch of the Bat bush in your books, pointing out in particular the features of the flowers and tendrils."
Once the students were busy with their task Neville moved away - he didn't like to look over their shoulders in case he made them nervous - and began clipping at an overgrown Devil's Snare that took up a good corner of the greenhouse. It made a lazy attempt to catch his foot, but he kicked it off easily, and snipped off the offending tendril just to be sure.