Welcome to The Sciku Project – the latest scientific and mathematical discoveries, thoughts and ideas as scientific haiku.
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The Sound of a Worm by Kelly Westhoff
in this noisy world
by Kelly Westhoff
robins tune out everything
and listen for worms
Robins can often be seen hopping around the grassy lawns of parks and homes hunting for earthworms. But worms live underground, so how do robins know where they are? Robins can hear them! Well, not exactly. Worms don’t make noise, but their movements underground do stir up soil and roots and leaves, and that’s what robins can hear.
If you watch a robin hunt, you’ll likely notice that it will often pause and cock its head. Researchers think this is when a robin is “listening” for worms. In the past, scientists thought robins could see grass shift as a worm passed underneath and that this was how they found their prey.
However, in the 1990s, scientists captured some robins and created a variety of scenarios, like hiding worms deep in dirt under a layer of cardboard and playing loud music while robins hunted. The robins had the hardest time finding worms when their hearing was compromised, leading the scientists to believe the birds rely on their ears more than their eyes while seeking worms. When the study was done, all the robins were released back into the wild.
Further reading:
‘How Do American Robins Find Worms? Behold the Rich Sensory World of Birds’, 2026, McGlashen, A., Audubon Magazine, available: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/how-do-american-robins-find-worms-behold-rich-sensory-world-of-birds
Author bio:
Kelly Westhoff loves fitting words into the 5-7-5 format of traditional haiku. For her, haiku is a practice in mindfulness. She enjoys discovering parallels between her life and nature. She lives in Minnesota where the ever-changing seasons are a constantly-renewing source of inspiration. Find more of her haiku on Instagram @KellyWesthoffWrites.
Cherry Blossom by Sarah Das Gupta
Blossom in the wind
by Sarah Das Gupta
an elfin candyfloss drifting
in a Japanese garden
| Botanical name: | Wild cherry – Prunus avium |
| Popular names: | Cherry Blossom, Sakura (Japan) |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Origin: | Widely distributed in Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Asia, especially Japan |
| Habitat: | Grows best in full sunlight and fertile soil. Will not tolerate being waterlogged. |
The national flower of Japan is the cherry blossom. Trees in parks and gardens, are bred from wild cultivars such as Prunus speciosa (Oshima Cherry) which is native to Japan and can produce double flowers and grows rapidly. In the modern era trees are generally propagated by grafting. Classifying cherry trees is difficult as they have a tendency to mutate. Prunus itosakura is a wild, species which grows slowly but has the longest life among cherry trees. Jindai—sakura is over 2,000 years old and believed to be the oldest surviving cherry. Often such ancient trees are seen as sacred and mark Shinto shrines. The flowers of ornamental cherries have a characteristic scent, like vanilla.
The term ‘hanami’ refers to the practice of ‘flower viewing’ which was originally popular with the Imperial Court but with the planting of cherry trees in urban areas in the modern era, it has spread to all classes.
Modern cultivars are being developed with a resistance to disease, especially to an invasive longhorn beetle. Traditionally the cherry blossom begins blooming in Okinawa in January and reaches Kyoto and Tokyo by the beginning of April. As a result of global warming, the date in Tokyo has moved to early March.
In Japan, the blossom is a symbol of the ephemeral nature of life. The blossom is short-lived and fragile.
Further reading:
‘‘Cherry’ Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved Japan’s Blossoms’, 2020, Abe, N., Vintage, ISBN: 978-1784706920
Author bio:
Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.
World in motion by Tony Williams
knowing nothing
by Tony Williams
of Brownian motion…
pollen dancing on a pond
You may have heard of Brownian Motion already, or even recollect an enthusiastic science teacher demonstrating it and then trying to impart its significance? Brownian Motion was first observed and named, unsurprisingly, after botanist Robert Brown in 1827 and then explained by Albert Einstein in 1905. It provides crucial evidence for the existence of atoms and molecular movement in a medium (liquid or gas). The movement of observed suspended particles is continuous, irregular and influenced by temperature.
Further reading:
‘Brownian Motion’, Wikipedia article, available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownian_motion
‘What is Brownian Motion?’, 2023, Vanstone, E., Science Sparks, available: https://www.science-sparks.com/what-is-brownian-motion/
Author bio:
Tony Williams from Scotland, UK, started writing haiku and senryu in 2020. Since then he has been published widely in many fine journals and picked up some awards. Tony takes inspiration from spending time in nature. He is not unhappily retired.
Read other sciku by Tony here: ‘Spooky Action’, ‘ToE…’ and ‘Tuning in…’.
Why not join in?
The Sciku Project is always looking for submissions, send in your sciku to contact@thescikuproject.com with a brief explanation of your sciku. Find out more on the Submit page.
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