The Big Wiggle Worms Dictionary

📖 The Big Wiggle Worms Dictionary

🌿 The Plant World

• Annuals: Plants that are “one-hit wonders.” They grow, flower, and make seeds all in one year, then they are finished.

• Biennials: Plants that take two years to finish their journey. They spend the first year growing leaves and the second year showing off their flowers.

• Chitting: Giving a potato a “wake-up call.” It’s when you let a potato grow little green sprouts (called “eyes”) before you bury it in the dirt.

• Dormant: When a plant goes into a deep sleep for the winter. It might look dead, but it’s just resting and saving its energy for spring!

• Evergreen: The “Winter Warriors.” These are trees and bushes that stay green all year round, even when it snows.

• Photosynthesis: A plant’s superpower! It’s the way plants turn sunlight, water, and air into “sugar food” so they can grow.

• Pruning: Giving a plant a haircut! We snip off the dead bits so the plant can focus on growing new, healthy parts.

• Taproot: The “Anchor.” Some plants, like carrots, grow one giant, deep root that goes straight down into the earth to find water.

🐛 The Bug & Soil World

• Beneficial Insects: The “Good Guys.” These are bugs like ladybirds and hoverflies that eat the pests (the “Bad Guys”) that try to munch on your vegetables.

• Decomposition: The “Disappearing Act.” This is when old leaves and food scraps rot away and turn back into rich, dark soil.

• Larva: A baby bug that looks like a tiny caterpillar or worm before it turns into its adult shape (like a beetle or a fly).

• Mulch: A “Blanket” for the soil. Usually made of wood chips or straw, it keeps the ground warm and stops the water from disappearing too fast.

• Nectar: The “Flower Juice.” A sweet liquid inside flowers that bees and butterflies drink for energy.

🛠️ The Tool Shed

• Cultivator: A tool that looks like a tiny hand with three “claws.” It’s used to scratch the soil and break up hard lumps.

• Drainage: The “Escape Hatch.” This refers to the holes in the bottom of a pot that let extra water leak out so the plant’s roots don’t get soggy feet.

• Propagator: A “Mini Greenhouse.” It’s usually a plastic box with a clear lid that keeps baby seeds warm and cozy while they start to grow.

• Trowel: A “Pointy Spoon” for the dirt. It’s the most important tool for a Wiggle Worm!