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CHOICE · EXPERIMENTARY · TAKE

A notebook.
Your findings.

Up to six proposals of Cabeceiras, in your own order, to do it at home, in company or on a break.

2 de 6 propostas escolhidas · faça-as ao seu ritmo.

PROPOSTA 1 DE 2 · A world beneath the leaves

Compare without dismounting the shelter

General ecology · wood and biodiversity

A log can be a little home

A fallen log remains part of woodland life. Fungi break down its wood, which also supports other organisms, including insect larvae. Researcher Susana Gonçalves explains that some tree cavities result from fungal activity and can later shelter animals. A standing tree with cavities and a log on the ground offer different things to observe. In green spaces, retaining veteran trees requires assessment and monitoring of the risk of falling. This ecological explanation does not confirm a connection between the beetle photographed in Cabeceiras and a particular tree. But wood does not always decay in the same way. In white rot, fungi break down lignin and cellulose; the wood may become pale, fibrous or spongy. In brown rot, decay mainly affects cellulose and hemicellulose, leaving a brownish residue rich in lignin. Wood may become brittle and break into small blocks. The University of California distinguishes these processes by their effects on wood components. White and brown describe the decay, not the colour of a mushroom cap. They are not species names either. A visible reproductive structure on a trunk reveals only part of the story: decay may extend upwards or downwards and remain hidden. A photograph cannot measure that extent or assess a tree’s stability.

Vamos experimentar?

  1. From the way, observe a fallen branch and a standing tree. Do not peel or break the wood.
  2. Draw two columns: what I can see and what I can't know from the outside. Register visible shapes, cavities or reproductive structures.
  3. Compare with reading: a texture does not itself identify the fungus, and the absence of mushrooms does not show what happens inside the trunk.

An activity to try at your own pace, without collecting specimens.

Open a história e os seus recursos →
Sources of this proposal

My findings

An idea, a drawing or a question to go on.

PROPOSTA 2 DE 2 · Travel through time

Try observing

Gondiães and Vilar de Cunhas · memory and landscape

A house with three granaries

At Casa de Chouzas, three 19th-century granaries stand alongside the manor house highlighted by the municipality. The group connects two functions: living and storing the harvest. Rather than looking only at the main house, it is worth recognising the importance of buildings supporting agriculture. The introduction to Vilar de Cunhas places this heritage in a landscape of plateau and mountain, shaped by farming and pastoralism. House and granaries can be read in that working context, although the source does not detail each property’s production. The house’s dating is less firm: the municipality presents it as perhaps 19th-century, while assigning the granaries to the 19th century. That difference should remain visible. The photograph accompanying the reading shows the portal, not the three granaries. The heritage reference does not confirm access to the group.

Vamos experimentar?

  1. Look at the photo of the portal and list only the elements you can see.
  2. Compared to the three granaries mentioned in the text: what depends on the written description?
  3. Imagine a caption that distinguishes the frame of the photograph from the remaining patrimonial set.

An activity to try at your own pace, without collecting specimens.

Open a história e os seus recursos →
Sources of this proposal

My findings

An idea, a drawing or a question to go on.

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