Chapter 5: Plants and Animals Live Together

Chapter at a Glance

Wherever there are plants, there are animals too. Animals live on plants, around them and even under them. Elephants eat grass, caterpillars chew leaves, tailorbirds stitch leaves into nests, woodpeckers peck at tree trunks, squirrels and barbets use tree hollows, and ants build nests with leaves. Frogs, moths, butterflies and stink bugs rest on leaves.

The chapter asks children to stand next to their plant friend and study the soil. Soil is the top layer of the Earth. It is made of tiny pieces of broken rock, old leaves, roots and stems, and living and dead creatures. Ants, termites, beetles and grasshoppers live on top of the soil, and after rain earthworms and millipedes come out. New plants also sprout because seeds that were resting in the soil get water.

Animals use plants for food, shelter and rest. Camels eat leaves, monkeys eat fruit, sunbirds and butterflies drink nectar, owls raise their young in tree hollows, squirrels and crows build nests from twigs, and bats and leopards rest on branches. Children also listen to bird sounds, which are heard most in the early morning and evening. The chapter ends with the life cycle of a butterfly: a caterpillar eats leaves, forms a cocoon, and comes out as a butterfly.

Word Meanings

Important Topics

1. Animals Living with Plants

2. Life in the Soil

• Soil is made of broken rock pieces, old leaves, roots, stems and living and dead animals.
• On top: ants, termites, beetles, grasshoppers.
• After rain: earthworms and millipedes appear.
• Seeds lying in the soil sprout when they get water.

3. How Animals Depend on Plants

4. Sounds of Birds

• Close your eyes and listen; cupping your ears helps you hear better.
• Birds are heard most in the early morning and evening.
• A pigeon says ‘gutru-gu’; a crow says ‘caw-caw’; a cuckoo says ‘koo-koo’.

5. Life Cycle of a Butterfly

1. The caterpillar eats tender leaves.
2. One day it stops eating.
3. It forms a cocoon.
4. It comes out of the cocoon.
5. Now it is a butterfly.
6. It flies away.

Question-Answers

Very Short Answer Questions

1. Which bird stitches leaves to make its nest? Tailorbird.
2. Which animal eats grass? Elephant.
3. What is soil? The top layer of the Earth.
4. Name two creatures that come out after rain. Earthworms and millipedes.
5. Which birds drink nectar? Sunbirds.
6. Where do owls raise their young? In tree hollows.
7. What do squirrels and crows use to build nests? Twigs.
8. Which animals rest on tree branches? Bats and leopards.
9. What sound does a pigeon make? Gutru-gu.
10. What does a caterpillar become? A butterfly.

Short Answer Questions

Q1. Why do animals choose to live near plants?

Plants give animals food, shelter and a place to rest and raise their young. Many animals also hide among plants to stay safe.

Q2. What is soil made up of?

Soil is made of tiny pieces of broken rock, old leaves, roots and stems, and living and dead creatures like insects.

Q3. Why do we see more plants and animals in the monsoon?

Seeds resting in the soil sprout when they get rainwater, and many small creatures like earthworms come out of the soil when it is wet.

Q4. How do birds use plants?

Birds eat fruits, seeds and nectar from plants. They build nests using twigs and leaves, and rest on branches or in tree hollows.

Long Answer Questions

Q1. How do animals depend on plants? Give examples.

Animals get food from plants: camels eat leaves, monkeys eat fruit, and sunbirds and butterflies drink nectar. They get shelter: owls and barbets live in tree hollows, and squirrels and crows build nests of twigs. Tailorbirds stitch leaves into nests. Bats and leopards rest on branches. So plants give animals food, homes and resting places.

Q2. Describe how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

A caterpillar eats tender leaves all the time. One day it stops eating and forms a cocoon around itself. After some days, it comes out of the cocoon as a beautiful butterfly and flies away.

Textbook Exercise Answers

A1. Colour and texture of soil (sample). Soil near the plant was dark brown, soft and damp, and smelled earthy. Soil far from plants was light brown, hard and dry, with small stones.

A2. When did new leaves appear? New leaves appeared in spring (February–March) and again after the rains.

A3. Animals seen near plants: ants, butterflies, bees, squirrels, sparrows, lizards and caterpillars.

A4. How animals rely on plants: for food (leaves, fruit, nectar), shelter (nests, hollows) and rest (branches, leaves).

A5. What is soil made up of? Broken rock pieces, rotting leaves, roots, stems and small living and dead creatures.

B. Write (sample).

• Squirrel: small, grey-brown with three stripes and a bushy tail. It stays near trees to eat nuts and fruits and to hide in hollows.
• Butterfly: small, with colourful wings. It stays near flowers to drink nectar.

C. Draw your plant friend and mark with coloured dots where you saw animals, birds or insects.

D. Put in order.

1. One day it stopped eating.
2. The caterpillar formed a cocoon.
3. It came out of the cocoon.
4. Now it was a butterfly.
5. It flew away gently.

Bird sounds (sample)