Sept 1894

I chose to do my field study on Fanged Geraniums, which are magical fanged flowers with very sharp teeth. It is a rather grumpy plant, actually, and no gardener would ever forget to water it because it will bite you if you neglect to care for it. They are common garden plants for many witches and wizards, although they are known to bite and attack anyone who goes near them. It has green leaves with flowers that are red or blue. The petals are pretty big, but they have to be in order to accommodate the teeth, which are found inside the petals. Fanged Geraniums look a lot like the muggle plant geraniums, especially while they are just budding as the fangs are still very small and barely noticeable.

Fanged Geraniums have been around for a very long time. There’s some historical speculation (but could never be confirmed) that the Muggle War of the Roses (1455-1487) was actually started because two wizard neighbors were arguing over a Fanged Geranium.

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169 words | For this homework assignment Mason Skeeter

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   Mason Skeeter

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Oct 1894

Today I learned that the plant produces seeds after its flower bloom, although I’m not sure how long the bloom will stay. It’s been a couple weeks and doesn’t seem like the petals are falling off or anything. (Probably because it’s a magical plant.) I planted them in the same soil we use in class with Professor Skeeter, which I assume is nutrient rich and good for all plants. They need a lot of soil to cover them or the mouth just remains gummy with no fangs. The seeds take a while to show any form of growth, although not all of the ones I planted sprouted. I know that dragon dung can’t be used as a fertilizer because it will cause the fanged geranium to die. I think the dung is too heavy and the plant's roots can’t break through it, or maybe it can taste the dung since it has a mouth and all, and it’s just too much.

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(word count: 160) FYI Mason Skeeter

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Nov 1894

Fanged Geraniums can only be watered with very fresh spring water or water that was acquired during moonlight. Once they sprout, they start to grow some green leaves. I can see why they are mistaken for muggle ones at this stage. Once they are a lot bigger and taller, nearly mature, the flowers begin to blossom; the flowers are either blue or red, as I haven’t seen a hybrid plant that has both colors. Red seems to be a lot more common. Once the sprout is nearly mature and the flowers begin to blossom, the fangs start to grow in too. They only grow a couple at this stage. The seedlings have a slight tendency toward defensive behavior, with small, nubby fangs forming early on. Their bites don’t hurt, so handling them really isn’t an issue just yet. Once it had fully matured, the age of the plant could be determined by counting the rings on the fangs, although that can be difficult as it tries to bite your fingers.

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(word count: 170) FYI Mason Skeeter

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   Antelope Grace

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Dec 1894

Wizards and witches can easily buy this plant at the apothecary and herbology shops, as it is a common household plant. Not only are the sharp fangs used in a lot of potions, like Strength Potion, as well as in Skele-Gro, but it can also be used in cooking. Caring for fanged geraniums isn’t too hard. As long as you consistently care for them, they only give you small, minor bites as a warning not to get too close, as compared to heavier bites that wizards get when they forget to care for it. They like to be watered consistently at the same time every day. Their fangs can really hurt when they bite hard – I learned that the hard way.

The fangs can be removed while the plant is still alive, although that is considered quite cruel. It’s not known how long they live for, but some of the textbooks say that they can live for several decades at a time.

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162 words | Mason Skeeter

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Jan 1895

As the weather begins to cool, I’ve noticed a slight change in the fanged geranium’s behavior. The plant’s growth has slowed, the petals seem to be less colorful and more wilted, and the fangs have become less active. It’s probably because it's a lot like other magical plants that enter a dormant phase during the colder months. Plants go dormant in the winter to conserve energy and protect themselves from harsh conditions like freezing temperatures and reduced sunlight. Of course the fanged geranium I’m studying won’t be impacted by the freezing temperatures, although I guess it’ll see less sunlight, unless I use a spell to create false sunshine. I don’t think I’ll do that. I’ve learned that the fanged geranium still has enough energy to defend itself when provoked, and its fangs still remain sharp. This indicates that while the plant may slow down, its defense mechanism is always on alert.

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151 words | Mason Skeeter

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Feb 1895

Today I tried to harvest petals from the fanged geranium. It doesn’t bite me as hard now that I’ve been watering it pretty regularly, although it still doesn’t like to be messed with. I approached slowly and used a sharp knife to snip off a few petals without much resistance, although the fangs did twitch, although not as aggressively as before. The fanged geranium seems to like to be approached from in front of it, and the key to not being bitten too hard is by not surprising it. A calm and steady approach yields better results.

Some muggles seem to think that their geraniums have some type of healing properties, but I put the pedal on one of my bite marks for a few minutes, but it didn’t actually do anything. I don’t see how they would differ from the fanged ones, but maybe there is something in the leaves that the fangs absorb. Either way, the fanged geraniums don’t actually help with just healing when it comes to their petals. Maybe it needs to be brewed in a potion to be of use, or maybe it needs to be during the summer when the plant is a little healthier.

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201 words | Mason Skeeter

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Mar 1895

The sun is shining and it’s a lot less cold out now that spring is almost near, so I’ve been giving the fanged geranium some more water and adjusted its position in the greenhouse so it can receive more daylight. There’s definitely a change in its energy and it feels like the plant is becoming more alert, almost like it’s waking up from a nice long winter nap. The leaves are becoming brighter, as are the flowers. I approached it carefully today to check on the new growth, and the fangs snapped faster and with more force than they have in months. I feel like I haven’t neglected it, but maybe I watered it too much or didn’t like being jostled when I moved it to a new window sill. It’s a clear reminder that the plant is coming back to life and that I’ll need to be extra cautious when handling it from now on. I’ll keep protective gloves next to it so it won’t leave any scars when it bites me.

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173 words | Mason Skeeter

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Apr 1895

Now that it’s a bit warmer and the fangs are a bit more active, I decided to conduct an experiment to observe the defensive mechanism of the fanged geranium in action. I used protective gloves so it wouldn’t really hurt me although I didn’t plan on using my finger to stick in its mouth. Instead I poked a stick near its mouth and immediately the fangs twitched and snapped in response. It bit the stick before I had time to pull it back; it wasn’t hard enough to snap it in half, but the fangs sure did leave some marks on the wood.. I swung the stick around it and over it, and the plant snapped at both. I can say the fanged geranium is more likely to snap when there’s a sudden movement, suggesting it might rely on motion detection for defense. I wonder if it’s like a Venus Fly Trap that has sensory hairs near the mouth to detect prey.

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173 words | Mason Skeeter

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