Basil is an herb that is easy to grow indoors and outdoors. I highly recommend purchasing a small basil plant to use for observations as part of this week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge. It will be a delight to your senses!
Here are some observation ideas from the challenge.
Observe your basil plant using all your senses.
Look at the leaves and observe the shape and veins. What is the texture of the leaf? Taste a few of the fresh leaves if possible. Would you describe the taste as sweet or spicy? Rub a few of the leaves in the palm of your hand. How would you describe the aroma?
Feel the shape, color, and thickness of the stem. Does it feel square? Note the arrangement of the leaves on the stem. What is the height of the basil stems?
Observe the flowers if they are present. What is their color and shape? Do they have a fragrance? Did you see any insects on the plant or flowers?
Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study. You’ll need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the herb ebook download.
Included in the new Herb Ebook are eight brand new Outdoor Hour Challenges for you to complete as part of your nature study lessons with your children. These challenges are not based on information in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You’ll be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.
This 49-page digital ebook has 8 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn about some popular and common herbs you can easily grow in your garden.
There are multiple custom notebooking pages for each of the topics. You can choose from simple notebook pages or more advanced notebooking pages.
At the beginning of every year, I sit down and create a list of nature study related goals for myself. I realized years ago that without having specific goals to keep me motivated, a whole year could slip by and projects and outdoor activities that are important to me have not been accomplished. If you’d like to read this year’s goal entry, you can click here: Nature Study Goals 2021.
Backyard Habitat development:
I was reading back over the first quarter’s entry and I smiled because I said that the second quarter was going to be the time for “heavy lifting” as far as developing a backyard habitat. Nothing could be truer than that statement!
Here are a few of the reflections on what has happened in the garden this quarter:
We nurtured seeds in pots, bringing them in and out of the garage at night to avoid freezing them as they sprouted. Our first round of seeds was eaten by mice! I had to replant everything! (Perhaps there is a small greenhouse in the future to make life easier?)
Weeded and weeded and weeded again as everything began to grow. We had to weed the beds from last year, pluck the weeds from our gravel walkways, sift out the weeds from the native plants. The majority of this fell onto my shoulders since my husband injured his leg and he had to keep from kneeling on it for over six weeks! Weed management is still an ongoing process and it’s the way we carefully keep the native plants we desire to have growing in the yard.
Eventually we planted the seedlings in the ground. Once the nights were warm enough and the big threat of a freeze was past, we were able to get all the seeds and seedlings into their garden beds. We did end up adding a few more automatic drip lines to the new plants to make sure they were properly watered.
We were surprised with the number of plants that have reseeded themselves. Practically my whole sunflower bed is filled with volunteer plants from last year’s crop. I’m making a note that we may not need to replant as many seeds next year to have the same beautiful results.
It hasn’t taken long for the pollinators, birds, toads, and small mammals to make themselves at home in the garden. We added quite a few more water dishes and saucers around the yard and they are busy spots for everyone on the hot afternoons. So many baths and sips of water!
I’ve noticed that the effort to keep as many native plants in our yard as possible has paid off as far as attracting insects. It has taken careful weeding and observations as plants have matured to decide if they stay or not. I’m still learning but the feeling of success is a wonderful reward for all the time spent with my nose in a field guide and on the internet to determine which plants will add value to my wildlife habitat.
Local Hikes:
We took a day trip to Silver Falls State Park (Oregon) to hike and enjoy the spring waterfalls and flowers.
We didn’t have much of a chance to explore any new hiking trails. As I mentioned before, we had to let my husband’s leg heal before we could really get out and hike again. It’s still my goal to make more local hikes so stay tuned for our 3rd quarter adventures to make up for what we lacked in the last quarter.
Make notes in field guides
I’m still making notes in my field guides as a way of documenting my observations. Currently, I’m being vigilant about keeping up with the wildflowers, birds, and butterflies that we identify.
I have to say it is thrilling to note a new species and then marking it in the field guide. We had several “new to us” species of birds to note this quarter.
Go camping:
We managed to fit in two camping trips this quarter.
In April, we went camping on the Crooked River, near Prineville, Oregon. It was a SUPER windy weekend but not too cold. We were able to hike up and down the river in both directions. The shrubs and wildflowers were just beginning to come to life, and a few were in bloom. My husband did a bit of fishing and I spent time working on my nature journal.
In June, we traveled over to the southern Oregon coast to camp with a couple of our children. What a great time! The tidepools were amazing because there was a negative tide (which means the low tide exposes things normally under water). We had a couple of beach afternoons in the sun, did a little kite flying, and hiked along the Oregon Coast Trail. It was a perfect week! Even the foggy days were a welcome change from the 100+ degree heat at home.
What do you think? Does it count that I camp out in my own backyard several nights a week?
Learn about succulents
I’ve been trying to identify the succulents that live in my yard. I waited until this one was blooming to identify it with my field guide and the internet. It appears to be a kind of stonecrop. Whatever kind it is, I think its bright yellow flowers are gorgeous and I’m glad it’s growing in a spot I can let it spread.
Learning about succulents is a long term project that I’m really enjoying. I have several other succulents ready to bloom so I hope to share them in my 3rd quarter update.
So what about you? Have you created nature study goals for your family?
Could you use some help in keeping nature study a regular part of your week?
You can join as an Ultimate Naturalist Library member and immediately have access to hundreds of nature study ideas and printables.
Click the graphic above to see the complete benefits of a membership. Join and make 2021 the best year of nature study ever for your family!
Use the discount code NATURE5 for $5 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!
Here we are at the start of another new series of nature study topics! For the next eight weeks, we’ll be studying common herbs that most families have used and may have access to in their gardens. Cilantro is one of my favorite culinary herbs, especially in Mexican food. It’s easy to grow, so look for it at your local garden nursery.
Please note that this week’s challenge for cilantro is found in the sample for this ebook. Your family is welcome to download the sample, use the suggestions for nature study, complete a notebook page for your nature journal, and perhaps even use the coloring page.
Here are some observation ideas from the challenge.
Observe your cilantro plant using all your senses.
· Touch–Describe how the leaves feel? Is the stem stiff or bendable?
· Fragrance–Smell the leaves. Crush a few leaves and note the difference in aroma. Do the flowers have a fragrance?
· Sight-How tall is your plant? Note the shape of the leaves. Do you see any insects on your cilantro plant or flowers?
· Taste-Rinse a few of the leaves and then taste them. It has been described as tasting “bright, lemony, or a little peppery”. What is your description of the taste?
Remember that the rest of the challenge is available to Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study. You will need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the Herb Ebook download.
Included in the new Herb Ebook are eight brand new Outdoor Hour Challenges for you to complete as part of your nature study lessons with your children. These challenges are not based on information in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. You’ll be using internet links and field guides to glean information about each topic.
This 49-page digital ebook has 8 challenges and supplemental activities that will help you learn about some popular and common herbs you can easily grow in your garden.
There are multiple custom notebooking pages for each of the topics. You can choose from simple notebook pages or more advanced notebooking pages.
Many families enjoy taking a closer look at a topic over a period of a year, making observations once each season. This simple nature study idea creates an intimacy with the subject that makes lasting impressions.
My sons completed quite a few year long studies of trees. They would pick a tree and then return each season to note the changes. My favorite year long seasonal study was the one we completed using the Queen Anne’s Lace plants in our yard and neighborhood. The beauty of this type of nature study is that your children can pick what they want to observe and then make plans to learn about the subject in each successive season.
I have listed an linked below many of the summer seasonal studies to get you started. You can start now if wish or you can continue a study you have already begun in a previous season. Many of the challenges have free printable notebook pages for you to use in your nature journal!
Make sure to mark your summer calendar with one or two of the year long study summer season ideas below!
Start by clicking the link to the archived entry below.
July 2021 Nature Study Plans – Outdoor Hour Challenge
This is the month many of my readers have been waiting for! I know that it has been a long time coming, but we are going to finally be working through the series of Outdoor Hour Challenges for herbs!
We have one last wildflower study and then we are off to use our senses to learn about some more familiar herbs grown in our gardens. I think you whole family will enjoy learning about the benefits and uses of the herbs. It is not too late to pick up some of the herbs at your garden nursery and grow a few in pots. You can create your own little herb “lab” for your nature study this summer.
7/2/2021 –Forget-Me-Nots Nature Study (last wildflower challenge)
7/9/2021 – Cilantro Nature Study
7/16/2021 – Basil Nature Study
7/23/2021 – Bee Balm Nature Study
7/30/21 – Oregano Nature Study
New Printables in the Members Library
Butterflies of Summer Notebook Page: What could go better with a study of garden herbs? I think making some butterfly observations would be a perfect complement to your herb study.
My Nature Walk Notebook Page: Use your senses to create some summertime memories this month. Take a nature walk, perhaps in the early morning or the evening. Then create a notebook page for your nature journal using the new page in the Member’s Library.
Click the graphic above to view the complete list of printables available as part of an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.
Members also have access to the Nature Planner pages in their library. Print out this month’s page and use it to stimulate your weekly nature study time.
If you would like to have access to the member’s printables and the newsletter archive, I invite you to join with an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Your membership will be valid for one year from the date of purchase. Click the graphic above to see the many benefits of an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.
There are so many species of paintbrush that you’ll need to look in your local field guide to see which ones you may have in your region. Most paintbrushes bloom between May and September, often in large clusters with other flowers. They are easily identified by the brightly colored spike at the top of the stem, looking much like the end of a paintbrush.
Take a look at this page for paintbrush information: USDA Paintbrush.
Use this link to paintbrush found in the eastern United States: Castilleja coccinea. Here’s a link to paintbrush in the western region: Castilleja miniata.
If you have a membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you’ll find the complete challenge with images, more links to resources and videos, journaling ideas, a notebook page, and ideas for studying flowers in the figwort family. You’ll need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the book download. See the sample below to see what is included in each Outdoor Hour Challenge.
Ebook includes nature study lessons for common silverweed, fireweed, salsify, Indian paintbrush, and forget-me-nots.
We’ve reached the end of the third wildflower series of Outdoor Hour Challenges here on the Handbook of Nature Study. I sure have enjoyed taking a few minutes each week to learn about these common wildflowers. Next week, we start the herb series of challenges with the study of cilantro!
But this week, take a few minutes to read about and view some images of forget-me-nots in preparation for a wildflower study of a sweet little flower many of you have in your local area. Our yard has quite a few small patches of these blue beauties. It took me a few years to realize that these were actually forget-me-nots!
Look for forget-me-nots in meadows, stream banks, and shrub-steppe habitats with aspens. Normal blooming time is from May to August.
Remember that the complete challenge with videos, printables, and careful observation suggestions is available to Ultimate and Journey level members here on the Handbook of Nature Study. You will need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the book download.
Ebook includes nature study lessons for common silverweed, fireweed, salsify, Indian paintbrush, and forget-me-nots.
I love it when I’m researching and learning about one topic and it leads me to another interesting topic. This often happens with nature study when an answer to a question just makes you curious about something else.
I’ve been reading about pocket gophers because we have many that live and are active in the habitat behind our house here in Central Oregon. Their holes are everywhere! (If you’re interested in learning about pocket gophers, there’s an Outdoor Hour Challenge in the High Desert ebook that will help you get started.) We’ve been wondering just what they eat and it turns out their diet includes “forbs”.
I had no idea what a “forb” was, so we decided to research the term.
Forb:
“A forb or phorb is an herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid (grass, sedge, or rush). The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory.”
-From Wikipedia
Basically, most wildflowers are forbs. Grass is not a forb.
A pocket gopher’s diet consists mainly of forbs, eaten from the roots and pulled down into their tunnels. Most pocket gophers do not venture too far from their tunnel entrances to look for vegetation to eat.
So my dear readers, follow those “rabbit trails” when you are researching a topic. You never know what gem you will discover. I learned a new term to use in my nature study.
When I first saw salsify, I thought it was a giant dandelion. Upon closer examination, I realized the leaves and flowers are quite different. Here in the U.S., there are 2 plants that are called salsify:
Look for salsify along roadsides, vacant lots, pastures, and disturbed areas. Normal blooming time is from May to September.
This should be a fairly easy flower to spot if it’s blooming. It looks like a really large dandelion, purple or yellow depending on where you live. The seed head is also a larger version of the dandelion.
If you have a membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study, you’ll find the complete challenge with images, more links to resources and videos, journaling ideas, a notebook page, and ideas for studying flowers in the aster family. You’ll need to sign into your Ultimate or Journey level membership to see the book download.
Ebook includes nature study lessons for common silverweed, fireweed, salsify, Indian paintbrush, and forget-me-nots.
Summer nature study is easy when you have a bundle of Outdoor Hour Challenge summer ebooks at your fingertips. Pick the topics that interest your family the most and then get started with the activities, videos, and follow up notebook pages.
Nature study can be easy and fun if you have access to the Outdoor Hour Challenges.
Currently there are 3 summer themed ebooks to choose from:
Members can sign into their membership, scroll down to find the ebook of choice, and then download and use the nature study lessons.
It’s as easy as that! I love that families can immediately jump on any interest that presents itself during your summer adventures. When you observe a butterfly, follow up with the lesson on butterflies. In our family, if we came home from an adventure and we had a question, I pulled out the Handbook of Nature Study and did an internet search. Well, the Outdoor Hour Challenge is based on just that process. But, I’ve done all the legwork for you.
You can click the graphic above and see the dozens of nature study opportunities that you can make happen in your family.
If you’re new to the Outdoor Hour Challenge, you can find all three of the ebooks in the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. (See below for a discount code to use with your purchase!)
Use the discount code SUMMERfor5 for $5 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Code is valid until 6/30/2021.
Here are some observation ideas from the challenge.
I have listed an linked below many of the summer seasonal studies to get you started. You can start now if wish or you can continue a study you have already begun in a previous season. Many of the challenges have free printable notebook pages for you to use in your nature journal!
