Outdoor Hour Challenge: We are going to revisit a challenge from the archives this week. Milkweed (from the More Nature Study Autumn Ebook) Use the information in this challenge to get you started looking for milkweed in your own area.
Seasonal Milkweed Notebook Page Printable Use this printable page to record your seasonal milkweed study in each season. Start with your summer milkweed and then revisit it each season to observe the changes.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, completeOutdoor Hour Challenge #8. Take along your magnifying lens when you observe your milkweed. Use it to get a really good look at the milkweed’s leaves, flowers, stem, and any insects you see on the milkweed. Record your observations on the notebook page in the ebook.
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This is the Oregon Coast Edition of the Wildflower and Weed Grid Study! I had a fun-filled week of hiking and beach-combing in Oregon and we had our eyes out for as many wildflowers as we could possible find. It wasn’t hard because each trail had an abundance of wildflowers for us to enjoy.
I tried to capture as man of them as I could to share with you in this post.
Blue Oregon Iris – These are a frequent flower along the trail.
Sea pinks along the shore…blowing in the wind, casting cool shadows.
Our campsite was filled with clover and daisies. Imagine…daisies so plentiful they seem like weeds!
Cow parsnip lines the roads and pops up along the shore. Some of these plants are super tall and the flower heads are enormous.
Inside Out Flower was found in the shady spots and it is one of my favorites from this trip. I decided to include a special page in my nature journal for it (see below).
We found patches of lupine along the Humbug Mountain Trail. This trail was a new one for us and what a view! It was a lot of fun to adventure up and we look forward to taking this trail again.
The Monkey flower was amazing! There were areas along the moist gully that just screamed yellow from this pretty flower.
A familiar sight along any redwood forest trail this time of year is the rhododendron….this one was a pale pink. This was spotted along the Shrader Old Growth Trail. This is a fun hike out of Gold Beach and worth the long dusty dirt road to get there. We had the trail all to ourselves on this morning. There is nothing like being out in the wilderness hiking along hearing the birds and nothing else.
One day we visited Crissey Field State Park which has an awesome visitor’s center and several trails. The beach there is wide and open which invites you to walk a long way next to the shore. This Sea Verbena was growing along the sandy dunes. My boys were entranced by all the driftwood and they spent about an hour just hunting among the piles for interesting shapes. Boys.
These are pretty little Seaside daisies….another one I really like and will be adding to my nature journal. I think the delicate fringe-like petals are the best part of this flower.
Smith’s Fairybells…another shade loving plant we saw a lot of as we hiked.
It always makes me happy to see where flowers naturally grow to make pretty color combinations. These sweet peas and daisies were found right along the edge of the bank in our campground.
Seaside Tansy…the interesting part of this plant are the fern-like leaves. They also grow right along the dry cliffside going down to the beaches.
This Tiger Lily was actually in Del Norte County, California. The drive up Hwy 101 takes you through Redwoods National Park where the Tiger Lilies are blooming profusely along the road. I had to stop and capture one for you! Gorgeous!
We found Wild Bleeding Hearts too! We have these planted in our garden here at home but it was fun to see them growing in their natural environment.
Aren’t these lovely? Western Azaleas grow in Harris Beach State Park and we always look forward to seeing their happy blossoms.
We saw many Wild Cucumbers blooming but this one had its fruit already formed. Isn’t it interesting? It is in the gourd family and you can see why when you see the fruits.
Here are the flowers from the Wild Cucumber.
I know this is a non-native invasive plant but we saw it on many of the trails. Wild Radish comes in a variety of colors…white, soft pink, light lavender.
This is my first unidentified wildflower…if anyone knows what it is you can leave me a comment.
EDIT: I think this is Yellow Parentucellia...figwort family. Range: Western Washington to NW California.
This is my second unidentified wildflower…yellow ones stump me for some reason.
This we saw in a pond at Lagoon Creek which is technically in California. Yellow Pond Lilies were blooming all over the pond.
So there you have all the interesting images that I could pull from my camera. We did see quite a few more and if you look closely at my Wildflower Grid nature journal page you will see them listed.
We went camping in Oregon for a week and while we were gone our garden decided to spring into life. I have it all on an automatic drip system so we knew it would be nicely watered in our absence. There were some surprises for us when we got back.
Our green beans have all started climbing their poles and I am afraid that I over-planted this veggie. We love green beans and I may need to learn how to preserve them so they don’t go to waste.
The tomato decided to really grow! It looks super healthy and I can hardly wait for the fruits to appear and ripen…then it will truly feel like summer.
The squash has come alive as well. The plants have green luscious leaves and seem to like the box I chose for them this year.
My patio tomatoes look fantastic…they are from Renee’s Garden in their Container Kitchen Garden Collection.
The Pots of Gold Chard (from Renee’s Garden Container Kitchen Garden collection) looks great too and I hope it is not going to get too hot for it before we harvest. I may pick some smaller leaves and add them to some soup.
The blackberries are thick with fruit this year. We had to trim the vines back because they were beginning to take over their little space over in the front corner garden. We had lots of berry treats in Oregon and it whetted my appetite for our own blackberries that will ripen next month. Then I will have blue stained fingers most mornings as I make my round of the garden, nibbling the delicious sweet berries.
There are lots of flower seedlings in my fence garden and I will share those as they mature and bloom. I can hardly stand the wait. The sunflowers are up tall and look like they will burst open with huge flower heads any day! That is always a fun time as they all start to blossom and the bees and butterflies arrive to enjoy them too.
Outdoor Hour Challenge Use the Wildflower and Weed Grid from this month’s newsletter to get started or to continue your nature study for this week. Pick a few of the prompts to complete as you spend just a few minutes outdoors. Pick a time of day that isn’t too hot so you will enjoy your time even more.
Printable Activity: Wildflower Photo Hunt Use the free printable to guide your wildflower and weed hunt this week…or save the photo hunt for when you visit a natural area with wildflowers.
Getting Started Suggestion:
If you already own the Getting Started ebook, complete Outdoor Hour Challenge #1. Spend your time outdoors with your children following their lead. You might tell them ahead of time that you are on the lookout for wildflowers and see if they can guide you to a spot they have observed wildflowers in the past. Keep it relaxed and fun!
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My lovely hedge bindweed is really spreading out in the area I am allowing it to grow. I know in my heart that it is a weed but when a plant grows all on its own, with no need for lots of water, and has a pretty flower, I am willing to let it have its way. There is a whole lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson 139) on hedge bindweed and it is also included in last year’s Vine Nature Study.
These are usually an early spring wildflower but I found a shady spot on our walking trail that had some blooming just this past week. We call them Fairy Lanterns but they are also known as White Globe Lilies. We see this one each year but I don’t think I have it in my nature journal…making a note to add it this week.
Now to the yellow multi-petal flower. I have such a hard time with identifying these sorts of flowers even using a local field guide. I will just enjoy it while it lasts along the trail.
It is the time of year that the Fireweed is blooming in our area…so pretty in its pinkish purple color.
There are two plants that run wild in our area and they are so common that you almost forget to stop and take a look. This is the Purple Vetch that grows like crazy along the roadsides and empty spaces. The second plant is the Sierra Nevada Pea….in shades of pink and purple.
We are enjoying our wildfower and weed grid study and will continue with it all month.
We are continuing to try new ways of cutting back our plastic consumption and this month we started to use stainless steel lunch box containers. I purchased two different kinds and we tested them out thoroughly on our last trip to Yosemite. Mr. A and I both packed our lunch and snacks in the stainless containers. The first thing we decided is that stainless steel is heavier than the plastic containers or baggies we have been using. It takes a bit of commitment to carry them in your day pack.
Mr. A used the ECO Lunchbox 3-in-1 container. He really liked the way it all fit together and he could keep his sandwich and chips from getting crushed in his day pack. He noted that they are not air tight so you don’t want to put anything in here that will leak. He also noted that his sandwich was a little dried out when he went to eat it.
I used the Kids Konserve Nesting Trio for my lunch. (One on top is the small container from Mr. A’s 3-in-1 Container.) I truly love these containers and have used them many times this month for on the go snacks and lunches. On this hike I packed two hard boiled eggs and some granola/dried fruit mix in the two containers. I found that my reusable hemp-cotton produce bag from Chico is the perfect way to carry the individual containers in my day pack (on my lap). This trio of containers comes with plastic lids and is leak proof.
Little by little we are finding new and acceptable ways to reduce our plastic consumption. I am always on the lookout for more ideas to implement, sort of a personal challenge.
We are going to be camping this month – Any camping related “using less plastic” tips? Leave me a comment.
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If you are a bird-loving family and are looking for fun as well as educational apps for your iPad, Larkwire Backyard Birder and Master Birder are two apps you may be interested in knowing more about. I received both apps as a gift from Larkwire (no other compensation) and I have been using these apps over the last few months to learn bird songs by ear.
The format for each app is similar and is based on the idea that you will view an image of a bird and then hear its song. After you have listened and are confident that you can recognize the bird’s song, you play a matching game with four birds at a time. This sounds easy but your ear really needs to be trained to hear the subtle differences in bird songs.
In the Gallery Game, the screen shows four birds and then quizzes you by playing the bird song and you pick the bird you think it is. If you match them correctly, it moves you on to the next song. If you miss it, you have a chance to replay the bird’s song and then continue with the game. You are allowed to choose which birds to learn and in what sequence by choosing groups of birds like birds with simple songs, birds with complex songs, songs with repeated notes, etc. I am working my way through the simple and complex sets with some success.
There is also a Search and Browse feature which lets you enter a bird’s name and then click over to hear calls and read a bit more about its distinctive song by state. You can also browse by category like hawks, owls, and woodpeckers. This is such a fun way to learn more about each bird family, learning which birds are related to each other.
The images used in these apps are stunningly clear and brilliant. I have enjoyed browsing the images which I know will also help me learn more birds that I can eventually identify.
Larkwire Apps I Reviewed Backyard Birder (California Top 25) allows you to choose your region/state and gives you the top twenty-five birds to learn. Priced at $3.95 for the desktop version and customizable to your region. The iTunes version is 99 cents and you customize it once you start to use it (per Phil at Larkwire). This was more than enough to get me started with my local birds and I highly recommend purchasing the songpack that is appropriate for your area. Don’t be surprised if after using this songpack when you hear your children identifying birds by ear…they pick up on them really fast!
Master Birder (land birds) allows you to select your level (beginner, intermediate, advanced, or master) and a song pack with 344 songs. Priced at $24.95 for the desktop version and from iTunes $14.99. I think this songpack will last me a very long time. There are so many birds to learn and to enjoy over the months and years to come.
There are many songpacks available allowing you to choose just what you need and can afford.
Not sure if your children will like Larkwire apps? Go ahead and try their free starter pack with 21 birds. You will not be disappointed.
The app is available in the iTunes store- look up Larkwire. This app is also available for your desktop computer but you need to purchase it through the website.
For more information about how to purchase and whether it will work on your device, see the Larkwire website.
This year Renee’s Garden sent me my whole seed order as a gift so that I could share my results with my dear blog readers. I love the selection of seeds found at Renee’s Garden and I have grown them in my garden for many years. I usually order them directly from their website but my dad purchased his whole garden seed order at our local Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) which would even be easier!
We got our seeds in the ground last month and we are already seeing tremendous growth in the veggie and flower gardens!
Our Blue Lake pole beans have all sprouted and with the heat we are getting this week we should probably see them double in size. The seeds we planted are from Renee’s Garden Organic Seed Collection. I am so thrilled to have these in my garden that I planted two different boxes with these green bean sesds. I am anxious to see how they taste!
This is something new for our family from Renee’s: Tricolor Zucchini. The zucchini seeds are mixed in the packet and contain three different kinds of squash. The seedlings look strong and are growing like crazy. I have a whole houseful of zucchini lovers so hopefully we will get our fill of squash this summer.
A whole row of sunflowers…which need to be thinned a bit. We have three really big ones which were self-sowed from last year’s crop but there are some little seedlings that we planted from our Renee’s Garden seeds. There are Van Gogh, Chocolate Cherry, and Royal Flush.
We planted plenty of morning glories right in the middle of our back garden. I am hoping they do well here and have been watching them grow week by week. Morning glories make me super happy and I love to draw them in my nature journal…relaxing. The seeds we picked are a heritage blend that are traditionally grown to decorate fences and mailboxes.
There are also some really pretty showy flowers in the garden right now which are not from Renee’s Garden but I want to share with you.
The hydrangeas are very happy this year and this is my favorite color…so delicate.
In my container deck garden there is a beautiful calla lily blooming. This plant always surprises me when it pops back to life after the winter weather. It soon will be a whole pot full of blooms which the hummingbirds and I will enjoy.
It is very hard to believe that it is day lily blooming time but they are all budding out and a few are blossoming.
I love the peachy color of this day lily and am always happy to see it in bloom in my butterfly/hummingbird garden.
There are lots more of Renee’s Garden seeds to share and I will as the season progresses. I am always happy to share our favorite seed company with my blog readers.
Wild for wildflowers! This time of year is a great time to get outdoors with our children to enjoy the many splendors of the early summer season. I hope this newsletter helps you get started with some wildflower nature study using the Handbook of Nature Study and the Outdoor Hour Challenges. I look forward to this month’s carnival entries….show me your wildflowers!
Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:
4 wonderful articles relating to wildflowers/weeds and wildflower nature study
Wildflower/Weed Grid Study and Bookmark printable
Wildflower printable notebook page
Show and Tell from OHC Participants
Ebook specials and product recommendations
Recommended study links
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Start planning your Great American Backyard Campout! You may be interested in following my Camping With Kids Pinterest Board for some fun ideas for your family.
Garden flowers are some of my favorite nature study subjects of all time. Each flower is so unique and wonderful. I hope that your family was able to get outside this month and at least observe some flowers or crop plants up close. I invite you to read what some of the other Outdoor Hour Challenge families have done this month.
Our family’s garden flowers and crop plant entries from this month’s study (in case you missed one):
Garden Flower Grid Study
Eva shares Grandma’s Flower Gardening Tips with this edition of the carnival. These are some great tips…you must read!
Angie from Petra School submits their garden entry: The Gardens at Mil Mar. She has some beautiful Pacific Northwest flowers like rhododendrons and azaleas. Pop over and see how she grows her tomatoes!
Angie from Petra School also would like to share some of their garden updates: Schooling in Summer. Scroll down and see how those tomatoes are growing.
Alex from Life on a Canadian Island shares their In Our Garden – Garden Flowers Nature Study with you. She has some gorgeous images of their early spring flowers and some ideas for additional flower resouces.
Tricia from Hodgepodge submits her Garden Flower Study in Phone Photos entry for you view and enjoy. She shares how their family has noticed so many garden flowers and changes as the month went by. Focus on Garden Flowers
Jennifer from Royal Little Lambs has shared her Garden Nature Study entry with the carnival. She shows how they have visited the flower nursery, prepared their garden, and planted many, many things to enjoy in the months to come.
Cristy from Cristy’s Nature Journal has put together a fabulous entry: Planting Sunflowers and Watching Them Grow. She shares in words and images how their sunflowers have progressed towards their eventual Sunflower House! I love it!
Barbara and her family completed a study of their garden strawberries using the Handbook of Nature Study. Please click over to read her entry Learning about Strawberries on her blog, The Schoolhouse on the Prairie.
Diana from Homeschool Review has put together their Outdoor Hour Challenge-Reptile and Amphibian entry for you to enjoy. They are following up on last month’s theme now that their weather has warmed up.
Claire from Angelicscalliwags pops into this edition of the carnival with her entry: Nature Study-Our One Year Pond Study. I invite you to click over and view her wonderful images and be inspired to start your own pond study.
Shirley Ann from Under an English Sky shares their OHC-Wildflowers entry with the carnival. Her family has done an excellent job collecting, identifying, and recording their lovely English wildflowers. I love this time of year!
Don’t forget to share your blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in June are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 6/29/13.
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