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Nature Study Plan for 2020-2021 – Outdoor Hour Challenge

Outdoor Hour Challenge 2020-2021

Get Ready for Autumn!

 I am reposting the information about the upcoming school year’s plan for the Outdoor Hour Challenge.

I’m getting excited to start a new school year of nature study alongside all of you! The plan this year is packed with a variety of awesome topics that will appeal to a wide range of children and those who live around the world. My friends are all geared up to start on September 4, 2020 with the Autumn Nature Study ebook. I, on the other hand, am having trouble imagining I’ll be ready for “autumn” nature study in just a few weeks from now. But, I’m sure that by the time it arrives, September is going to be a rich month of nature time before the weather turns too cold or wet.

Join us if you have a membership by reading the instructions below and then getting your nature journals ready. Don’t forget to print out the nature planner pages for the autumn season for even more ideas in addition to the Outdoor Hour Challenge topics.

There’s something for everyone in an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

2020 to 2021 plan graphic with ebook covers2

Here are the five ebooks that will be planned out from September 2020 to August 2021.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image

Autumn – Final Ebook: swallows and swifts, catbirds, cockroaches, field horsetail, sapsucker, brook study, catfish, jewelweed, prickly lettuce, hedgehog fungi, calcite, limestone, marble, chickens, and turkeys.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Nature Study Continues ebook

Winter Nature Study Continues Ebook: cattle, deer, feldspar, Orion star study, crystals, flickers, scarlet saucer, bloodroot, hepatica, violets, bleeding hearts, Dutchman’s breeches, and squirrel corn.

Bird Set ebook cover image

Bird Set #1 Ebook: pelican, swan, snipe, egret, sandhill crane, American dipper, horned lark, magpie, and Clark’s nutcracker.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Wildflower 3 Covermaker

Wildflowers Ebook #3: fireweed, salsify, paintbrush, forget-me-nots, and silverweed.

Herb Nature Study ebook cover graphicHerbs Ebook: cilantro, basil, bee balm, oregano, dill, thyme, sage, and mint. This ebook will be added to the Ultimate and Journey level memberships in June 2020.

Outdoor Hour Challenge September 2020 – August 2021 for Members

Get the Year Plan in a PDF: Subscribe to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, Journey, or Discovery level membership: Your membership will give you access to a detailed schedule for the entire year. You will have a printable plan that shows dates and specific topics that will be considered every Friday. This makes your planning super easy!

Nature Planner Graphic Button 2020 2021

As there were last year, I’ve created monthly planning pages with lots of additional nature study ideas that you can use to enrich your nature study. These are similar to the planning pages I created for the newsletters in the past. If you’re a member at any level, you’ll receive all 12 months of planning pages in one pdf to download and print!

Nature Planner Page Sample 2020View a sample planning page above. These pages will be added to the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by the end of July 2020. Print the sample: September 2020 Handbook of Nature Study planner page.

Benefits by Level graphic  26 ebooks

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

Do You Want to Join Us? Here’s what you need to do!

  1. Purchase a membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Remember that if you want access to all the ebooks, you’ll need an Ultimate Naturalist or Journey Level Membership. If you purchase a membership now, you’ll have access to all of the new ebooks as they become available. A membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study starts the date of purchase and is valid for one year.
  2. Download the ebooks as they become available.
  3. Download the September 2020 through August 2021 plan.
  4. Subscribe to the Handbook of Nature Study blog for reminders each Friday.

Handbook of Nature Study Subscribe Now 2

If you can’t purchase a membership at this time, you can still follow along by subscribing to the blog and each week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge will come right to your email inbox.

Click Below to Get Started!

2020 to 2021 plan graphic with ebook covers2Use the discount code NEWSTART for $10 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Code expires 9/1/2020.

 

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Creepy Things Series of Nature Study

Creepy Thing Ebook Cover image
Ultimate and Journey Level members can click this graphic to go directly to the library to download a copy of this new ebook. Make sure you are logged in and if you’re having trouble with your password, please leave me a comment or send me a direct email to receive my assistance. Email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

 

Are you ready to learn about some creepy things? This Friday we’ll be starting the new series of nature study ideas that feature some of the “creepy things” you may have in your yard or neighborhood. I’m hoping that if you learn about these fascinating creatures and plants, you will no longer view them as creepy things but more as amazing things.

creepy things collage

It’s the perfect time to join us each week for a brand new nature study lesson using the new ebook. (Don’t miss the discount code at the end of this blog entry.)

Here are the specific topics included in this ebook:

  • Banana slug
  • Tarantula/Tarantula hawk
  • Black Widow
  • Scorpion
  • Leech
  • Muskrat
  • Sphinx moth
  • Cicada
  • Millipede
  • Poison oak

Creepy Thing Ebook Cover image

How do you get the new Creepy Things ebook?

Members of the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey levels have access to the new ebook in their library. You need to click the “Members Area” button at the top of the website, sign into your account, and the ebook is there to download and save for your family to use when desired.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

If you don’t have a membership yet, I’m offering a $10 off discount code that will be good towards your Ultimate Naturalist membership.

Discount Code: NATURESTUDYFUN

 

 

 

 

 

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Practical Homescholing Award for Science 2020

What an honor again to be in the top spot for the Practical Homeschooling Magazine Awards for 2020! I can’t tell you how much this means to me to receive this award for being a top elementary school science curriculum. I write about things I love and am passionate about. To know that the families who use my plans love them too keeps me motivated to go on creating the best homeschool nature study site on the web!

20201seal

I’ve been writing the Outdoor Hour Challenge since 2008. The list of topics covered with the weekly nature study lessons and ideas has grown to be a complete library of resources for families to use no matter the weather and no matter the environment.

It makes my heart soar to know that homeschooling families feel my program has enriched their lives and given them a solid science curriculum to use as a means of learning about nature together.

Thank you to all of you who voted and those that have supported this worldwide community of nature-loving families throughout the past decade.

The 2020 Practical Homeschooling® Reader Awards™ will be announced in the Summer 2020 issue of Practical Homeschooling magazine. The Reader Awards have been a regular feature in the magazine since 1998. Thousands of homeschoolers rank the curriculum they have used, and the products with the highest satisfaction ratings win.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

As a BIG thank you, I’m going to be extending a discount code for you to use towards ANY level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Discount code: 2020AWARD

Use this code at checkout and you will receive $10 off your purchase of a membership.

If you choose an Ultimate Naturalist Library Membership, this will give you all current 26 ebooks, including the Herb ebook!

Printables for Members Button

Newsletter Index download

PLUS, you’ll receive access to the printables library with dozens of notebooking pages and activities for you to print out. PLUS, it will include access to all 76 archived issues of the monthly newsletter.

Benefits by Level graphic  26 ebooks

Now is the time to join so you can start using the resources right away and then for the next year of your membership!

Thank you so much for your love and support of the Handbook of Nature Study!

2020-2021 Outdoor Hour Challenge Plans

2020 to 2021 plan graphic with ebook covers2

Would you like to join us for the next school year using the Outdoor Hour Challenge as your science/nature study curriculum? Take a look at this entry to see what our topics will include over the next year. They will be based on the ebooks shown in the graphic above AND printables from the Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

Do you want to get started with nature study in your family? Why not give the Outdoor Hour Challenge a try in your family. I have never regretted the decision to make nature study a regular part of our homeschooling experience.

 

Don’t forget to use the discount code: 2020AWARD

 

 

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New Ebook is Now Available-Herb Nature Study

Herb Nature Study ebook cover graphic
Ultimate and Journey Level members can click this graphic to go directly to the library to download a copy of this new ebook. Make sure you are logged in and if you’re having trouble with your password, please leave me a comment or send me a direct email to receive my assistance. Email: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

 

New Ebook is Now Available to Members!

The Herb ebook is now ready for you to download and use with your family. I’ve been creating the challenges for this ebook over the past year for your family to use while growing and enjoying some fragrant and delicious herbs in your garden.

We’ll be working through this ebook during the upcoming 2020-2021 school year but you can use the challenges this summer if you want to jump start some easy nature study right in your own yard.

2020 to 2021 plan graphic with ebook covers2
I released the 2020-2021 plan for nature study last week. Please click over to the entry to see the complete plan.

 

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.
  • There are 6 coloring pages.
  • Sample: Print an ebook sample here: Cilantro Nature Study

Here are the specific topics included in this ebook:

  • Cilantro
  • Basil
  • Bee Balm
  • Oregano
  • Dill
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Mint

Herb Nature Study ebook cover graphic

How do you get the new Herb ebook?

Members of the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey levels have access to the new ebook in their library. You need to click the “Members Area” button at the top of the website, sign into your account, and the ebook is there to download and save for your family to use when desired.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

If you don’t have a membership yet, I am offering a $5 off discount code that will be good towards your Ultimate Naturalist membership.

Discount Code: HERBS4U

 

 

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2020-2021 Nature Study Plans with the Outdoor Hour Challenge

Outdoor Hour Challenge

September 2020 through August 2021

Plans and Instructions

 

I know how much the Outdoor Hour Challenge year plan is anticipated by the families that follow the series topics each week! I’m happy to announce that I have it all organized and ready to go for you a little bit earlier than usual. You’re going to be excited to hear that there are 3 new ebooks in the plan this time around!

2020 to 2021 plan graphic with ebook covers2

Here are the five ebooks that will be planned out from September 2020 to August 2021.

Handbook of Nature Study Autumn Nature Study 2015 Cover Image

Autumn – Final Ebook: swallows and swifts, catbirds, cockroaches, field horsetail, sapsucker, brook study, catfish, jewelweed, prickly lettuce, hedgehog fungi, calcite, limestone, marble, chickens, and turkeys.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Nature Study Continues ebook

Winter Nature Study Continues Ebook: cattle, deer, feldspar, Orion star study, crystals, flickers, scarlet saucer, bloodroot, hepatica, violets, bleeding hearts, Dutchman’s breeches, and squirrel corn.

Bird Set ebook cover image

Bird Set #1 Ebook: pelican, swan, snipe, egret, sandhill crane, American dipper, horned lark, magpie, and Clark’s nutcracker.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Wildflower 3 Covermaker

Wildflowers Ebook #3: fireweed, salsify, paintbrush, forget-me-nots, and silverweed.

Herb Nature Study ebook cover graphicHerbs Ebook: cilantro, basil, bee balm, oregano, dill, thyme, sage, and mint. This ebook will be added to the Ultimate and Journey level memberships in June 2020.

Outdoor Hour Challenge September 2020 – August 2021 for Members

Get the Year Plan in a PDF: Subscribe to the Ultimate Naturalist Library, Journey, or Discovery level membership: Your membership will give you access to a detailed schedule for the entire year. You will have a printable plan that shows dates and specific topics that will be considered every Friday. This makes your planning super easy!

Nature Planner Graphic Button 2020 2021

As there were last year, I’ve created monthly planning pages with lots of additional nature study ideas that you can use to enrich your nature study. These are similar to the planning pages I created for the newsletters in the past. If you’re a member at any level, you’ll receive all 12 months of planning pages in one pdf to download and print!

Nature Planner Page Sample 2020View a sample planning page above. These pages will be added to the Ultimate and Journey level memberships by the end of July 2020. Print the sample: September 2020 Handbook of Nature Study planner page.

Benefits by Level graphic  26 ebooks

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist June 2020

Do You Want to Join Us? Here’s what you need to do!

  1. Purchase a membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study. Remember that if you want access to all the ebooks, you’ll need an Ultimate Naturalist or Journey Level Membership. If you purchase a membership now, you’ll have access to all of the new ebooks as they become available. A membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study starts the date of purchase and is valid for one year.
  2. Download the ebooks as they become available.
  3. Download the September 2020 through August 2021 plan.
  4. Subscribe to the Handbook of Nature Study blog for reminders each Friday.

Handbook of Nature Study Subscribe Now 2

 If you can’t purchase a membership at this time, you can still follow along by subscribing to the blog and each week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge will come right to your email inbox.

Click Below to Get Started!

2020 to 2021 plan graphic with ebook covers2Use the discount code NEWSTART for $10 off your Ultimate Naturalist Library membership. Code expires 9/1/2020.

 

 

 

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge: Snowberry Nature Study

Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge

Snowberry Nature Study

I realize that many of you will not have access to this interesting shrub to examine in person this week. But, you can read all about it and then think of shrubs you have in your local area to compare it to during your outdoor time.

  • You can look for shrubs with berries, use a field guide to identify that shrub and then make some comparisons to the snowberry.
  • Then, in the future when you come across a snowberry plant, you will be armed with a little knowledge about what makes this shrub interesting and adapted to its habitat.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Snowberry Shrub Nature Study

Please note that I won’t be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that is available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

 If you would like to purchase a membership, you can use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER to receive a $10 discount on an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge: Bitterbrush Nature Study

Our family currently lives in a bitterbrush habitat in Central Oregon. Each spring as the leaves unfold, we are amazed at the shrub’s ability to spring back from its winter deadness. It only needs a bit of coaxing from April sunshine and warm temperatures and once again it fills the spaces beneath the pines and blossoms with its butter yellow flowers.

If you watch closely, you’ll see insects, birds, and even a few mammals come to visit the bitterbrush. The bitterbrush provides shelter to the small scurrying creatures that inhabit this landscape. The bitterbrush plant is a vital part of the ecosystem here in the high desert region of Oregon.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Bitterbrush

Use these ideas to get you started with your bitterbrush study:

  • Choose your resource for learning about bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata). You can use one of the resources listed on page 5 of the High Desert ebook. Or, if you would prefer, look for resources at your public library, perhaps a field guide for wildflowers or shrubs.
  • In addition, look up these online resources for facts and a range map:  USDA Forest Service or USDA printable.
  • You can watch a YouTube video featuring bitterbrush here: https://youtu.be/XS_zwxx9z0E

Note that an alternate study this week could be done for rabbitbrush (found in the Forest Fun ebook).

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

 Use discount code SPRINGTOGETHER for $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library Membership.

 

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Wild for Wildflowers Nature Study

Wild for Wildflowers Nature Study Printable

-From the Newsletter Archives

For many of us, spring is a time to look for wildflowers. The world comes alive with color and it beckons us to get outside and walk a local trail. I invite you to download, print, and use the ideas in the printable I’m sharing below, Wild for Wildflowers.

Wild for Wildflowers Printable handbookofnaturestudy

As suggested in the printable, take time to identify even just one wildflower this month. Make it a topic of your nature journal. Or, use one of the many ideas in the chart to deepen your wildflower knowledge in a way that sounds fun for your family.

Download: Wild For Wildflowers

 

This printable is from the June 2013 Newsletter found in the archives here on the Handbook of Nature Study. If you have access to the newsletters, you can download and read the complete edition that features even more ideas for wildflower study.

Newsletter Index download

The newsletter archives are available in every level of membership here on the Handbook of Nature Study.

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020Use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER to receive $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership.

 

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Brand New! Outdoor Hour Challenge Big Sagebrush Nature Study

The sagebrush habitat is filled with interesting plants and animals, least of which is this week’s subject, the big sagebrush. Looking out over a sea of sagebrush gives the impression of it being an empty, dry wasteland. But upon closer inspection, it becomes a richly interconnected collection of living things all coexisting in a harsh landscape. Sagebrush is the thread that holds it all together.

You may wish to view my picks for resources to learn about the sagebrush habitat in this entry: High Desert Resources.

Big Sagebrush Shrub Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenge

Use these ideas to get you started with your sagebrush study:

  • Choose your resource for learning about big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata).  You can use one of the resources listed on page 5 of the High Desert ebook. Or if you prefer, look for resources at your public library, perhaps a field guide for wildflowers or shrubs.
  • In addition, look up these online resources for facts and a range map:  USDA Forest Service or USDA printable.

Note that an alternate study this week could be done for rabbitbrush (found in the Forest Fun ebook).

Please note that I will not be posting the complete challenge here on the blog, but you will find the detailed challenge in the High Desert ebook that’s available both in the Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level memberships. Sign into your account and download the ebook for the details, more links, and notebook pages.

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

Use the discount code SPRINGTOGETHER to receive $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Library membership!

 

 

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Outdoor Mom – April 2020

In some ways, as this stay-at-home order continues, I’m finding it easier to allow myself to just go take a walk outside in the yard, pedal the bike down the street and back, and wander around as I bird watch behind our house near the river. There IS TIME now to be outdoors and to still follow the orders to just be out to exercise.

My children are all doing pretty much the same with their own desired means of exercise, whether it’s training for their first 5K race, taking off on a forestry road on their dirt bike, or hiking up a butte every day. I’m encouraging them to be out in the sunshine for their mental and physical health.

During our outdoor time this month we went
Renewing our enthusiasm for our own backyard is even easier since the weather has cooperated with warm temperatures and an abundance of sunshine! We’ve been digging in the dirt clearing away the winter’s debris and nipping those spring weeds before they get too robust. These are things we want to do, but don’t normally have time to do. No excuses now as we stay at home.

yarrow spring 2020

The most inspiring thing we experienced was…

We made and hung a few more nesting boxes in our yard for the birds to discover and use this nesting season. Guess what? It was almost immediately upon hanging the boxes that we had birds in and out of each and every one. Talk about good timing! Chickadees, nuthatches, bluebirds and swallows all came to take a look.

chickadee nest box bird oregon april 2020

That’s right! The swallows are back which makes me so happy. But not only the swallows; the hummingbirds have also made an appearance. We spotted them at the feeder early one morning and now they are gone again. I’m not sure if they are moving on or if I’m just missing the tiny little calliope hummingbirds.

duck pond oregon april 2020

Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…

There are new ducks in our pond and we’ve had a heck of a time figuring out their identification. We caught several on our critter cam and it looks like they may be a wood duck. Several evenings we have gone out to chase these ducks down and try to sneak up on them to get a photo or even just a really good look with the binoculars. My husband says he feels like he is on a scavenger hunt with me as we hide behind the willows and sneak along the river’s edge and through the cattails that line the pond.

It reminds me of our journey to identify the snipe in just the same way.

purple dead nettle outdoor hour challenge nature study

In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…I am dreaming about…

We now have a big plan to create a new side garden that will include large flower beds, a crab apple tree and some benches. I spend a lot of time on Pinterest collecting images to inspire my future garden. I’m learning that there are many flowers that will grow here in abundance if we give them the right start and support them with lots of water during our dry summer months. At our house in California, I had the ability to create several themed gardens over the years. The one that gave me the most pleasure and ended up extending throughout our yard was the butterfly, bee, and bird garden. I think I can create a Central Oregon version of this garden with a little hard work

kayak oregon april  2020

One last image…

We were able to drag the kayaks down to the river behind our house and take a short paddle while social distancing with two of our sons. It felt “normal”….at least for an hour or so. I’m dreaming of the time to come when we’re able to freely move about and enjoy the spring season. In the meantime, we will keep our balance with a little outdoor time within the rules of this unique and life-changing time we live in right now.

 

Instagram OutdoorHourChallenge small

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

Answer all or just one of the prompts in a blog entry on your own blog or right here on my blog in a comment. If you answer on your blog, make sure to leave me a link in a comment so that I can pop over and read your responses.

  • During our outdoor time this month we went…
  • The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
  • Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
  • In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
  • I added nature journal pages about…
  • One last image…

High Desert Ebook cover graphic

If you don’t have a membership yet, you can click the graphic above and join today for immediate access to the 25 ebooks and so much more! Remember that all levels, even the Discovery level membership, include access to all of the archived newsletters!

Topics in this ebook include:

  • Bitterbrush
  • Sagebrush
  • Greater sage-grouse
  • Succulents
  • Mountain Lion
  • Coyote
  • Pocket Gopher
  • Bristlecone Pine
  • Elk
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Juniper
  • Snowberry
  • Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
  • River Otter

 

Join Us Ultimate Naturalist January 2020

Use the discount code INITTOGETHER to receive $10 off an Ultimate Naturalist Membership!