Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.
The newsletter link is not in this email but will come separately. There may be a delay in your receiving the email so please don’t email me until the second day of the month if you haven’t received the link on the first. For some reason, some email providers take longer to receive the newsletter email.
If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.
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If you need to subscribe:
You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.
This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of June so be sure to download it before 6/30/15.
Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:
Practical articles for growing, harvesting, and using herbs….along with something I found terribly interesting
June planning page (four challenges to schedule for each Friday in June)
June Nature Journal Toppers, grid, herb coloring page, and Herb Study notebooking page
July preschool nature table ideas, printables, and activities (so you can plan ahead of time!) Check out the Amazon Store for this month’s topics: July 2015 Preschool Nature Table Ideas. (my affiliate link)
Please note that Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level members have access to members only printables each month in addition to the newsletter printables. You will need to log into your account and then go to the “Other Releases” section.
Need help getting started with your nature study using the Handbook of Nature Study? Check out the fresh “Getting Started” page here on the website!
This month I am adding some habitat research notebook pages for you to use with your family. There are five habitats included: Desert, Prairie, Forest, Seashore, and Wetland. Visit the habitat or use the pages to record information you find while researching a particular habitat. We will be going more deeply into these habitats next year in the free monthly newsletters.
These new printables are free if you are a member of the Ultimate Naturalist or Journey level memberships. You need to log into your account and then check the “Other Releases” section for brand new printables to enjoy along with the Outdoor Hour Challenges in 2015.
Zion National Parkis like no other park we have ever visited. It amazes me when I find a place so different than I had imagined. I think that Zion rivals Yosemite as my favorite national park because of its beauty and uniqueness.
This park impressed me because we were able to park the car for three days and then either walk or take the free shuttle to every place we wanted to visit. The shuttle was convenient and came regularly, never making us wait very long. There were times that we had to stand in the shuttle but only for a stop or two at most.
The visitor center has indoor and outdoor information boards that we found very helpful in planning our visit. Each hike was explained in detail so we could pick hikes that fit our needs: time, distance, and difficulty. My husband and I enjoy taking 3-6 mile hikes, anything longer for a day hike makes us feel pressured to walk fast and I think we miss things of interest. When we had young children, we had to make sure that the elevation change wasn’t an issue either since we had our children hiking as soon as they could manage it…usually around 3 years of age. Zion has hikes for all abilities so this is a great park for families.
Riverside Walk: this hike is at the last shuttle stop in Zion. This is an easy hike that winds alongside the river where you see beautiful trees and wildflowers.
It is also the trailhead for the Narrows hike which is a popular hike that requires you to wade up the Virgin River. The day we were there it was forecasted to rain and a 50% chance of flash floods. We opted to take the Riverside Walk up to the end and have a picnic lunch as we gazed up at the Temple of Simwava, an amazing red rock formation that surrounds you.
The changing weather along with the changing light make the canyon so different every time you go out for a hike. We had all kinds of weather during our visit but only one afternoon was wet enough to keep us off the trails. We took that opportunity to eat a nice lunch at the Zion Lodge and then later into Springdale on the shuttle to a very nice coffee shop.
One day we got off the shuttle at the Court of the Patriarchs and hiked from there to the Emerald Pools. This was a difficult section to hike on because was soft deep sand…sort of like hiking at the beach. The horses take this path and have worn it down until it is a crazy hard stretch of trail. We did see some wild turkeys and a deer while hiking…and not a single other person which made the hike very peaceful so it had its advantages.
Here is a view from the trail that showcases the view and the plant life.
We did eventually make it to the Lower Emerald Pool but we should have taken the shuttle to Zion Lodge stop and then hiked from there. The trail is much easier in that area. The Emerald Pool was a soft falling waterfall at this time of year and very pretty. There were a lot of people at this particular spot but we continued on around to the Kayenta Trail which brought us to a portion of the park that was virtually empty.
This was actually my favorite trail in the park and we ended up hiking it from both directions on different days.
We walked part of the Parus Trail one morning by taking the shuttle up the canyon and then walking the trail back. It is a super easy trail that allows bikes and dogs so it is a little more popular. It takes you along the Virgin River with pretty spots to stop and enjoy the views.
We hiked up to the top of the Archeology Trail where you have a sweeping view of the park, especially the campground. You can see in this image the walk in part of the Watchman Campground.We stayed on another loop of this campground with our trailer and we thought it was one of the nicest campgrounds we have been in. The place seems to have been recently updated and the restrooms are brand new. I highly recommend this spot for camping and it is convenient to the Visitor Center, the shuttle bus stops, and the town of Springdale which is within walking distance.
My husband’s favorite hike was Hidden Canyon.We were hoping to experience Zion’s famous Angel’s Landing hike but the day we had planned to take it there was rain in the forecast again. I am also not sure about the portion of the hike that is along a sheer drop because of my fear of heights. We opted to take the Hidden Canyon trail and get a taste of what Zion has as far as a more strenuous hike.
See me? I made it along the portion of the trail that is super narrow and you really need to hug the hillside and hold the chains! I wasn’t sure at first but my dear husband is such a great encourager. He kept telling me just to put one foot in front of the other and you know it works! I made it all the way to the top. It was thrilling and scary too, especially on the way down the mountain when it was raining a little and the rocks started to get a bit slippery.
This is a unique and wonderful place and I hope you will get to experience this park for yourself some day. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit and will be reliving our hikes and adventures for many years to come.
Tips for a Visit
We stayed at the Watchman Campground right in the park and found it convenient and reasonably priced at $18 per night. There is also the South Campground which is equally as convenient and right inside the park gates. If you need to stay in a hotel, the Zion Lodge is situated right in the heart of the park. Also, in Sprindale, Utah there are quite a few hotels within walking or shuttle ride distance to the park.
We ate lunch at the Zion Lodge and it was a beautiful spot to sit and look out the large windows at the landscape. There is also also a cafe and ice cream shop at the lodge. In the town of Springdale (a 5 minute shuttle ride), you have lots of cafes and coffee shops. We ate at Oscar’s Cafewhich was delicious and had a funky atmosphere. We also had coffee at Cafe Soleil which is a short walk from the gate at the end of the theater parking lot.
Use the shuttle to get to a trailhead and then hike to the next shuttle stop! Make sure to ride all the way to the end to the Temple of Sinawava at least once to see all of the glorious canyon.
The Visitor Center has a lot of information on hikes and things like that but you need to go to the Human History Museum to get a better grasp on the whole picture.
If you have an oversized vehicle, check the park website for information about driving through the tunnel between the park and the east entrance.
There is no way we could experience the entire park in three days….if you have more time, there are lots more canyons and places to hike if you check with the visitor center and get some good maps.
Fees charged: $25 per car or $12 per person if walking in. (We saw them charging each GROUP $25 as they walked in together.)
You can read more of my national park entries by following these links:
“We often hear the fact stated that in the present day only those who know how to advertise are successful; but we have with us by every roadside, and in every field, and in the depths of the forest, many successful little advertisers, who have lived and flourished for many centuries because of their advertising. For every bright or fragrant blossom is an announcement telling abroad to all the world that sees and smells, that it is ready for business.”
These words written by Anna Botsford Comstock bring a smile to my face. This time of year we see many blossoms “advertising” that they are ready and waiting for the winged insects to visit and then carry pollen on to the next flower. The Outdoor Hour Challenges for the past month or so have focused on wildflowers and coming up at the end of May we will have some garden flower studies. These are perfect opportunities to combine a flower and insect study, sharing the relationship and benefits of this wonderful arrangement for both.
“In teaching the children this subject it is necessary that they should watch flowers and see the insects visit them. If there are flowers in the neighborhood of your schoolhouse, let the children take notes and report on the different kids of insects which they have seen visiting certain flowers. For instance, let them watch for a week, and note all the insects that visit a certain thistle, or any other convenient flower.”
This is such a simple but powerful lesson for your children to learn directly from the field. Take them outside to look at flowers and their insect visitors and then follow up with a simple nature journal entry.
Let me know how it goes for your family!
The quotes in this entry are from The Winged Pollen Carriers by Anna Botsford Comstock. I can’t find where I originally copied this quote from but I am sure it is on Google Books somewhere.
Read pages 479-482 in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson #124). Please note that the HNS says that this plant is edible but I do not encourage anyone to eat any part of this plant.
Use these links to learn more about the May apple and its distribution in the United States: Mayapple or May Apple.
Out to the woods you go to look for the umbrella-like leaves of the May apple! This is an excellent plant to watch throughout the spring and into the late summer to follow its progression from the spreading of its leaves, the flower, and then the development of the fruit.
There are many great ideas in the lesson for suggested observations. Make sure to note a few before you head out for your Outdoor Hour time. Make lots of observations in the field and then record your findings in your nature journal.
If you don’t have a May apple to study, find another blooming wildflower to observe up close this week. Remember there is a Spring Wildflower Study notebook page included in the ebook.
Follow-Up Activity:
Write as many interesting facts as you can about the May apple plant in your nature journal or on the notebook page in the ebook.
Learn more about leaf shapes and then draw the leaf of the May apple in your nature journal. Use this link: Leaf Types.
Advanced Study: Research the common names for the May apple plant and then the traditional uses of the parts of the May apple.
Join us for this spring series of challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
If you want to purchase the Spring Nature Study Continues ebook so you can follow along with all the notebooking pages, coloring pages, and subject images, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the Spring Nature Study Continues – New Ebookannouncement page for more details.
Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.
The newsletter link is not in this email but will come separately. There may be a delay in your receiving the email so please don’t email me until the second day of the month if you haven’t received the link on the first. For some reason, some email providers take longer to receive the newsletter email.
If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.
If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.
If you need to subscribe:
You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.
This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of May so be sure to download it before 5/31/15.
Contents of this edition of the newsletter include:
3 articles to help you get the most out of your next nature study adventure
May planning page (four challenges to schedule for each Friday in April)
May Nature Journal Toppers, grid, and Nature Study Travel notebooking page
June preschool nature table ideas, printables, and activities (so you can plan ahead of time!) Check out the Amazon Store for this month’s topics: May 2015 Preschool Nature Table Ideas. (my affiliate link)
Please note that Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level members have access to members only printables each month in addition to the newsletter printables. You will need to log into your account and then go to the “Other Releases” section.
Need help getting started with your nature study using the Handbook of Nature Study? Check out the fresh “Getting Started” page here on the website!
I hope you enjoyed seeing my spring wildflowers and now you can go out to find your own! You might want to use the printable photo hunt below to get you started.
This is the time of year that I dream about during the long dark days of winter. The time when we see the yard spring to life again and remember what green is like…at least for a little while. My front yard is ablaze with poppies, dogwood, California lilac, iris, and soon there will be sage and butterfly bushes to enjoy.
One of the new things I am growing this year is a plant that I found in the Renee’s Garden seed listing. It is “cat grass” that you grow for your cats to eat. Mine have discovered their pot of cat grass and have decided it is delicious.
I put the pot in the window near where the cats like to sit and look out on the birdfeeder. It didn’t take long for the seeds to sprout and grow! My cats are regular visitors to this plant now and I am going to sprout some more seeds in a pot outdoors.
California Drought Year Four!!!!!
This year I have a few things growing in pots on the back deck. I will be adding some more seeds for veggies and flowers later this week. We are using a drip watering system for the first time here on the deck and I am excited about it. In the past, we have hand watered these pots every morning using water caught from the shower and water from a watering can filled with the back hose. This is going to be a much more convenient watering system and use far less water.
You can see my sunflower planted by the birds in the nearest pot. It is already 14″ high!
Here is a close up image of the sunflower. It makes me very happy!
You can see the drip irrigation system up close in this image. All of these plants were from last year’s seeds and have sprouted all on their own.
Salvia is such an easy plant to have in pots. I just pruned it back last fall and not it is coming back so very nicely and full of buds.
So there you go! I spend a few minutes each day just enjoying the surprises that come in the early spring. There is always something new to discover and once I get my seeds in the ground I will really start to enjoy all of those wonderful Renee’s Garden seeds that she gifted me.
Muir Woods National Monument is a wonderful way to get a taste of the redwood forest on the coast of California. It is very close to San Francisco and would make a wonderful day trip….as long as you get their EARLY! I read online that there was limited parking and that for the best chance of getting a spot you had to show up before 8:30 AM. I did not follow that advice and ended up parking about a mile away alongside a very busy road. It was a Saturday on a bright sunny day so maybe that contributed to the parking problem but I would advise anyone that wants to visit to be early or expect to walk a distance before you even get to the trails.
Usually I suggest making a stop at the visitor center before heading out to explore but this an exception. The visitor center is more like a glorified gift shop and as long as you pick up a map and guide you will be able to decide easily which trails to take. Basically there is a large loop that has crossover trails/bridges to use to turn and make your way back to the entrance. You pick how far you want to walk.
It is possible to hike from Muir Woods to other destinations like Stinson Beach, Muir Beach, and Mt. Tamalpais State Park. Here is a link to a printable map: Muir Woods Trails.My son has hiked from Muir Woods to the ocean and back in a day and it is a long hike. You really need to plan ahead with food and water before taking any of these trails.
I apologize for the lack of quality in my photos from this day. I wasn’t feeling great and it really shows in my images. The loop trail is fairly flat but the day we were there it was crowded so the challenge was to adjust our walking speed to stay away from large loud groups. I prefer to have a much quieter experience when walking in the redwoods but this day it wasn’t possible.
There were plenty of interesting things to feast your eyes on as you walked like the redwood sorrel, lichen, and fungi.
You can’t help but admire these redwood trees and the way they stretch high up into the atmosphere. What a treasure!
We enjoyed standing on the bridges and gazing along the canyon. It is a beautiful sight and well worth the effort to get here. If this is your first trip to the tall trees, you will want to allow a longer day but if you have visited other redwoods, a few hours is probably plenty of time to allot for this park.
If you find yourself in the San Francisco Bay Area and want to see some old growth redwood trees, I highly recommend a visit to the Muir Woods National Monument.
To extend your day….
After our walk at the park, we drove back the short distance to the coast and up to the Muir Beach Overlook. This is a hard turn off Hwy 1 but it is a fantastic place to stop and view the coastline about Muir Beach. We had sunshine on our visit and we opted to eat our picnic lunch at the tables there. We didn’t have any trouble finding a spot to park and we all enjoyed the stroll down to the actual viewpoint.
We also stopped at Muir Beach and walked out onto the sand and then took the short loop trail to enjoy the wildflowers in bloom. There are restroom facilities and picnic tables available at the parking lot.
Other Tips and Information
Fee is $7 per adult, 15 years and younger are free
There is NO cell service.
There is a gift shop and cafe to get a bite to eat.
There are no hotels or campgrounds at Muir Woods.
There is no place to picnic within the park. (I suggest driving the short distance to Muir Beach or Muir Beach Overlook for picnic tables.)
Please read the following explanation outlining how to get this month’s newsletter.
The newsletter link is not in this email but will come separately. There may be a delay in your receiving the email so please don’t email me until the second day of the month if you haven’t received the link on the first. For some reason, some email providers take longer to receive the newsletter email.
If you don’t receive the separate email with the download link, you probably aren’t subscribed to the blog yet. This will take less than a minute to do if you follow the steps below.
If you are a subscriber and you haven’t received your newsletter email yet, check your SPAM inbox. Some subscribers have found the email buried in SPAM inbox.
If you need to subscribe:
You will need to go to the Handbook of Nature Study, look to the top right corner for the box to type in your preferred email address, and then confirm the email that comes to your email inbox.
Once you subscribe, you will receive a thank you email from me with the download link.
This month’s newsletter link will be available only during the month of April so be sure to download it before 4/30/15.
April Nature Journal Toppers, grid, and coloring page
May preschool nature table ideas, printables, and activities (so you can plan ahead of time!) Check out the Amazon Store for this month’s topics: Handbook of Nature Study May Preschool.
Please note that Ultimate Naturalist and Journey level members have access to members only printables each month in addition to the newsletter printables. You will need to log into your account and then go to the “Other Releases” section.
Need help getting started with your nature study using the Handbook of Nature Study? Check out the fresh “Getting Started” page here on the website!
lesson plans to use to help you with your nature journal