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.
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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!
The first quarter of 2015 has flown by and with it many missed opportunities to work on my goals. Taking time to check in on the progress made towards goals is as important as making the goals. It is a way to stir up some urgency to make concrete plans before the year is completely gone. So, that is where I am this morning as I reflect on what has been achieved and what has not in relation to my Nature Study Goals for 2015.
1. Yosemite Photo Project: We took one of the photos during our last visit to Yosemite a few weeks ago. I need to plan better for our next visit in June.
2. Visit one new state park: Nope, not yet.
3. Visit one new national park: We have firm plans and reservations to visit Zion National Park later in the year.
4. Visit a bird refuge: We picked a refuge that is about three hours away and will be visiting in May and then again in November….it is written on my calendar!
5. Take one new hike: Nope, not yet.
6. Read ten nature-related books this year: I have read three and will be started the fourth in April.
7. Rock project: I wrote on my goals sheet the places we will visit to learn about two of the remaining rocks on the list.
8. Create one nature journal entry each month: I am using the Once a Month Nature Journal ideas to create at least one page a month.
9. Rewatch the National Park series on Netflix: Accomplished!!!
It is not too late to create some nature study goals of your own. I invite you to download and use this free printable goals planner:
As part of my nature book reading, this month’s book is the Grand Canyon-The Complete Guide
I love planning a family trip, especially one to a national park! Our Grand Canyon trip is coming up fast and in preparation I have been reading the book,Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide
by James Kaiser (this is an affiliate link). Since I have been to the Grand Canyon before with my family I needed some fresh ideas to make our trip memorable. I have a list of things to do and see now after reading this book. If you would like to read my blog entry that features Grand Canyon National Park – Tips and Images, you can click over and take a look at that for some highlights of my last trip.
This book is not just a travel guide but more of a brief overview of many of the unique aspects of this part of the world.
Geology
After reading about the new Trail of Time, I am anxious to experience this short walk on the South Rim on this trip with my husband. I love it when I can learn about the geology of a place in a simple way. As much as I love rocks, I have a hard time visualizing the passage of time and I think this display will help make it a little more concrete. The book gives lots of details about the development of the canyon and its red rocks and layers. Many of us will not ever get to hike to the bottom of the canyon to experience this ourselves so it is a joy to read about it in the book and see the images too.
History
There is nothing like reading the history of a place to help you see it with fresh eyes. So many of the famous spots at the Grand Canyon have interesting backgrounds and now that I have read about them in the book it will be more meaningful to stand at Mather Point, Kolb Studio, and the various lodges. The people who came before us and impacted the way this park has developed over the years are a rather rugged bunch of people.
Ecology and Wildlife
I actually turned to this section first (of course). The images are amazing and give an overview of what to look for during a visit. It is no way intended to be a field guide so I will be taking along a few of my favorites on the trip to use with my nature journal.
Regions of the Grand Canyon
This book breaks the Grand Canyon down into sections so you can learn about the major features of each one. We will be staying at the South Rim so I concentrated my research on this popular part of the national park and there is plenty of information described in enough detail to answer most of my questions. In the future we will hopefully be able to explore the North Rim so I was eager to read about that too!
There are maps, lists of places to stay and eat, and suggestions for activities. I do wish the maps in the book had a little more detail like distance between major attractions but I will pick up a more detailed map at the visitor center when we arrive at the park.
Features of the Book I Really Like
Fold out flap attached to the front and back covers with a map and a quick index to the main features of the book
Lots of colorful maps and images
Helpful itineraries – specific ideas to fill your time, depending on amount of time available
The visual appeal of this book makes it a wonderful way to anticipate a trip to the Grand Canyon
I purchased my book on Amazon.com and here is the affiliate link to the book:
NOTE: You may wish to start a new year-long study this spring using some of the ideas above. Spring is a wonderful beginning so take advantage of the opportunity and season.
There are new printables for you to use with your family 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.
I highly recommend these resources to use in your family’s nature study notebooks and will be a valuable tool in your continued nature study adventure.
Read pages 558-560 in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson #153). Make sure to study the diagram so you can help your child see all the inner and outer petals of the bleeding heart blossom.
This is another week to look at garden flowers or wildflowers, especially bleeding hearts. If you have access to bleeding hearts, gather some to bring indoors for observation as suggested in the Handbook of Nature Study lesson.
If possible, observe the flowers when insects are visiting, noting the method of gathering nectar.
Advanced Study: Use the suggestions in the Handbook of Nature Study to observe carefully the bleeding heart.
Follow-Up Activity:
Reread the lesson in the Handbook of Nature Study. Make sure to write a description of this flower in your nature journal with as much detail as possible.
Use watercolors or colored pencils to draw a stem with the flowers.
Join us for this series of challenges every week here on the Handbook of Nature Study.
Look for the new spring challenges to post starting April 3rd!
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 announcementfor more details, list of topics, and a sample.
lesson plans to use to help you with your nature journal
