We decided we should take our Kona dog out for a proper walk. She has not been out for her long walk in days. She was happy and we were feeling good too. The interesting thing about this walk was how many trees were down all along our regular walking trail. Many were actually across the trail and some were down in the meadows alongside it.
Mostly oaks had fallen which makes me sad, but they are clearly not designed for such a great snow like we had this week. The live oaks especially fared badly in the snow because they don’t lose all their leaves in the fall.
The leaves were my favorite part of the walk. The snow was sprinkled with leaves of all colors and shapes and sizes.
When the oaks fall down, you get to glimpse at what is going on at the top without climbing. The various kinds of lichen were amazing. We really must learn some more about lichens this winter. I will add it to the list.
The rains are coming and that will be the end of the Really Big Snow for us. My youngest is the one who will miss it the most. He was sick most of the time we had our big piles of snow to play in and he really needs to get in some more snow time. Perhaps it will snow again in the months to come and then he will be able to build his big snow fort and have snowball fights with his dad and brothers. It seems that snow is the great equalizer…..all my men love to get out and play in the cold stuff no matter their age and dignity level.
My oldest son and I had the opportunity to take a long walk together and enjoy the oaks and pines along the walking trail. He has such long legs that he ends up way in front of me most of the time but that gives me a chance to snap a few photos as we walk. He stops every now and then to let me catch up…..yep, I feel like an old lady.
Oaks make me happy. I love the variety of oaks with their different shapes and here in California we have quite a few to study. Last year we kept track of a Live Oak growing in our backyard. We also have quite a few scrub oaks in the back of our property.Here is a previous post on our oaks: Oak Challenge Entry
There is nothing like the smell of warm oak leaves in the sun.
Oak galls fascinate me and the boys think they are pretty interesting as well. Oak galls are basically abnormalities on plants caused by insects. We noticed that there are not as many as usual this autumn and we wonder what that means.
I love the shape of oak trees and this one at my dad’s house is a big old oak. I took an informal poll of my three boys and asked them which they preferred: oaks or pines? Two oaks and one pine…..I think if I had to make a quick answer without thinking too much I would pick oaks as well.
We have noticed how different the acorns are from different kinds of oaks.
We had a wet morning to observe the oaks in our backyard but I really like the way the wetness brought out the texture in the bark.
Here are leaves from one of our oaks. We are assuming the red parts are the new growth. We will have to keep checking to see if we are right.
I really like using the Peterson Field Guide-Western Trees book for our tree identification. The color plates show the leaves, the buds, and the acorns. Once you get an idea of which oak you think you have, there is a reference to a page number to read the narrative account along with a photo and range map. You can find the tree guide listed on the Autumn Series Squidoo lens (scroll down to the additional resources section).
We made leaf prints last week with our oak leaves and they are included in our nature journals for this challenge.
These challenges are helping us stay motivated to get outdoors which is always a good thing.
Trees are such a part of our life and there are quite a few growing in our yard that delight us during the different seasons. In the past, we chose an oak and then the sweet gum tree to study for a complete year.
We talked it over and decided that our new year-long tree study as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenges will focus on a Tuliptree in our front yard. I was leaning more towards studying the Chinese pistache that is actually in our neighbor’s yard but so close to the fence line that it might as well be in our yard.
The boys campaigned for the Tulip tree and since the whole point is to get them enthusiastic about a tree, we will go with their choice. The photo above shows the top of the tuliptree and to the right of it is our magnolia. The tuliptree is much taller than any other tree in the front yard and gives us lots of shade in the summer.
We talked about the tree for a few minutes before we headed out the door to spend our Outdoor Hour Challenge time observing our new tree friend. We talked about how the robins like to sing from the top of the tree, how the seeds are like helicopters, and how tall the tree is growing. One son added that he likes the tree but it is one of the biggest producers of leaves and soon it will mean lots of raking and composting. I shared how I remembered the blossoms on the tree and the humming of the bees last spring. We already knew quite a bit about our tree so we were anxious to see if we could learn anything new.
We took photos of our Tulip tree and gathered a few leaves to put into the flower press. A journal entry was made so we can compare with our winter study.
Most of the leaves are shaped like this……
But there were some that were shaped like this……
We were wondering why the leaves on the same tree are shaped so differently…..any guesses?
Many of the leaves have fallen already and there are quite a few turning yellow-orange-brown as well.
This is the fruit that turns to the seeds….great helicopter seeds that fall by the thousands.
How about that bark? It has the fluffy green lichen and the flat bright orange lichen as well.
We actually had a squirrel friend spend some time in our tree this afternoon.
This was a great start to our new tree study and this tree will be easy to keep track of since I can see it from my bedroom window. I love watching the shadows of the branches and leaves on the blinds. It makes a great swishing sound in the summer when the breeze blows and during winter storms it has a sway and a creaking sound as it bends in the wind.
We will try to spend some time this week watching as the leaves start to really fall and before you know it, this tree will be bare. 🙂
I love it when we can mix nature study and art together and this week we found an excellent project to work on together.
The Handbook of Nature Study suggests making leaf prints as a part of studying a tree (Lesson 173). The directions in the book include gasoline and kerosene and I thought there had to be a more modern and easy way to accomplish lovely leaf prints.
We used ink on stamp pads for this project. I have a small collection of colors and we started off with brown. You might try using washable ink pads since your fingers do get a little messy.
You really need to press the leaf firmly onto the ink pad so you probably do not want to use dried up leaves since they will more than likely crumble on your ink pad and leave behind a mess.
After pressing onto the ink pad the leaf doesn’t seem to have a lot of ink on it and I was surprised how beautifully the impression turned out on the paper.
We made a few test prints on scratch paper and then we got busy working in our nature journals. We found that using multiple colors on the leaf made a really nice print.
You can really see the veins and the leaf shape if you press the leaf firmly onto the paper and work carefully so you don’t move it around before lifting it up.
Once you get started you can be a little creative if you have the desire. Wouldn’t it be pretty to have a tree with blue leaves?
We made our prints, added some labels, and now they are securely tucked into our nature journals.
This will be a project we use more often since I like it even better than leaf rubbings. We will be adding an ink pad and a few Wet Ones into our nature pack to use when we are out and about.
I posted a tutorial and video about using watercolor crayons in your nature journal. You may wish to pop over to my other blog to view the complete entry.
Our Outdoor Hours this week were spent along the northern California Coast and southern Oregon coast. Our first stop was camping at Humboldt Redwoods (great place for camping) where most of the tallest trees in the world live. We saw ancient redwoods towering overhead.
These trees are so tall and grow so densely that the forest floor is dark and quiet. It is quite the experience to hike along the trail and silently observe these magnificent trees up close.
The forest seemed to have its own atmosphere in and among the trees. The mist in some areas was high up in the canopy of the redwoods and it was dripping down on our heads as we hiked underneath.
In some parts of the redwood forest, it seemed as if the light never penetrated down to the floor and there were mushrooms and moss growing everywhere. It was like stepping back in time.
Mixed in among these forest giants are Big leaf maples. This time of year they are a brilliant yellow and orange and the leaves are *large*. My tree book says that the leaves are between 16 and 24 inches long.
Here is a leaf I saw on the ground that shows how big they are in real life.
“It is its autumn transfiguration which has made people observant of the maple’s beauty; yellow, orange, crimson, and scarlet foliage makes these trees gorgeous when October comes.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 628
This leaf was on a tree in Ashland, Oregon in Lithia Park. The trees in the park were just turning colors as we walked through last weekend. It was really cold and the air had a bite to it. We bundled up and enjoyed the walk.
After this trip along the Pacific coast, I have thought a lot about our dependence on wood from trees. We passed many areas in the forest where it had been clear cut, leaving nothing left standing to speak of. There were many, many lumber mills and great stacks of both logs and lumber.
Here is a stack of logs that we passed in the town of Eureka, CA. You cannot even imagine how tall and long these piles of logs are but this gives you an idea. It is a big reminder how useful certain trees are in our every day life. Look around you at this very moment and you will no doubt see lots of things made from wood.
I know that trees are a renewal resource but it does make you stop and think when you see so many areas clear-cut and then the piles of logs sitting at the mills. It truly is a balancing act….the love of the forest and the love of wood products.
Just a some thoughts as we travel along on this trip.
Nasturtiums just starting to sprout in the flower garden
We had fun looking for different shaped leaves in our yard this week during our Outdoor Hour time. Once you get started you begin to see so many varieties of shapes and sizes. This entry is sort of my photo nature journal entry for this week. My son worked on drawing his leaves in his journal and you can find it below.
Hydrangea leaves have a fantastic vein pattern.
The fig leaves are really big this year.
Mimosa leaves are feathery and soft.
This is the catalpa tree leaves that are really big and so colorful in the fall.
I have about twenty more photos but I will stop there. I tend to get a little enthusiastic when we are in the middle of nature study. 🙂
Here is my son’s journal entry for you to enjoy.
He came up with his own way of drawing the leaves which I will share with you. He takes the leaf and traces the outline and then he fills in the details with his pencils. It is a compromise between free-hand drawing and rubbing and it really gives great results.
This week’s challenge has several layers. The task oriented part of the challenge is to learn the proper names of the leaf parts and to collect leaves to press for your nature journal. The less task oriented part of the challenge is accomplished as you sit in your garden area. It could be either your garden or a near-by park’s garden. The challenge is to sit quietly. This is a refreshing activity to adults and children alike. There is nothing like sitting and experiencing all the green things growing up around you.
“Out in this, God’s beautiful world, there is everything waiting to heal lacerated nerves, to strengthen tired muscles, to please and content the soul that is torn to shreds with duty and care.”Handbook of Nature Study, page 3.
I know, I know. This is probably the most difficult part of nature study for most of you with young families. Believe me, I have had four busy, talkative, curious children and three of them are boys so I understand. This is not something that comes easily for most young ones but it is something they can learn in very small doses. My best advice is to keep your expectations realistic. How about 10-30 seconds? Make it a game to see who can be quiet the longest. Or something that works for our family even now that the boys are older is to give them a number of things they should listen for. You could go according to the child’s age and ask them to listen for six things if they are six. You can vary this idea to suit your family. The main point is to try a little bit each time you are out for your nature study time.
Here is a video showing some tips for drawing leaves in your nature journal and also how to press the leaves in your cardboard press.
Outdoor Challenge #17 Learning the Leaf Parts
1. View the illustration in the Handbook of Nature Study on page 456-A leaf with parts named. This information is for you as the parent/nature guide so you will have the proper names for each part of the leaf. Try to use these labels when you are out looking at leaves during your nature time.
You can view more information about leaf part names, leaf shape names, and leaf arrangement examples at this link: Wildflower Leaf Types
http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Wildflower/Flora/leaf-info-choices.html
2. Take your 10-15 minute outdoor time to look for various sizes and shapes of leaves. Collect a few leaves to press in your press. An additional challenge this week is to sit quietly for a minute or maybe two in a garden area and observe the sights, sounds, and smells. Are there any insects to watch? Can you spot a bird flying overhead? Do you hear a bee buzzing? Is the weather warm or hot?
3. Add any new garden flowers to your list in your nature journal.
4. This week you can draw some leaves in your nature journal. As you draw your leaves, make sure to use the proper names for each part of the leaf so your child will begin to learn the vocabulary in a natural way. You can encourage your child to sketch some garden flowers in their journal again this week. Record your flower seeds growth and/or record your sunflowers growth for the week. You might choose to make leaf rubbings rather than draw leaves.
5. Add leaves or additional flowers to your press. Pressed flowers can be put into your nature journal.
This challenge is part of my Garden Flowers ebook. This ebook has ten garden related challenges that will walk you through a study of garden flowers using the Handbook of Nature Study. In addition to the challenges already written, there will be more photos, nature journal examples, book lists, and totally new notebook pages designed to go with each of the Garden Flower Challenges.
My daughter loves all things about Ireland and she planted these shamrocks a few years ago in her garden box.
This year they are blooming with this delicate pink flower. The first photo is the flower and the second shows the leaves and plant. Interesting huh?
Here is another photo of interesting leaves from my garden. I just found the packing slip that told me what this plant is in my garden box…..Black Beauty Rudbeckia. It is a variety of coneflower and will have a dark, purplish flower when it blooms. For now, we are really enjoying the colors of the leaves and the stem of the plant.
I found on the internet that it will grow to be 5 to 6 feet tall. I can hardly wait to see it full grown and blooming. Of course I will share photos.
