Posted on Leave a comment

Outdoor Hour Challenge – Pearly Everlasting

Outdoor Hour Challenge Pearly Everlasting @handbookofnaturestudy

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Pearly Everlasting

 

Inside Preparation Work:

  • Read pages 535-536 (Lesson #145) in the Handbook of Nature Study. Note the description of the habitat in the “leading thought” section of the lesson. This will help you when you go out and look for your own little patch of pearly everlasting.
  • Look to see if you have pearly everlasting in your area: USDA Pearly Everlasting.
  • Youtube video: Pearly everlasting and Pearly everlasting and Hover Flies.

Outdoor Hour Time:

  • Go on a summer wildflower hike! Take along your sketch book and a field guide to help you identify and then record any wildflowers you find during your outdoor time. Look for pearly everlasting along your paths, remembering the white flowers and dusky green stalks and leaves.
  • Take a close look at any wildflower leaves you find during your outdoor time. Notice the shape and texture of the leaves, comparing two plants if possible.

Follow-Up Activity:

  • Create a nature journal entry for pearly everlasting using your personal observations or information from a field guide or this internet link: pearly everlasting.  Here is another great source of information on the pearly everlasting. There is a notebook page for you to use included in the ebook.
  • Advanced study: Research the pearly everlasting as the host plant for butterflies: Pollinators.
  • Advanced study: Use this website to research aster family wildflowers in your area: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Use the drop down menu on the left sidebar to pick your state to narrow your search to asters you may see in your local area. You can even pick the bloom month to narrow your search even more. Complete nature journal pages for each flower you research.

Handbook of Nature Study Ultimate Naturalist Library
If you want to purchase the Summer 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 Summer Nature Study Continues – New Ebook announcement page for more details.

Outdoor Hour Challenge Summer Nature Study Continues ebook


Posted on 4 Comments

Hike to the River: Spring Wildflowers

Red Shack Trail

Friday we took a long afternoon hike to the river near our house. This is our usual trail but we went the entire distance to see how high the river is with some of the spring runoff from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The wildflowers are amazing right now…here are a few favorites.

Mustang Clover close up
This was really the star of the wildflowers on this particular hike, mustang clover. This flower is blanketing the hillsides. What a show!

Mustang Clover 1
Here is a photo of it along the trail.

Poppies
The other wildflower making its glorious appearance is the California poppy.

American River
We made it to the bottom of the river canyon and realized our beach is completely covered in water right now. We had to be content to sit on the rocks and watch the water rush by.

Resting on the trail
On the way back up, we stopped for a break in the shade. The insects were buzzing and we even saw our first mosquitoes of the season.

purple monkeyflower
Here is a new to me wildflower on this trail, purple monkeyflower. There was a patch growing right along the trail on a moist bank.

Pearly everlasting 1
I also saw for the very first time on this trail some pearly everlasting.

Two new wildflowers to add to our running list for this trail.

Hope you enjoyed seeing our outing. We definitely had a wonderful time on this spring afternoon.