Mostly they were Cabbage Butterflies, but they varied in intensity of yellow color.  But also there were several little tiny butterflies, called Eastern-tailed Blue, that I managed to catch close-ups of.

Eastern-Tailed Blue Butterflies

At first I wondered why the word “blue” was in their name; that was until I caught a picture of one of them flying off.

Eastern-Tailed Blue Butterfly, in flight

Then this morning, again my older daughter went out our back door to take the dog out and observed several moths on the concrete around our outside light.  That is a great place early in the morning to find moths!  Here are a few that we observed.

Beautiful, orange-ish rust color

Frequent Visitors

Do you notice the shimmering gold on this one's wings?? Gorgeous!

The Beautiful, Luna Moth

Even though this isn’t first first encounter we’ve had with a Luna Moth, since it is not frequently that we get to see one, we gently took it inside to observe closer.

Now this is hands-on schooling!

This was a great teaching opportunity (seize the moments!) to teach my youngest about the differences between a moth and butterfly.  Here is another quick video.

I pray we continue to get blessed with such great opportunities to observe and learn about these wonderful creatures!

“Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life.  And everyone deserves a little sunshine.”

~Jeffrey Glassberg

Open fields of wilflowers are the perfect spot to find butterflies of all kinds. Butterflies need the heat from the sun for energy, thus why you will not see as many out on a cool and/or cloudy day.

The soaring heat and humidity of August makes it an excellent time to observe butterflies in nature.  In fact, for this first structured week of school, I have focused on butterflies with my youngest daughter.  Since my other children are much older its been a long time since I’ve had to think of the basics of butterflies.  We’ve been focusing on these three things:  life cycle of a butterfly, symmetry (butterfly wings), and the parts of a butterfly.  And of course the most important thing is we’ve spent some quality time outdoors chasing and observing butterflies too!  All of my research and ideas for activities and projects that I’ve used have come from the Butterflies Flutter By unit.

There was a gorgeous Monarch butterfly fluttering around us for a long time. He is sitting on the red clover at the center of this picture.

It’s been so nice to focus on the simple, basics of butterflies.  And to see my daughter’s unreserved enthusiam for these beautiful, winged creatures has been simply priceless.  On one particular day we managed to catch a Red-Spotted Purple butterfly to observe for a little bit.  Both my daughters got to stick their hands inside the enclosure to enjoy feeling the butterfly on their hands.  I believe being able to utilize the sense of touch and tangibility in your study of nature is highly beneficial.

The color and pattern on a butterfly's wings is a piece of God's most beautiful artwork.

As your schoolyear is beginning, be sure to bring some sunshine into your life by learning more about and observing butterflies.

For instance below you will see a picture I took at our last Nature Club meeting.  Notice the tiny red and black bugs.

But especially notice below the bugs, the silver metallic spiky round objects.  Let me zoom in…

I was very intrigued by what these were so I sent the photo in to an Entomologist at the University of Kentucky and received the following response:

Hello Melissa,

The silver things are eggs and the bugs have hatched from them.  They should be some sort of stick bug.

Cheers,
Bill

I suppose the eggs are protected/guarded by those spikes on them.  Whether or not they are just “for show” or could actually do damage to a predator, I don’t know.  But they are intimidating at least.

And then there’s the fake stinger on the end of this Snowberry Clearwing Moth Caterpillar.  It is just a harmless hair, but predators don’t know that.  In fact, at first, I was a bit concerned about it!  I guess I would be looked upon as a predator!

Other defense mechanisms include camouflage, yucky smell (think skunk), poison glands (toad, etc.), bright colors (associated with being poisonous, frogs, etc.), protective shells (as in turtles), prickly spikes (hedgehogs, porcupines), and SO many more!

(this image is showing a huge black dot, it’s supposed to be a sun, but it appears fine when you download it!) Isn’t that ironic that we seem to be “missing” the sun a lot around here lately!! LOL

Sunrise 

 Morning Sky

 Breathtaking Storm in the Distance with Rainbow (I have never seen such an impressive sky!)

 Early Spiderwort

 Spotted St. John’s Wort

 St. John’s Wort

Jewelweed (Spotted Touch-Me-Not) 

Eastern Cottontail Friend Near Jewelweed 

Rough Fruited Cinquefoil 

Ozark Tickseed Sunflower 

Please be sure to take the time to stop and watch nature going on around you. I am blessed over and over again by the beauty that God has given us to enjoy and bring us peace, if we only take the time to notice.

In this photo, the storm was just breaking up and beginning to clear.

The next three photos were of the western sky with the sun rays beaming upward and illuminating the clouds into different hues.

Before the storms the kids and I took a wildflower walk and got a few photos to share.

Gorgeous group of Crown Vetch 

Crown Vetch up close

New discovery..Trumpet Creeper!

Another new one to add to our notebook…Cow Vetch

 I don’t know what this is, but thought it was so pretty!

Also, this morning we had another awesome Nature Club meeting, I’ll post photos of that soon.

Ever since the last emergence of the Brood X 17-Year Periodical Cicadas in 2004, Alex has been simply enthralled with them!  When I told him that they would not return for another 17 years, he nearly cried!  But he was relieved when he learned that the Dog-Day Cicadas visit us yearly.  However, he complains that they are a lot harder to catch than the numerous Periodical Cicadas.

Alex loves catching the cicadas, it has become a challenge he has put forth for himself, even hanging a graph on the wall where he keeps track of the amount he catches!  Before this morning, his cicada catching tally was at 6 for this summer, but on our Nature walk today he didn’t have any trouble at all catching his seventh.  He found him laying on the ground and it didn’t fly away.  Upon a quick inspection he announced that it had a damaged wing.  It was true, the poor thing was unable to fly.  We came to the conclusion that it could have been a bird that had injured him.  Alex was so sweet, he just kept saying, “Oh, poor little guy.”

We took this opportunity to study and observe him well.  And Alex was kind enough to give us a little information about his cicada in this video.  Before you watch it, I must explain the ending a bit.  Along with the cicadas, we’ve also been having lots of other buzzing insects flying around our back yard, including some really large horsefly looking ones, that will buzz right by your face.  Alex, oddly enough is terrified of these things and runs to the house at the sight/sound of them!  So prepare to giggle too!  Also, take note of the amazing cicada sound in the background!

We know he is a male by the round eardrums located towards the bottom of his abdomen.

After having this up close view of one today, it inspired Alex is do a Nature journal entry on the life cycle of the cicada.  His new cicada friend stayed right near him the whole time.

Also, we were fortunate enough to find a cicada nymph shell on the ground.  Do you see the slit where the cicada emerged from?

Alex doesn’t really like to read, unless of course it’s about something he’s very interested in…like….cicadas!

Here are two excellent books that have great information about cicadas.  We especially recommend Cicada Sing-Song, by Densey Clyne.  Alex has worn this book out reading it!  This book gave me a whole new appreciation for these odd-looking, BUT fascinating creatures.

Here are some great websites:

Cicada Life Cycle

Cicada Videos

Cicada FAQ

Cicada Coloring Sheet

Doesn’t that face speak volumes?!

Gabby helped brother by holding the bucket.

We had fried ham and those fresh melt-in-your mouth potatoes for lunch that day!  Alex even fried the ham for us!

The rest of the garden is doing well so far too.  The Zucchini is really doing great.

It won’t be too long before this one can be harvested and made into one of our favorite things…Zucchini bread!  Yum!

Yellow Squash

Roma Tomatoes

I can’t wait until the Roma tomatoes and Bell Peppers are ready for me to make some fresh salsa!

Fire! The Renewal of a Forest

by Celia Godkin

Our new schoolyear is fast approaching!  Since forest fire season is here, for the first few weeks of school one of our focuses will be the study of forest fires.  Throughout planning this unit, I’ve been quite amazed at all I’ve learned.  The above book, Fire! The Renewal of a Forest, is a book that I stumbled upon quite by accident.  My son had picked it off the shelf at the library at the very last minute one day as we were leaving.  Before we had a chance to read it, he unexpectedly went into the hospital for two weeks.

The day after we got back home, he picked it up and asked me to read it to him as he was getting ready for bed that night.  By the time I was done with the last page, I was in tears!  The story is not only about forest fires, but also about the beneficial renewing process that comes as a result of the harsh fire.  This personally really hit home with me after going through such a trial in our lives.  After reading it, my son and I had one of the most wonderful talks about what had happened to him, and where was God when it happened.  This book is so beautifully written with rich engaging colorful illustrations.  This definitely qualified as a “living book” for me.  I couldn’t wait to purchase it for ourselves.

Also that very night, while I was so inspired, I sat and wrote up some unit study ideas to use with the book.

If you would like to download these unit study ideas click Forest Fires Unit.  This is a Word file.

Literature Unit Study Ideas:

Fire! The Renewal of a Forest, by Celia Godkin

BIBLE:

~ The main theme through the book is the renewal and new birth of a forest after a fire.

Main Verse – 1 Peter 1:3-9

Verses about Renewal and New Birth –

2 Corinthians 4:16

Ephesians 4:22-24

John 3:1-16

1 Peter 1:23

1 Peter 3:12-14

Revelation 21:1-3

Verses about Beneficial Refining –

Isaiah 48:10

Daniel 11:35

Also discuss the two different types of Lodgepole Pinecones

– one which spreads it seeds normally and one which requires fire in order to

open and spread it’s seeds.

SCIENCE:

Ecosystems, Balance In

Boreal (or Taiga) Forests

Forest Fires

Fire: What is it?

Evergreen Trees – Spruce, Pine, Fir

Deciduous Trees – Aspen

Seedlings and Underground Roots and Stems

Wind-Bourne Seeds – Dandelion, Fireweed, Aspen, Birch

Lighting – Heat Lightning, Dangers Of

Drought

Animals – Black Bear, White-Tailed Deer, Coyote, Groundhog, Deer Mouse, Pileated Woodpecker,

Cedar Waxwing, Red-Tailed Hawk, Red Squirrel, Snowshoe Hare, Red Admiral Butterfly, Grasshopper, Bumblebee, Two-Spotted Ladybug, Spruce Grouse

Lodgepole Pine – Research this tree whose life cycle is dependent on fire. Examine the plant’s role in that particular ecosystem. Then illustrate the life cycle of this plant and the role that fire plays in helping it successfully complete the life cycle.

- Watch video (Lodgepole Pine) at: http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/insideyellowstone/videolist.htm

GEOGRAPHY:

Maps ~

Boreal Forests of North America

Occurrence of Forest Fires – http://www.smokeybear.com/wildfire-map.asp

LANGUAGE ARTS:

Vocabulary/Grammar/Spelling Word List ~

**identify the part of speech, look-up definition (act out if like), use in a sentence, spelling practice

            kindling                         nibbled

            ablaze                            greenery

            clearing                         scorched

            burrow                           shriveled

            raged                             soggy

            spattered                      shoots

            fizzled                            scurried

Creative Writing ~

- Pick an object in nature and bring it to life by using creative descriptive terms.

Examples from book:

                                    Raindrops hissed and spattered on the hot embers

                                    Breeze Whispered

                                    Leaf Stirred

                                    Lightning snapped and crackled

                                    Storm clouds gathered

Journal/Blog Ideas ~

                                    Book Review

                                    The two ways forest fires are started

                                    How does life return to a forest after a fire?

                                    Forest Fires – good or bad?

                                    Nature Topic

Dictation ~

- Choose a passage from book to dictate.

Narration ~

- Narrate story back

Author Highlight ~

- Celia Godkin – google search and check out some of her other books

ART:

Nature Journal Entry ~

            Drawing of forest animal

            Draw a picture of a scene from a boreal forest

            Use diagram at the back of book “View of a Wilderness Forest” to recreate in journal;

or choose one area of wilderness to illustrate and label characteristics.

Supplemental Books/Movies:

Forest Fire, by Mary Ann Fraser

The Charcoal Forest, by Peluso

Fire Storm, by Jean Craighead George

A Walk in the Boreal Forest, by Rebecca Johnson

Fire in the Forest: A Cycle of Growth and Renewal, by Pringle and Marshall

            (caution, a mention of “millions of years”)

Fire: Friend or Foe, by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Bambi – Walt Disney

Fantasia 2000 – Walt Disney

            Watch the Firebird Suite:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTSSIzBxIwg

Websites:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/insideyellowstone/videolist.htm

- Yellowstone Park Video List (Watch Lodgepole Pine, and Wildland Fire Overview)

http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/slidefile/fire/index.htm

- Yellowstone Park Photo Digital Images from Wildfires

http://www.smokeybear.com/

- Smokey Bear

http://www.smokeybear.com/wildfire-map.asp

- Real-time wildfire map

http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/nfn.htm

- National Interagency Fire Center

http://www.fs.fed.us/

- U.S. Forest Service

http://www.nps.gov/fire/educational/edu_tea_lessonplans.cfm

- Fire Ecology Educator’s Lesson Plans

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/forestfires/#pro

- Discovery Education Forest Fires Lesson Plan

by Ralph Bergengren

When the earth is turned in spring

The worms are fat as anything.

And birds come flying all around

To eat the worms right off the ground.

They like worms just as much as I

Like bread and milk and apple pie.

And once, when I was very young,

I put a worm right on my tongue.

I didn’t like the taste a bit,

And so I didn’t swallow it.

But oh, it makes my Mother squirm

Because she thinks I ate that worm!

“Although not generally considered attrative, for two reasons the earthworm has an important place in nature-study:  it furnishes an interesting example of lowly organized creatures, and it is of great economic importance to the agriculturist.  The lesson should have special reference to the work done by earthworms and to the simplicity of the tools with which the work is done.”

~ Handbook of Nature Study, pg. 422

After days of rain, earthworms are abundantly available.   So yesterday we did a little earthworm observation and experimentation.

First, of course, we collected a few very friendly earthworms who were more than willing to help us with our studies!  We laid them on a moistened paper towel, then observed them for a few moments under a magnifying lens.

The kids thought it was really cool the way they move.  Have you ever really watched an earthworm move?

“An earthworm has a peculiar, crawling movement.  Unlike the snake, which also moves without legs; but it has a very special provision for locomotion.”

~Handbook of Nature Study, pg. 423

Next, we got an ice cube and lightly touched the earthworms with it and found out they are very sensitive to cold (well at least two of them were).  They immediately jerked around.

“This is because each segment of an earthworm’s body has at least one pair of nerve endings that are very sensitive to cold.”

~Nature in a Nutshell for Kids, pg. 12

We grabbed two more moistened paper towels and covered them up with them.  We noticed that they got really still and didn’t move an inch.  When we removed the paper towels, they immediately started to move about again.

“They avoid direct sunlight, but have no eyes.  Instead, they have a pair of spots that are sensitive to light.”

~Nature in a Nutshell for Kids, pg. 12

Next, we collected a nice-sized mound of soil and put it on the paper towel, and then placed the worms on top of it.  At least two of them eventually started working there way down into the soil.  They were a bit slow about it though.

“The earthworm is, among lower animals, essentially the farmer.  Long before men conceived the idea of tiling the soil, this seemingly insignificant creature was busily at work plowing, harrowing, and fertilizing the land.”

~Handbook of Nature Study, pg. 422

Lastly something we observed ourselves, was to take a flashlight and hold the earthworm up in the air while shining the light on it, you could see it’s inside parts pretty clearly, especially on the underside.  Cool!

This observation experiment came from one of my newest favorite nature experiment books:

Nature in a Nutshell

- Over 100 Activities you can do in Ten Minutes for Less

by Jean Potter

I also found this Diagram of an Earthworm to be helpful!