Cicada 2021

Cicada shell

 This is the year for the 17 year cicada brood to emerge for Baltimore and surrounding region. Cicadas are an insect that spends most of its life underground before emerging, shed their skins and fly off to find a mate. And part of that mate finding includes making a loud chirping clicking sound. Once mated their adult part of the life cycle ends. They have been out since mid-May and yet I haven't seen many in my area. I hear them when near wooded areas but it wasn't until yesterday that I finally really saw them. I might have seen one or two these last few weeks but that is it. 

I went for a walk along a parking that was surrounded by many trees. And on the ground I found cicadas crawling about, and not crawling. I went off to go chat with friends and noticed something odd sitting on a rock. It wasn't moving, and looked like an insect of sorts. So me being me I snapped a picture thinking I will identify it later. After getting home on closer inspection of the picture, I figured out what I found, a cicada shell, the exoskeleton. It is the skin left behind from a molting larva into adult cicada form. Look closely and you will see a slit along the middle back and counting legs there are only four and not six. It also has a translucent quality to it. It's pretty cool when you think about.

Indoor Garden - First harvest!

Last week I posted that I was growing an indoor lettuce garden. And this week I did my first harvest! Following the tips from others who have the same garden kit on how to properly harvest the lettuce I went with the whole leaf method. On the right you can see the before picture. This shows that the Red Sails (the purple one) and the Black Seeded Simpson leaves were covering up the pod that has yet to fully sprout and the others were also fighting for light. So I cut them down a bit.

You can see here on the left what I kept on the plants after the harvest. I might still trim a few more but this was a start. They say not to take more than a third of the plant at each harvest so that it can recover and grow. The plants are quick growers so I am not too worried. Just have to figure out what to do with my small pile of fresh salad greens. Yes, make a salad is the typical answer for what to make with lettuce. And maybe that is what I will do. Start simple, to get to know the flavors then go more advanced in my salad making or lettuce uses.

It is nice that even while it is snowing outside I can still have my own bit of green and fresh produce. This is a great way to let kids see where food comes from, and grow their own salads and other veggies. Even if you don't get a fancy kit to create your own indoor garden there are other ways to start one. You can take empty food containers and fill with soil and plant seeds, get some small pots, or other recyclable containers, even toilet paper tubes can work for starting seeds. Take the tube, cut four slits on one end to fold over creating a cup, fill it with soil stand them up inside a cleaned food container, getting 4-6 of them in the container depending on size, and place by a window to watch the seeds grow. Remember to water them each day as needed. Enjoy your own indoor garden grow, Meet Me Outdoors.

Indoor Gardening 2021

My indoor gardening over the years has typically been some version of volunteer garden. Or basically whatever mysteriously grows out of my compost is what gets to be watered and nurtured and let grow until it is finished its season.  I have gotten squash plants and tomato plants out of it in the past. Not the best of produce but worked well enough. Last spring I did do some planting of basil seeds that I got and the result was quite nice. Fresh basil has been a great addition to my meals. Other seeds I tried planting a month ago didn't grow because I wasn't keeping up on my watering. That has been something I have forgotten to do even when I do walk by my window garden entering my kitchen all the time.

So this year I am trying something different. A garden system that will tell me when it needs water if I forget, and when to add nutrients, too. An AeroGarden. I am not one for brands or anything, but this is something I have wanted to try for many years. And now I have! It has been two weeks since I planted and four of the six pods have made some great progress. The other two I am giving another week before calling it, and the company has a guarantee if any of their pods don't grow by sending replacements.

I started this as a project for one of my classes, was hoping to do weekly check ins with my students to see how the plants progress over the semester. Then for fun I decided to do daily growth check ins in between the class time since the first sprouts were super exciting for me not to share. I took a couple pictures two to three times a day depending on when I was home or out. The resulting video was made with a stop motion app with eight frames per second timing.

I have yet to try any of the lettuce leaves, I am waiting until they get a bit bigger. For harvesting they say to just pluck the leaves and eat. Right now they are small so maybe next week or a week after that I will try one. I also have a plant your own seeds kit so I might add those in the spots where the plants didn't grow and see what may come out of it. I have some more basil seeds and some other herbs I can plant.  It is early for planting outside, but this has been a fun way to bring the outside in. Looking forward to watch this continue to grow. Try some new ways to plant your own indoor garden or start some seeds for an outdoor garden and watch it grow, Meet Me Outdoors.

A Rainbow Walk

I went for a walk around Federal Hill today to get a little sunshine. Along the way I decided to take pictures of flowers and plants of different colors of the rainbow. Not quite sure what all of the different plants are but that is why I have downloaded the PlantSnap app, you can load a picture from your phone and it will give you options for which plant you may have. It has been useful in helping me identify some of the unique flowers I find on my walks. What colorful things would you find on your own rainbow walk? Explore the colors of the rainbow on your next adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

Safe Solar Viewing of Solar Eclipse 2017

The most talked about celestial event of the year is less than a week a way. On August 21, 2017 the Moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun and this shadow is going to move across the Continental United States from Oregon to South Carolina. This is called a solar eclipse.

Only people in the path of the shadow will see an eclipse.

Everywhere not in the center of this path but in North America will be getting a partial eclipse while those on the path are going to see a total eclipse of the sun. Where will you be during the solar eclipse of 2017? Check out NASA's Eclipse 2017 website for an interactive map and see how much of an eclipse you will get.  Here is a collection of tips for viewing this really cool event with your friends and family.

Rule #1 - NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN

Taken with cellphone camera with eclipse shades used as solar filter

The sun is way to bright to look at with your own eyes. Staring at the sun can burn your eyes damaging them and rendering you blind. When any part of the sun's surface is visible it is still dangerous to look at without protection. The only way to safely look at the sun directly is to use solar eclipse shades. To know if you have the correct, safe shades you need to see that they have ISO 12312-2 international standard certification printed on them. The only thing you should be able to see with these specially rated eclipse shades is the sun. (See picture of sun with filter.) Your regular, everyday sunglasses are not rated for direct solar viewing, DO NOT use them for the eclipse. 

Science museums, planetariums, observatories even some libraries have been giving away the safe solar eclipse shades however supplies is limited as the eclipse day approaches. Finding these shades online for purchase is not cheap. If you haven't gotten a pair of these eclipse shades, fear not! There are ways to experience the eclipse without going blind. 

Shadow Play - Eclipse Style

In doing research for this blog post, and for work, I have found some unique tricks to viewing the eclipse indirectly.

Pinhole Projector 

A pinhole projector is made using, as it says a pinhole to project an image of the sun. Take two cards card and poke a hole in one of them. Take both cards outside with you during the eclipse and stand with the sun to your back. Hold the card with the hole in it over your shoulder and the other card just a few inches away. If aimed right you should see a bright dot on the second card, this is the sun. You can move the second card away from the pinhole card to get a bigger projection. Making the hole bigger means you will have to move the card farther from the card or paper you are projecting to. Don't try to see the sun through the hole, this will blind you, always look at the shadow of the card.

Want to have some fun with your pinhole projections? 

Pinhole projection of a solar eclipse using a colander. Credit: Alice Pintus

Try poking out a message in your card. During the eclipse you will see crescent suns projected in the shape of your message.  Bring out some simple kitchen items like a spoon with holes, colander (the kind with big holes works better than mesh) and a grater with small holes. Aim these objects while looking at the shadows on the ground and when you get it to show the holes you will see little projections of the sun. Pinhole projection ideas.

Make a pinhole viewer tube

To simplify your pinhole projection during eclipse time make a pinhole view tube like the one shown here.  All you need is a cardboard tube like a mailing tube, you can even use a potato chip tube if you have one, thick index card and tape.  See instructions below, adult assistance required to cut through cardboard tube.

Pinhole viewer tube window with end capped off (Steps 1 and 2)

Step 1 - Cut a rectangle out of one end of the side of the tube to make a window. (See picture.)
Step 2 - Cap off the end of the tube with the window with white paper. (See picture.)

Step 2 - Tape a thick card or tinfoil to the opposite end of the tube from the window. 

Step 3 - Poke hole in the card taped on the end opposite from the window. 

If you are using a potato chip tub - Step 4 -  roll and stick dark paper inside inside the canister to reduce any brightness from foiled walls of the tub.  Re-cut the window out of the dark paper to see the white paper at the bottom.

Completed pinhole viewer tube
Pinhole on top -  Window and capped end on bottom

Once made take outside on sunny day have sun behind you and tip tube so that the end with the pinhole is pointing toward the sun and the window down to the ground. See picture of completed viewer tube to see how to hold it. To aim it right look at the shadow of the tube on the ground and tip the tube so the shadow looks like a circle and not a hotdog. When the shadow is a circle you can look through the window down to the paper and you should see a projected sun on the capped end inside the tube. During the partial eclipse phase you will see a crescent sun on the capped end at the bottom through the window when aimed correctly. The longer the tube you have, the bigger the projection will be. With the potato chip tubs the image will be small and slightly out of focus. A longer tube will be a bit more in focus and you can get a larger projected image of the sun. The bigger the pinhole the farther the screen needs to be to get it in focus. Interesting note - with the pinhole projection the image seen is upside-down.

Tree Shadows

Do you have a tree nearby? One really cool way to see the partial eclipse phases is to look at the shadow of the tree. In this shadow the tiny gaps between the leaves are acting as a pinhole projector and you will see crescent suns in the shadows.  As long as you don't break Rule #1 and look up through the tree to the sun, this is a safe fun way to see a projection of the sun being covered by the moon.

The Eclipse Tree - Credit & Copyright: E. Israel

Things to Remember

If you happen to be in the path of totality and the crescent sun in the shadow has disappeared, you can actually look up at the sun directly and witness the total eclipse of the sun. The sky will darken, you may feel it be a bit colder temperature, and you may notice animals behaving like it is almost night time. Of course, once the Moon is no longer blocking the full sun you need to look away, put those eclipse shades back on if you got them, and celebrate that you saw a total solar eclipse. 

For the rest of us not in the path of totality, but able to see a partial solar eclipse stick to the safe viewing tips mentioned above, my personal favorite that I will try is the colander projection method. Also remember, while the eclipse is a special event, being out in the sun is no different from any normal sunny day. Wear your sunblock, bring a hat, drink water to stay hydrated. With kids you can use these safe viewing methods of shadow play and have a good time. Whether go to a special eclipse viewing event or make one of your own, join millions of people across North America and experience the Solar Eclipse of 2017, Meet Me Outdoors.

For further information and other resources:

NASA's eclipse website, has lots of good resources - eclipse2017.nasa.gov  

Extreme detailed dos and don'ts of eclipse: https://dyer.vanderbilt.edu/solar-eclipse/ 

Tree shadows - https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap001225.html

Video: Why a total solar eclipse is such a big deal - https://youtu.be/oNH3akWXaV8

Field Trip to Ladew Gardens

Today, I went on a field trip with fellow coworkers to Ladew Gardens. Ladew Gardens has a wide variety of gardens and many topiary displays as well as a Butterfly House full of local butterflies. Our group was divided into two with half wandering the gardens first and the other half went to the butterfly garden.  I was in the wander the gardens group.  With map in hand and my big sun hat and sunblock on it was time to explore with my group.

The gardens were made up of garden rooms which were highlighted by color, plant or theme.  The topiaries throughout the gardens had themes as well from one garden room to the next.  Some were still getting trained so you would see a frame and a topiary still growing to fill it. The first image is of the Hunt Scene you can see the hound dogs on the left and 'hopping' over the fence is a man on a horse. Off frame is the fox topiary.  The second photo is from the Sculpture Garden. See if you can figure out what some of the topiaries are supposed to be. Not easy, is it?

After exploring the rest of the gardens it was time for my favorite part, the Butterfly House.  All around the enclosed garden are host plants as well that if they find eggs or caterpillars on them the staff may clip them and bring them inside.  As the main plants are being eaten by the caterpillars they would bring in some clippings from outside so the ones planted in the garden can have a chance to recover.  Throughout the Butterfly House you can find butterflies in all stages of life from egg to adult and the docents are happy to point them out to visitors.

Fritillary

I have tried to capture some of the butterflies and caterpillars in pictures. (If it is out of focus: blame the camera. It doesn't like accept where I want it to focus so it tends to have the background in focus and the object I center the focus box on a bit blurry.) To identify what was in the butterfly house they had some signs around the marking the plants and the type of butterfly that would use it as a host plant.  There was a pamphlet that was available to help ID some of the common butterflies in the garden. For those at your home gardens and you can get a good picture of them there is a good website for North American butterflies and moths.
Some of you may notice that a few of the butterflies are missing part of their wings as shown in the picture of the fritillary on the right. This is part of their defense, if some predator comes by they may only get a bit of their wing while the butterfly can flutter off and escape being eaten. The swallowtail butterfly, named because of the little tail bit at the bottom of their hind wings, has that small section of the wing for that reason. 

Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar

Ladew Gardens is great for families, kids and school groups alike. My group went as part of an exchange, they had some of their staff visit the Science Center and we went to visit them at their gardens.  For those who know me may remember that not too long ago I also worked at a couple different butterfly gardens. Ladew's was unique in that they only do local butterflies. So you won't find any tropical ones that would have to be shipped in from butterfly farms.  I really like that everything they had in the Butterfly House was something I may see in my own backyard.  Many of which I have seen before and some were new to me.  They even provide a list of caterpillar host plants and what caterpillar only likes those plants so you can add those to your garden. Just be sure that they are pesticide free and get local plants to your area. 
There was a nature walk path that we didn't have time for, I still had a great time exploring the topiary gardens and seeing the butterflies.  Go visit explore a local botanical gardens near you, Meet Me Outdoors

Monarch Butterfly

From Mirador de Catarina to Laguna de Apoyo

Mirador de Catarina is a look out point in the town of Catarina in Nicaragua that oversees Laguna de Apoyo, a lagoon that was once an ancient volcano. Any mountain seen is or was a volcano.

With one of my travel friends and someone to guide us, I walked up to the look out point. Once there you can see the lagoon and some of the towns around it. Off in the distance you can see Lake Nicaragua. Many families and other groups of people were around sitting on the benches taking in the view. The area also has shops and food, even horse ride tours. 

After spending time at the top we took a moto-taxi to a resort down by the lake side that let's you enjoy entry some of the amenities, such as lake access for a small fee. The place we went to had a dock, inner-tubes and a sail boat for those who chose to use them. One from the group decided to swim the rest of us relaxed on the hammocks or by the water edge.

Since the lagoon was once a volcano a lot of the rocks were volcanic.  My favorite one to find was pumice which is a light colored or white rock, very light in weight due to air bubbles trapped when it was formed. When I tossed it into the water it would float and the waves would bring it back to the edge.

Even with a kid from our group was tossing any rock he could find to the edge of the water, it was good relaxing time out by the lake. Going from the top of the lookout point and then down by the edge of the water could have been a hike. With the limitations of sun setting at 6 we wouldn't have had enough time down and up from the lake before it got too dark.  It was a great ending to my adventure in Central America.  Looking forward to my next adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

Richmond, VA - Maymont Park

Spring is here!  It finally feels like springtime and I was able to go visit with some friends down in Richmond, VA. While there we went to Maymont Park which is a great place for families. There are different habitat regions, gardens, and farm animals.

 I really enjoyed seeing the different animals and gardens.  The first animals we found were bison, they were on the way up to the Children's Farm. At the farm there were goats, chickens and a cow. Of course I got pictures.  Though it was hard to get some of the animals to stand still for the camera, the bison were the only ones to sit still. 
Some of the animals at the park that were in the wildlife exhibits had already gone in for the night. But the ones that were still out did come and say hi.

While we stuck to the Children's Farm, wildlife exhibits, and some of the gardens, there was far more to explore than we had time.  There is a Nature Center & Visitor Center which highlights the regional habitat. 

The chickens definitely kept moving around the most.  This is why they are off to the side of the picture.

 No, this isn't a two headed cow, the second one just had to be in the picture. 

This was nice stream we passed moving from one habitat area to the next. We were heading to the Japanese garden.  Walking through the gardens was really peaceful, a nice break from city life. 

This was a surprise find in the Japanese gardens. There was a snake slithering by and it looks like it had dinner recently. The snake is a bit camouflaged on the grass near the tree, but look for an oddly smooth branch like animal with a large bump in the middle.  It was certainly an interesting discovery.

I am looking forward to the new season and getting a chance to explore more outside.  Time for all of us to go outside and explore, Meet Me Outdoors.

Why did the toad cross the road?

I decided to take a quick evening stroll down my street and saw something different in my path.  All along the way I saw many leaves and twigs scattered around the sidewalk and road. Then I saw a lump in the path that was out of the ordinary.  I stepped closer to the lump and it hopped! It was a toad.

I was able to get a picture of the toad. It is the green lumpy thing near the center of the image. When I first saw it in the sidewalk its green coloring stood out more compared to the white cement. On the mud it is a little more camouflaged, but still easy enough to see.

I am glad I took the evening stroll.  It's good to have some fresh air and get outside after being stuck inside from all of the raining over the last couple days. The surprise toad was a nice bonus.  Take a chance and go for a stroll what will you find, Meet Me Outdoors.

Look what I found - Jellyfish!

I am trying to get back into walking during my lunch break. I was walking along Baltimore's Inner Harbor and decided to take a look and see what is in the water. I first saw a few ducks then farther down I noticed something different. For a short moment I thought it was a plastic bag, then I saw it move.  It was a jellyfish. 

Last time I saw a jellyfish in a harbor was when I was in Boston when there was a large group of them. 

I only saw three of them when I was on my walk today. Two were near each other and one was farther down the way.  I recently learned that a group of jellyfish is called a smack.   

It was definitely a surprise to see something other than ducks in the harbor.  In doing some research I found jellywatch.org that is a citizen-science site where people can add their sightings. It also is full of interesting information about jellyfish. Learning new things every day, Meet Me Outdoors.

Swallow Falls Canyon Trail

The adventure of the day was to walk around Swallow Falls. It is a state park in the Deep Creek area of Western Maryland not far from where I am staying.  There is a small entry fee that goes toward preservation of the park.

There are two different waterfalls in the area and are connected by a looped path.  The group of us decided to start with Swallow Falls. The trek to the falls is simple, with some steps that lead you down to the falls. We knew we were almost at the waterfall as the sound of rushing water grew.  When we reached the falls we could see it was a popular spot. Lots of people were observing the falls and taking pictures or wading through water to feel the water flow over them. Since we didn't bring a towel or change of clothes we decided to watch and take pictures.

This first set of falls were relatively shallow but still a good drop.  The first picture only shows the top section of the falls from where I was standing, left of the frame is maybe a 20-30 feet drop and right of frame is the river that leads to it.  As we all know I don't like to get too close to the edge, but it was fun scrambling up some of the rocks along the water.

These are my friends going on an adventure between the rocks and trees. They were climbing around and then started to do funny faces when had my camera aimed at them.  Throughout the forest there are a lot of fallen trees. According to signage, the hurricane winds knocked many of the trees over.

We then trotted off to find the next waterfall, I spotted a really cool looking flower along the trial. Just as I pulled my phone out to take a picture the butterfly landed.  It moved around a few times drinking nectar from the flower as I took its picture.  Do you recognize it from a previous post? It is very similar to the one I found in the garden back home.  Can you spot the honey bee? Both the butterfly and the bee are pollinators.

After some winding paths we finally made it to the second waterfall called Muddy Creek Falls. According to the state park's website it is 53 feet tall.  The pictures to the left and below don't show the scale well but it is much taller than the first waterfall we walked by.  To the left of the falls there was a staircase that leads up to the top of the falls.  At the top there is a platform and a paved path to make it handicap accessible. 

 
 Over all it was a great time.  If you are ever in the area I'd recommend checking it out for yourself.  I look forward toward my next adventure as the week continues.  Go check out what your local state parks have to offer they might surprise you, Meet Me Outdoors.

Out by the Water at Kent Island, Eastern Shore, MD

Went out to the Eastern Shore, MD and saw a pretty sunset and some really cool wildlife.  There was an osprey nest, a heron, and ducks. (Yes, more ducks...) 

It was really peaceful by the water.  I could see out toward the Chesapeake Bay with Baltimore beyond the horizon.  It was a great evening with my family eating out on the deck watching the sunset and seeing the animals.

The osprey nest had been made on a post that was put out especially for them. They build the nest though.  My family was passing around binoculars to see them better from the deck.  Apparently the baby osprey are nearly fledged and ready to fly off soon so it was nice to see them still in the nest.

When we saw the heron I wanted to get a closer look so I quietly walked down to the dock and tried to get a few pictures. At first it just stood where it was, but it eventually flew off, I caught it on my camera but since it was dusk the lighting was low.  It blended in well along the shore line after landed farther away from the dock, but I could see it in the distance. Of course the camera on my phone doesn't do well in the dark. I will try to add more pictures when I can. Enjoy summer, Meet Me Outdoors.

Ducklings of MSC follow up

I went out look for the ducklings today but found an empty nest.  I didn't see the mallard ducklings and mommy mallard out on the water but I did see a gaggle of geese.  

I will keep up the search for the ducklings. Until then, I am including the Maryland Science Center's Instagram picture of the mother duck and her baby ducks.  You can see that they are well camouflaged in the nest in the corner. You can see little duckling heads to the left of the mommy mallard's beak.

For those who know me well might also find another picture of me at the MSC's Instagram page demonstrating the need for Sun protection especially in the summer time. Using UV meters I was testing how much suncreen helps block the UV radiation from the Sun compared to the control.  Hint: Look for the person wearing a big floppy hat and sunglasses.

Keep exploring, Meet Me Outdoors.

Baltimore Harbor

Lately I have been taking walks during my lunch break in the Federal Hill and Baltimore Inner Harbor area near my work. One of my routes takes me along the water and I like to look to see what animals are around. Usually I see a lot of ducks but sometimes is see something new.

Today, I looked over the edge of the harbor walkway and saw a turtle.  It was sunning itself on one of the stones. You can see it in the picture centered at the bottom. 

Besides the turtle, I did see a bunch of ducks bobbing up and down in the water looking for food.

If you take the same routes every day, try looking around. There may be something new that you walked by and missed. Meet Me Outdoors.

Robert E Lee Park Walk

I went on a walk today with a friend at the Robert E Lee Park which is north of Baltimore.  I walked there before with a hiking meetup group a few years ago.  That time it was just following a group with someone who knew the trails well. This time I did my best to follow the trails stayed on the path but there were a few places where the path crossed with another or veered off in to some direction.  I used my walking app that maps where I walk with GPS and was able to see where we were going and where we needed to be. So we made a big loop but not exactly the trail that we were aiming for.  

 The first critter we saw was a snake as you see it on the bridge stone.  Of course when my friend went to get a closer picture she scared the snake and it slithered off. The park is dog friendly so in a lot of mud spots of the path we saw paw prints from dogs.  Other tracks are people's shoes and bike tires. Sometimes I saw deer prints in the mud patches. We even saw a deer off in the woods but it ran off out of sight. The last picture was an attempt to catch a frog in action. It was a teeny tiny frog.  It was so small I was amazed I even caught sight of it in the first place it is pretty well camouflaged. It was about the size of my thumb nail. To find it in the picture look on the stick, just to the right of the light. It kept hopping away from one side of the path to the other.

In all we did 4 miles of walking. It was hot out so afterward we made sure to get something to drink to rehydrate. It was good to walk get fresh air while exploring the trails.  Robert E. Lee Park is just up the road from where I live, so it was good to see try the local trails. Find a local park near you to explore, Meet Me Outdoors

 

Little Purple Flowers - Mystery Solved

Almost a year ago has gone by since my neighbor's kid pointed out to me that the little purple flowers had disappeared from around the yard. The flowers came back again this year and I remembered to take a few pictures.  I used the pictures to help identify the flowers using a dichotomous key.  I narrowed it down to crocuses. The name was familiar from hearing it around the office as first sign of spring.  So now the mystery is solved.

Late winter, crocuses are of the first to bloom. While they do come in different colors, it seems that someone scattered only purple ones in our area and they come back each year. Best part is that even when there is snow they may bloom, are still there when the snow melts again.  Go out and enjoy the first signs of spring, Meet Me Outdoors.

Animals at Night

Tonight as I was walking from my car to my house I saw five deer. I saw the first one crossing the street, one trotting down the sidewalk away from me and three others a few houses down the road. It got me thinking about other animals I have seen at night when walking from my car to my house over the past month or so.

My first odd animal encounter was maybe a month ago when a fox ran right by me going around my car then up the road.  I watched as it crossed the road to the median then into the brush.  I then heard a squeak from the bush and out ran two foxes and they chased each other down the street.  I have seen one of the foxes since then crossing the street on a later night.

My next animal was with a bunny.  I saw it hop up my driveway and into my backyard a few weeks ago. Another day I saw one hop across the path I was walking to my door. It stopped behind a plant and posed for a picture... Ok, so maybe not posed per se but it did freeze in its position as I took the picture.  One adaptation of rabbits is they stand motionless and hope the predator doesn't see them. They also have coloring that helps them blend in with their surroundings.  (Bonus points go to whoever can find the bunny in the picture.)

In looking for activities to do with my nature class that I teach on the weekends I found something called "fox walking". Fox walking is a barefoot walking technique that helps you focus not on the ground but on your surroundings.  I read that for every deer you see, you likely passed ten others.  I was sure this time to look not just at the first deer I saw tonight, but to see if there were others. Sure enough when I surveyed the area I saw the other four deer.  Look around you next time you are outside and don't let animal encounters go unnoticed, Meet Me Outdoors.

I am ready for spring!

I decided to have my Sunday school kindergarten class do some seed starting for early preparation for spring.  It has been 2 weeks and we can already see growth. What is great about keeping the plants in the classroom instead of having them take the plants home right away is we can extend the learning from one week to the next.  We planted cherry tomato seeds in a simple seed starting greenhouse kit.

One week after planting the seeds we were able to measure the sprouts.  With the group gathered around the table I had each student pick a sprout to measure with the ruler.  Since they were kindergarteners and just starting to learn to read numbers we looked for which number the leaves on the top of the sprout were closest to.  Most were 1-2 inches tall, a few were 3 inches tall.  

Once the plants start to sprout they should be under a lamp so they get enough light and have warmth to grow.  I took the plants home over the week so I can be sure they are watered and have enough light. As you can see from the pics they are growing quite nicely. 

The little plants make it feel like spring will be here soon, even though we just got almost a foot of snow outside. If it hadn't just started raining I would have gone out to build a snow-person or fort.  Stay warm everyone!  Think spring, have fun in the snow, Meet Me Outdoors.

A trip to the zoo

I went to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park today with some of my friends. It turned out to be a great day for the zoo, not too cold out which means we were able to see the animals. 

We saw the lions, reptiles, invertebrates, small mammals, elephants, even otters. As I walked through the zoo I used scvngr to keep track if where I went and what I saw.  For example, the picture on the right is of a chameleon I saw in the Reptile Discovery Center. I am sure he wanted to hide, but from my angle I could still see him, can you?

Since it's winter time, there were a few animals that were not out today because they prefer warmer climates.  There still were plenty of critters to see in the different indoor areas as well as along the outside trails. 

Elephant

 

If we came after dark this time of year, winter holiday season, we would have seen the zoo lights. I have only seen pictures of it from a friend of mine who went.

The pictures I added are from today. Looking forward to another adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

Otters... They kept moving around, hard to get a close-up.

Lion!

Two lions!