Celebrating the ordinary
After a scarcity of butterflies during much of the summer, I’ve appreciated seeing several in the backyard lately. Our Golden Asters (Chrysopsis villosa) are in full bloom and have attracted several visitors.
“Don’t take life too seriously cause it ain’t nohow permanent” is a quote I like from the cartoon possum, Pogo. Creating a few light touches in the backyard helps me guard against being too serious, Three flamingos mysteriously appeared several years ago and I’ve grown rather fond of them. By now they’ve lost their legs but they’ve settled in nicely next to the pot of New Guinea Impatiens in the old wheelbarrow.
It was great to see Judy Burris and Wayne Richards at the Kids’ Caterpillar Weekend at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. I always appreciate their lively, entertaining and educational presentations. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading their newest book, Nature’s Notes: Bite-sized learning and projects for all ages.
I agree with this quote from a review by Carole Brown, “Nature’s Notes is full of tips and projects to make learning about nature fun for kids of all ages. As an adult, you’ll appreciate the stunning photography that fills these pages. You’ll also get to know your own wildlife garden much better by using the tips in this delightful book.”
After looking at Nature’s Notes, our six-year-old friend Nancy proclaimed that she really liked the photos – “especially the tiny turtle.” Another friend said, “Every household with kids needs a book like this.” I agree. I’m inspired by Judy’s and Wayne’s photography and their ideas for exploring nature, and I’ll be trying several of their suggestions in our backyard. Continue reading “Judy Burris and Wayne Richards – superb local naturalists”
I thoroughly enjoyed the Kids’ Caterpillar Weekend at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Naturalists Tyler Morgan and Brian Gasdorf were enthusiastic and gracious hosts. Tyler’s excellent presentations and the caterpillar hunts were both educational and fun. Other highlights of the weekend were Judy Burris and Wayne Richards’ delightful butterfly presentation, a butterfly hunt and moth watch.
I’m amazed at the different caterpillar shapes, colors, and designs, as well as their intriguing names. Here’s a sample of what we saw. Click any image for a larger version and click the enlargement to view the next image.
After six years, our native passion flower vines (Passiflora incarnata) needed a more substantial trellis. The area where they’re growing wasn’t being used, and I wanted a “hideout” for the neighborhood kids. Our friend Carmen found a creative solution for both. He installed two cattle panels that arch from the base of the passion flower plants to the bottom of our nearby fence. Bales of straw provide seating or a table area.
This was how the hideout looked in June when our neighbors Nicolas and Ben were giving it a try.
Continue reading “Backyard hideout with passion flower vines”