I heard this guy in the skylight of the kitchen last night but I couldn't get him to come down so I could see what sort of moth he was. This morning as I was sipping my morning cup of coffee, he buzzed right over to collect some nectar from the vase of flowers on my kitchen table. Can you believe that? We all watched as he hovered around the flowers and then up over the table. This was our first experience with a hummingbird moth and it was fantastic.
He flew up to the ceiling and landed in the corner. Please excuse the really ugly background for this beautiful moth. We re in the middle remodeling our living room and he landed right in the dusty corner where we are sheetrocking....of course.
I pulled out my Handbook of Nature Study and I was surprised to find that there is a complete section on hummingbird and sphinx moths, pages 320-325.
"The have long, rather narrow, strong wings which enable them to fly with extraordinary rapidity. ...Their colors show most harmonious combinations and most exquisite contrasts; the pattern, although often complex, shows perfect refinement.....Most of the sphinx moths have remarkably long tongues, which are sometimes twice the length of the body." Handbook of Nature Study, page 321
This was a very interesting insect to read about and I will be on the look out now for more of them. I read in the Handbook that they especially like petunias, morning glories, and nasturtiums which are all planted in my new garden from the spring!
This week we had some new and interesting things come our way for nature study. We seem to find things. We saw this field of wildflowers along the bike trail in our local area. The field was so pretty in the early morning light and I couldn't resist taking a few photos.
I even got a photo with a bee in it as part of our insect study this week. My son found this moth in the bathroom and called me in to get a photo of the "pretty moth" on the wall. Cool. We visited the pond this week and we brought home some water, plants, and some fish. This snail came along for the ride. This is something else new for me...not sure what it is. The fruit looks sort of like a cherry. Isn't it frustrating when you just don't know what you want to know? I will try to figure it out and come back and edit. This was in the parking lot where I was waiting for the boys. Edit: Thanks everyone....rose hips! The bush is so big and I didn't realize it was a rose but I am sure that everyone is right....rose hips. Thanks again.
The cutest thing we saw this week was a squirrel eating walnuts from our tree. He had such a long bushy tail and he didn't mind that we watched him as he nibbled. There are plenty of nuts for everyone. My son discovered the squirrel while he was in the backyard working on a project.
We had a lot of incidental nature study this week. I love that when it happens.
“During many years naturalists have been studying the habits and adaptations of the honeybees, and, as yet, the story of their wonderful ways is not half told. Although we know fairly well what the bees do, yet we have no inkling of the processes which lead to a perfect government and management of the bee community; and even the beginner may discover things never known before about these fascinating little workers.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 391
We have lots of honeybees and bumblebees in our area of California. I love to watch them on my lavender plants and on my other garden flowers. I love to sit and let them buzz up right next to me so I can see them clearly. I have had a sting or two in my life but usually because I stepped on a bee in the grass with bare feet.
“The structure of honeycomb has been for ages admired by mathematicians, who have measured the angles of the cells and demonstrated the accurate manner in which the rhomb-shaped cell changes at its base to a three-faced pyramid; and have proved that, considering the material of construction, honeycomb exemplifies the strongest and most economic structure possible for the storing of liquid contents.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 395
I am fascinated with the geometry of the honeycomb and read with interest the section in the Handbook on honeycombs starting on page 395. Maybe it has something to do with my love for eating honey.
1. This week read about bees in the Handbook of Nature Study, pages 384-400. There are sections on leaf-cutter bees, carpenter bees, bumblebees, and honeybees in the Handbook of Nature Study. You may not have every kind of bee in your location but I found the information very interesting and maybe someday I will have the opportunity to observe all the different kinds of bees discussed in the book. Remember our focus right now is on insects so if you don’t find a bee to observe, you can always look for other insects to study.
2. Your 15-20 minutes of outdoor time this week can be spent looking for insects. Make your goal just to get outside in your own backyard and find something to observe with your child. If during that time you find an insect, take as long as you can to describe what it looks like, what it is doing, and then try to come up with some questions to answer later with your Handbook of Nature Study or a field guide. If you find a bee to observe during your nature time or at another time during the week, use the opportunity to relate some facts from your reading in the Handbook of Nature Study.
3. Give the opportunity for a nature journal entry. It might be hard to draw a bee from your outdoor time but it would be a great idea to find a photo of a bee online or use the diagram on page 391 to make an entry about bees in your journal. Another idea is to use a notebooking page and fill it in with your thoughts and observations from your Outdoor Hour time. 4. If you are keeping a running list of insects you have observed during this focus period, add the insect’s name to the list.
Post an entry on your blog sharing your experiences. You can link up by clicking the carnival button or you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.
We love ladybugs in our garden. It is as simple as that. They always make me smile when I see them crawling around in the grass or on the rose bushes. Maybe it is the nostalgia of childhood memories that flood in when I see ladybugs....you know, singing *that* song. :)
Here is a link to an entry that I wrote a few months ago on finding a ladybug larva and a ladybug in my garden. This is an example of how taking the time to focus on something different in your own yard leads to a lot of really great information and then satisfaction. Ladybug Entry
Anyway, we recently observed a different kind of ladybug. I did take photos but now they are missing...hmmmm, it might actually have something to do with the number of photos I take each week. I have a hard time keeping them organized. :)
Anyway, here are some thoughts from the Handbook of Nature Study that I enjoyed: From the Handbook of Nature Study, page 366:
"The ladybird is a beetle. Its young are very different from the adult in appearance, and feed upon plant lice."
"These little beetles are very common in autumn and may be brought to the schoolroom and passed around in vials for the children to observe. Their larvae may be found on almost any plant infested with plant lice. Plant and all may be brought into the school room and the actions of the larvae noted by the pupils during recess."
From page 365:
"From our standpoint the ladybird is of great value, for during the larval as well as adult stages, all species except one feed upon those insects which we are glad to be rid of."
"The ladybird is a clever little creature, even if it does look like a pill, and if you disturb it, it will fold up its legs and drop as if dead, playing possum in a most deceptive manner."
Here is one of our nature journals. I don't usually have to go far during the summer to find a ladybug or some aphids. The boys will point out that I have a ladybug in my hair or there will be one hiding among the weeds on the edges of the garden box. They just seem to go hand in hand with summer gardening.
Want an update on my garden? Here you go! All the photos in this entry are from this week in my garden. Fading Coneflowers
Green beans growing up the poles in my garden box
My first nasturtium....we must plant more of these next year.
My morning glories are glorious.
Our butterfly bush in blooming...two different colors. Click to see them.
The days are getting shorter again and I can feel autumn nipping at my heels. It won't be long now...sigh.
Since posting my challenge on houseflies, I have been on the lookout for a subject of our study. My opportunity came the other day as I was making dinner and I noticed that there was a lone fly buzzing around. He was so annoying as he tried to land on my hamburger patties and my freshly cut garden tomato and some onion. I went to get my fly swatter and then as I was poised to swat him a good one, I stopped to remember and reflect on all that I learned this week by reading in the Handbook of Nature Study.
Houseflies as a topic of a challenge. What was I thinking? Someone called me a nature nerd the other day and I think it has stuck with me.....anyone else a nature nerd?
On another note, we also saw these insects crawling all over the garden box. I have no idea what they were but there were literally hundreds of them climbing up the green bean vines and the sunflowers. If you are interested, click the photos to enlarge them....beware, they get really big when you click.
We also enjoyed another insect in the yard this week, the Red Skimmer dragonfly. I never did get a photo of these beautiful dragonflies but I did draw him in my nature journal. He really is this reddish-orange with beautiful wings. This one is much more colorful than the Black Saddlebag dragonfly that I saw last week. Unlike the Black Saddlebag, this Red Skimmer does not sit still for even a second. Now if you are tired of looking at my insects, feast your eyes on this photo of my red delicious tomato, fresh from the garden on my lettuce salad. With rewards like this, gardening is a great hobby to pursue. Hopefully the beautiful photo of the salad will erase any unpleasantness of the fly and black bug photos from your mind. :)
I received a FANTASTIC link in an email from the Kids Gardening News. (sign up for their free email newsletter...it always has great info)
Here is a little blurb-make sure to click the link below to get information about pollinators in your specific region of the United States:
Pollinators are essential to life
Nearly 80% of our world's crop plants require pollination. Birds, bees, butterflies, but also beetles, mosquitoes, and even bats transfer pollen between seed plants. This function is vital for plant reproduction.
Look up your zip code to see if you have a guide available for your region. These are beautiful PDF files that you can download with loads of information about your particular region. I see these guides as valuable resources for local geography, science, natural history, and community involvement. What a GEM!
After I typed in my zip code it told me what region I live in: Sierran Steppe-Mixed Forest-Coniferous Forest-Alpine Meadow Province
My region's guide is not available yet but I took a peek at some of the others. What a fabulous resource tailored to your particular region of the United States. This is perfect for our focus on insects.
This week we will be taking time to read about and look for two different insects that seem to go hand in hand. I know in our garden if I see a ladybug, I will many times, if I look carefully, see some aphids too. Aphids are pretty small but if you get out your hand lens you may find you can see these insects in your flower garden. Look under the leaves.
“Aphids seem to be born to serve as food for other creatures-they are simply little machines for making sap into honeydew, which they produce from the alimentary canal for the delectation of ants; they are, in fact, merely little animated drops of sap on legs.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 352
Wow, that pretty much spells it out. I know that I have read somewhere that ants actually “farm” the aphids and “milk” them for food. Here are some aphids that I photographed way back last fall. These are rose leaves from my yard and they were really eating them up.
Here are the same aphids above along with an ant so you can compare the size.
These aphids I photographed last February on the back of a blackberry leaf. I didn't eve realize they were there until I zoomed in on them when I got home. I was actually taking a photo of the thorns on the back of the leaf.
Ladybugs are always a welcome sight in our garden and I have learned over the years how beneficial they are.
“The ladybird is a beetle. Its young are very different from the adult in appearance, and feed upon plant lice.”
Have fun this week and remember your overall focus is on insects so if you don’t see any ladybugs and aphids, post your blog entry about what insects you did discover. I look at these challenges as a way to make a community of families who are interested in nature. We all learn from each other. Believe it or not, I feel as if I learn just as much from all your posts as I do from doing the research to come up with the challenges.
Outdoor Hour Challenge #26 Focus on Insects-Ladybugs and Aphids
1. This week read about ladybugs and aphids in the Handbook of Nature Study, pages 364-366 and pages 351-354. Remember our focus right now is on insects so if you don’t find either of these insects to observe, you can always look for other insects to study. If you do your reading, you will be prepared when you next come across these insects.
2. Your 15-20 minutes of outdoor time this week can be spent looking for insects. I know it is still very hot for most of us but if you get out early, even before breakfast, you might be able to enjoy the morning air and a few insects too.
3. Give the opportunity for a nature journal entry. If you need ideas for alternative nature journal activities, please see challenge 2 and challenge 3. You might want to draw the ladybug life cycle or show how ants benefit from aphids by providing them with food. Encourage your child to draw something that interested them from your nature time. When my children were young, I considered a drawing, a date, and a label as a successful nature journal. There are free Insect Study notebook pages in the Ant Study.
Make sure to pull out the Handbook of Nature Study to see if any insects you find are listed and you can read more about it there. If you are keeping a running list of insects you have observed during this focus period, add the insect’s name to the list.
Post an entry on your blog sharing your experiences. You can link up by clicking the carnival button or you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.
We have lots of experience with crickets. Our fire-bellied toads eat crickets everyday. The boys have a cricket habitat that they keep the crickets in until they are rationed out as food for the toads to snatch up.
We had to buy really big crickets a few weeks ago and they made such a racket in the house. We normally buy little crickets and they are too young to chirp. The boys could not sleep with the large crickets chirping in their room. There must have been fifty crickets in the habitat. They solved the problem by turning on the light and that made the crickets stop. Interesting.
If you are looking at the photos of the habitat and you see orange cubes, those are cricket food that provides moisture and food for them. Most of the crickets spend their time in the black tubes in the dark. You can remove a tube and shake out a few crickets into the toad habitat very easily. It works very well.
I have included a sketch of one of the crickets that my son made for his nature notebook.
After reading Angi's entry, I feel like we cheated in completing this entry by purchasing our crickets. Angi's boys look like they had a great time searching for crickets at night. We may have to try that soon.
"It is while we, ourselves, are dreaming in the sun by the margin of some pond, that these swift children of the air seem but a natural part of the dream. Yet if we waken to note them more closely, we find many things very real to interest us." Handbook of Nature Study, page 404
I don't know if you have ever had this experience but it has happened to me a few times that I can remember: Something that you see in our natural world is so beautiful that it makes you cry. It could be a sunset, an autumn tree in full color, or in this most recent case, a dragonfly.
I know. You all think that I have lots my marbles over that one but I am going to post some photos that will only give you a hint of how beautiful this dragonfly is in real life.
Here's the story. I have been putting together an Outdoor Hour Challenge about dragonflies over the last few weeks. I have had my camera at the ready many times because I have several kinds of dragonflies in my backyard and I hoped to get a photo for the blog entry. Will those dragonflies sit still for just one photo? Not usually.
This morning I was up and out on the back deck early, around 6 AM. I was just out of the shower and I usually go out and come my hair as I survey the morning's happenings outside. It is my routine. Well, as I was standing there looking out over the yard, I tried to focus on something that was on a beach towel on the deck railing. I knew it was an insect but without my glasses on it looked like a blur. I went into the house and grabbed my glasses and camera.
I couldn't really get a good photo at first because it was still pretty dark out. Then he flew away and I was so sad to see him go. But, he landed on my lemon tree and he has been there ever since. This gave me lots of time to take a good photo of him. I think that this was a gift to me this morning and now I will share my gift with you. Black saddlebag dragonfly See the coloration on the wings that look like "saddlebags"? You have to click the photo to make it larger so you can see the colors of the wing in this photo. It was like lace with all its fine detail. I actually was able to measure his wing span, 4 inches! His head is so big and I know he was looking at me too. Click this one for a better view of him up close....you may never get this close to a dragonfly so here is your chance. :) Look at the pattern and colors in the wing...iridescent in one light and spun from gold in another. It looks just like stained glass.
I know my original intention was to share a photo with you when I posted the challenge but this was so special that it gets its own post. The beauty in creation is such a testament to our Creator. Only He could think to spin this dragonfly's wings out of gold, to make his coloration so distinct, and to give his face a dash of brilliant blue. I am amazed at the beauty and it truly did make me cry.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom PS There is a big section in the Handbook of Nature Study on dragonflies if you would like to read more this week. I will be giving an assignment in Outdoor Hour Challenge #28 to read about dragonflies and damselflies.
Here is my entry sharing a few of the insect photos we took while we were at Yosemite National Park a few weeks ago. There is an amazing amount of insects to observe in the various habitats that we visited. This bee is on a coneflower in a marshy meadow area. The insect was hanging underneath the cow parsnip flower that I was attempting to photograph. I noticed him as I was standing very close to the plant. I wasn't sure what kind of insect he was but I love the way he is hanging underneath the blossom.
This was the trip where I learned to distinguish between a dragonfly and a damselfly. A dragonfly's wings are out when he lands and a damselfly has his wings back. This is a damselfly. We saw hundreds of these Circumpolar Bluets on a hike to Lukens Lake. This is smallish lake at about 8000 ft in elevation. The area where we saw these damselflies was a marshy edge to the lake. ( I added an image of my nature notebooking page for the damselfly.)
Ah, this giant dragonfly was so fast that we could hardly get a photo of him. Click on the photo to zoom in a bit on his gorgeous wings. There was another kind of dragonfly, a big blue one, at this lake too but it *never* sat still long enough for a photo. Again this was taken at Lukens Lake at Yosemite National Park. Here is a skipper of some sort on a hike to Westfalls Meadow. I have learned to recognize this general variety of butterfly but the specific.....too many to tell. :)
I was busy trying to get a photo of a flower and then I realized that there was a ladybug on the leaf. It was the biggest ladybug I have ever seen and so very red. This is where we realized that in the mushy mud along the meadow's edge we could see bear's tracks. Yes, lots of bear's tracks all along the way as we hiked. They did not look fresh so we just kept telling ourselves that the bear had come through a long time ago. Here is an example of the footprint we saw all along this section of the trail. Really big. Okay, I can't tell you how long I tried to identify this butterfly using my field guide and the internet. Nothing seemed right so I will just call this the "happy butterfly" since it was happy doing its thing with its mate. They were so big and pretty. Just another buzzing bee in the wildflowers.....
Last but not least....a Pacific Treefrog. I don't have any other amphibians to post this with so it will go on my insect post. Hope you enjoyed seeing a few insects from the week....and hearing about the bear and seeing the frog.
We definitely had fun hiking out into the wilderness to see all these things.
