"In nature study any teacher (parent) can with honor say, "I do not know"; for perhaps the question asked is as yet unanswered by the great scientists. But she should not let lack of knowledge be a wet blanket thrown over her pupils' interest. She should say frankly, "I do not know; let us see if we cannot together find out this mysterious thing....She thus conveys the right impression that only a little about the intricate life of plants and animals is yet known; and at the same time she makes her pupils feel the thrill and zest of investigation. Nor will she lose their respect by doing this, if she does it in the right spirit.....The chief charm of nature study would be taken away if it did not lead us through the border-land of knowledge into the realm of the undiscovered."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 3-4
Here is the view from my spot alongside the river. We had the whole place to ourselves except for the occasional bird flying overhead. We had seen bear tracks alongside this river at this spot last winter but there were none to be seen this time. Where is the bear now we wondered? Watching us?
This discovery made us stop and ponder over the creatures that live all around us that we never see. There was a tree down on the forest floor and someone or something had peeled back part of the bark to expose these interesting marks left by some insect drilling a pathway under the original bark. I have no idea what kind of insect but I would love to know. :)
I know we are not officially studying flowerless plants yet but these two were just too awesome to wait to share with you.
The milky white growth caught our attention as we hiked through the trees and enjoyed the quiet of the trail. It is amazing what you will find when you try to focus on one aspect of nature. We were all about the flowerless plants on this particular hike. I counted my photos just now and we found fifteen non-flowering plants on this afternoon. Incredible.
Here is another view of the one above.
I wish I knew what it was so I could share but I have very limited knowledge of non-flowering plants and I do not have a very good field guide. I am going to pop over to Amazon.com later and see what I can find to have on hand and to carry in my day pack. It is always nice to put a name to something you discover.
This mushroom looked like it had icicles hanging along the edges...like dainty lace. When you get this close to a mushroom and you really examine it enough to try to break down what it truly looks like, you begin to appreciate that each one has its one character and charm.
I hope you are all looking forward to a focus on non-flowering plants over the next few weeks. Start to search your yards and as you go throughout your daily activities to see if you can't find some to look at for yourself up close.
Lately, nature study has been more about questions than answers.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
