Reading the section of the book Discover Nature in Winter about studying winter weeds, I am inspired. Since our focus on flowerless plants is winding up this week in the Outdoor Hour Challenges, our family is in need of a new focus. Why not try winter weeds and see what we can learn?
We headed out on the our walk yesterday and this is what the sky looked like. There is nothing so striking as the perfect white billowy clouds against a brilliantly blue winter sky.
It is amazing to me that I have walked past all these weeds for weeks without really noticing how interesting and beautiful they are until I came with the thought of taking notice of winter weeds.
I am still learning to use my new little point and shoot camera but it is getting some good close-ups. These sticky seeds remind me of velcro and the clusters are perfect for grabbing a hold of anything that gets close enough, including my knit gloves. What did we learn about a few challenges ago? Seed dispersal?
We took a minute to stop and observe our ferns and mosses again on this trip just for old times' sake. This time the rock pool at the bottom of the gully had a little puddle of water from the night's rainstorm. If you click on the photo and look in the water, you will notice that the pool has several buckeye seeds in it. How many shades of green do you see in this photo? I now notice that there are weeds around the edges and maybe next time I will take a look more closely to see if I can identify any of them or at least take a few photos.
I took a few more photos of winter weeds but I will save those for another time. I encourage you to read the book Discover Nature in Winter if you have it on your shelf or you can find it at your library. It has many activities that you can complete even when the weather is cold and snowy.
The end of the walk was approaching sunset and the clouds were still making it a photographic moment. Click this image to really see the clouds.
Along with our walks this week, my son has also identified two new birds in our yard. It is hard to believe that we are finding new birds to identify after all these years of birding. He spotted the first bird on the lawn and then in the driveway...a Northern mockingbird. He spotted the second bird in a tree in our front yard....a Northern flicker. I think I have see the flicker before but didn't have enough time to get the binoculars to positively identify the bird. We got a very good look at it this time with its red cheek patches, big beak, and its distinctive coloration on its wings and tail. He was very proud of himself for spotting these two birds all on his own.
Everyday I am reminded about how much there is to know right in our own yard and neighborhood. I can look forward to each walk we take to discover the treasures that are out there. Today it was some moss on the tree trunk that was brilliantly green, a rose blooming hidden away in the bush, and some pretty leaves on the ground to marvel at as I walked through the yard. What will we find tomorrow?
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
