Sunday, November 9, 2008

Grapes, Mushrooms, and Nature Study



They look delicious and they taste delicious but I don't like all the seeds. I thought we had planted Thompson Seedless grapes but apparently not.

Tiny, tiny seeds....hard to eat, delightfully sweet.

We discovered these ripe grapes as we closed down our swimming pool for the season. There they were all forgotten on the vines. The birds have been enjoying them so they have been blessed by my neglect of the garden.

There is no entry in the Handbook of Nature Study for grapes so we decided just to eat the grapes and enjoy them, seeds and all.

I think all nature study should be like that. Find a little something to enjoy each time you are outside....sometimes it is a sweet treat and sometimes just something to think about.

We are enjoying the last warm days of the season. The lawns are really getting green and the mushrooms are sprouting up for us to investigate. These beauties were actually really big and the undersides were pink and lovely. These we did not eat but we marveled at their shape and form.

These really need to be drawn into the nature journal. I did read a bit to the boys out of the field guide and from the Handbook of Nature Study. There is a section on mushrooms starting on page 714 and a great diagram a few pages later. These will definitely be included in the pages we read when we cover flowerless plants in a few weeks.

There are still many things to learn about right in our own backyard even when the temperatures start to drop along with the leaves.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom