Citizen Science - Surveying Time

It ahs been a pleasure to be involved in Waukesha County's Conservation in the Parks citizen science program this year. Besides monitoring a wetland at a local preserve and monitoring nestboxes at my school's trail, my family has been able to attend a few surveying sessions. Besides learning some fun facts and getting outside, the teacher in me is always spinning ideas in my head about how I can incorporate this into my classroom and family nature club.

My eldest daughter and baby boy were able to attend a dragonfly and damselfly survey. Embry enjoyed being the official "releaser" of caught critters. I knew essentially nothing about these creatures before the survey and I now have some general information I can share with my own students.

I was introduced to so many new words and species. Blue dasher. Twelve-spotted skimmer. Saddlebags. Pondhawk. Green darner. Meadowhawk.

Arden enjoyed it as well, though the nets grabbed most of his attention.

We were especially excited to visit one of our favorite spots at the Retzer Nature Center: the pond.

Besides the dragonflies, we stopped  too see some of our favorite prairie plants.

Whether it be the compassplant, bergamot, or raspberries, we always take a opportunity to cherish the sights, smells, and occasional tastes of nature.

Of course, we can't leave Retzer without a rock hop.

The next day was a survey on small mammals, though we were initially distracted by a monarch caterpillar and milkweed beetle.

Once we got going, Embry was more then happy to help with the traps.

She enjoyed locating traps with conservation biologist and nature superhero, Julia.

Embry was really hoping for a raccoon. Maybe next time.😋

Mitchell Park - Brookfield

It was a steamy Saturday stroll but it was still a great time to get out and explore.

We visited one of our new favorite spots: Mitchell Park in Brookfield and were greeted by a sandhill crane family milling around near the park entrance.

We then walked on a "new to us" paved trail that was bordered by an amazing array of native wildflowers.

Embry was excited to share the plants she recognized and was quick to profess "nature is my weakness" as we strolled through the sun-soaked path.

Seeing all these beautiful plants and flowers just increased my excitement and anticipation of the upcoming prairie planting at my school's outdoor learning area. I can't wait to see it diversified and colorful.

Though the walk e]was shorter than usual, it was also quite exhausting. That being said, high humidity and a blistering heat index couldn't stop the girls from playing, especially when a field of stump jumps presented itself.

A quick walk through the cooler forest path and a snack re-energized us for our walk back to the car.

With an art center being part of this park, we enjoyed some wonderful art along the way.

We even found a few friends as we rock-hopped our way back home.

Enjoy the videos of the spectacular word art we discovered. Decoding the mystery and figuring out the hidden messages was pretty motivating.

Tyke Hike #66 - Hartland

Heat and humidity may make hiking a little less enjoyable than normal, but they certainty don't stop tyke hikers. Eleven individuals trekked through a paved portion of the Hartland Segment on this sultry evening.

We investigated various plants bordering the Bark River. When we found a lonely sunflower, we had to name her. Since we settles on Queen Sun we decided to use rhubarb leaves to fan the queen.

We also found a plant that one of the hikers said was jewelweed. With a slight touch, the seed pod of this plant explodes, entertaining the tykes for sure.

We decided to cool down with a story at the natural play area. We read Sneezy the Snowman, a story about a snowman struggling to find the best temperature. Then, as is normal with our hikes, we explored and played in nature.

Monarch Magic

Over the last few years, I've soaked up a great deal of information about nature with my family and my students. I've also enjoyed engaging all of these people I more experiential, hands-on activities.

One of the best ways to do this has been through raising butterflies, though I must admit, the process wasn't exactly intentional. While I did order and plant milkweed plans on my school's trail, some hitchhiking seeds must have made it to my house as before long, our front garden normally inhabited by hostas had shared some space for some new milkweed. The next year, more space was taken up by milkweed.

Naturally, now that we had milkweed, we needed to look for signs of the life cycle of monarchs. It didn't take long to find some.

Eggs. Caterpillars. Chrysalides. Butterflies. Repeat.

The girls thoroughly enjoy checking for caterpillars, adding milkweed leaves, providing status updates to anyone around, and of course, releasing adults.

This is a fun process that we can enjoy for many years to come.

Timberwolf Trail - Trail Camera Captures - June 2019 Edition

Enjoy this month's captures!