Explore Outdoors ~ Squirrel Snacks

 

I've read that rosehips make great winter snacks for rabbits and squirrels. Bears, too, though I don't expect we'll see any down at the County Courthouse gardens!

Rosehips are full of vitamin C, and they may be a great source of food when other stuff is scarce. But getting to them ... that's a prickly proposition.

If there are any rosehips in your neighborhood, do you ever see squirrels or birds eating them?

Explore Outdoors ~ Rosehips in the Snow

 

Rosehips provide nutritious lunches for birds and squirrels. But - look at those spiky stems! You've gotta be tough to harvest these tasty vitamin-packed berries.

This week, look for roses in your neighborhood. If you find some rosehips, look for bite marks or other evidence that they're being nibbled by local wildlife.

Explore Outdoors ~ Blackcaps

 

This is the best part of summer: blackcaps (raspberries) grow in neglected parts of our yard. Sure, they are full of seeds that get caught in your teeth, but they taste yummy as cereal and yogurt-toppers. Good on ice cream, too. And if you forget to eat breakfast before heading out to play, there's a snack growing nearby. The best part: birds love them, too! That's okay, because we've got way too many to keep to ourselves.

It's Strawberry Season!

 I LOVE Strawberries 

by Shannon Anderson; illus. by Jaclyn Sinquett 

32 pages; ages 4-8

Feeding Minds Press, 2022

theme: gardening, responsibility

“Mom, can I grow strawberries of my very own?”

Jolie loves strawberries so much that she would eat them every day if she could. Her solution: grow her own. But that’s a lot of work, and mom and dad think she should wait until she’s older to tackle such a venture. So Jolie sets out on a mission: to show her parents that she is able to take on the responsibilities of a berry grower. She starts by cleaning her rabbit’s cage. Then she devises other ways to demonstrate that she is “old enough” to grow strawberries.

What I like about this book: I like the scrapbook-like entries Jolie puts in her journal. And I love how she sets herself specific missions to show her parents what she can do on her own. And what she does when she finally gets to plant her very own strawberries. Of course there’s a dose of reality: bird attacks, insects, too many berries (seriously, Jolie? too many?)

And I like the backmatter: tips on growing strawberries, some explanation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and some tips for locating U-pick berry farms. Plus there are links to educational activities and videos.

Beyond the Books:

Make strawberry ink. If you’ve eaten all your strawberries, you can use other berries to make ink. Here’s how.

Plant a strawberry seed, or a couple hundred. Here’s how.

Visit a U-Pick berry farm and pick your own strawberries! Then eat them!

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by Media Master’s Publicity

Explore Outdoors ~ Look closer

 

Even when drying out, rosehips add a splash of color to the landscape: bright red against the white snow. But when you look closer you discover real treasure. The stem has thorns, but also hairs. As the hip ages, it becomes wrinkled. And sometimes, when you look even closer, you find tiny treasures. In this case it's snowflakes stacking on each other. 

Look closer at the winter weeds and plants in your neighborhood. What do you notice?

Explore Outdoors ~ A thorny issue

 

Check out those thorns. Yikes!

 

This barberry is invading forest understory in our area. It grows long, thin stems bearing single (and very sharp) thorns. A long time ago, people planted Japanese barberries as a "living fence", similar to why they planted multiflora rose. But the plants have escaped their bounds, spread by animals and birds that eat the seeds.

Grouse eat barberries, as do pheasants and cedar waxwings. But they'd prefer other fruits, such as rose hips and winterberries. Apparently they eat barberries only when other foods are scarce. Looking at those long, sharp thorns, I can see why!

This week take a look at berries on the plants that live around you. Just don't snack on any because some berries are poisonous to people.

Explore Outdoors ~ Happy Halloween

 

orange and round

we show our pumpkin pride

warts and all!