Explore Outdoors ~ Orange Things

 This is the season of orange things: pumpkins, falling leaves ... even late-blooming marigolds in my garden.

This month, go on a search for orange things. 

• What do you find? 
• Observe from a distance. 
• Observe close-up. 
• What do you notice? 
• How many different colors of orange do you find? 
• Are your orange things plants? Animals? Fungi?

Exploring a Prairie

Today we're heading off to explore the Prairie. Just the word "prairie" sounds expansive and filled with tall grasses and flowers. 

Plant a Pocket of Prairie 
by Phyllis Root; illus. by Betsy Bowen 
40 pages; ages 5-8
U of Minnesota Press, 2014 

theme: ecosystem, plants, ecology

 Once prairie stretched for thousands of miles, an ocean of flowers and grasses, a sea of sky ….

…and a home for bison, burrowing owls, and butterflies. Almost all of the prairie is gone, but you could see what it might be like if you planted a bit of it in your backyard. Or balcony. Or along the street.

Phyllis Root describes what seeds you could sow, and the butterflies and birds and other animals that might come to visit. And if your tiny pocket garden should spread and grow bigger… who knows what might happen!

What I like about this book: Betsy Bowen’s illustrations are so airy that they capture the feeling of prairie. And there is plenty of back matter! There’s more about each plant and animal featured in the book – plus directions for planting a pocket garden of prairie plants. For explorers, there’s a list of places where you can find bits of preserved and/or restored prairie.

Beyond the Books:

Learn more about prairies. Check out this post to discover more about plants and animals living on the prairie. 

Go on a prairie field trip. If there’s no prairie nearby, try a virtual field trip. Here are two: Tucker Prairie in Missouri, and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas. Don’t forget to pack a lunch.

Pocket gardens get their name because they are small. But what if you planted a garden in an actual pocket? If you've got a worn pair of jeans, the back pockets make fun hanging pots.

Looking for more books about prairie plants and animals? Check out these reviews here and here.

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 the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Some Bugs Hide

 Last week we were out walking and found a mantid on the road. It was bright green against the oil-and-stone, and easy to see. I love mantids; their triangular faces, spiky legs, and the way they blend into their environment.

After admiring her beauty, we put her down in the grasses off the edge of the road. Can you find our mantid?

Check out this page from the University of Kentucky for more info and photos of mantids. 

This week, head outside and look for signs of insects. You might discover a mantid egg mass, a goldenrod gall, mud wasp nests... admire, take photos, but let them be.