Summer Adventures: Part 1

Wow, today was our first day of homeschool- more about that later! I am so glad to be back into a “normal” routine! But this summer was wonderful and filled with lots and lots of fun and adventures. I have been gone out of town for most of the month so I have lots to share with you over the next few days.

For now, however, I want to share some of our nature “finds” over the last three weeks.

This is a sweet little green caterpillar. I am not sure yet which kind it is. It is a type of silk worm, though.

Here is another sweet little caterpillar. Soft and fuzzy white – so pretty!

This is one of the biggest Praying Mantis’ we have ever found! It was at least 6 inches long. It is now happily living in our garden! My daughter, Hannah, who has eye as keen as a Hawk’s, saw this way up high on a Wal-Mart window as we were driving past! We had to stop, and climb to get it!

This is one of the most amazing bird nests we have ever come across. It is suspended between two branches and is like a little sack!

Here is another fun bug – the Walking Stick Bug!

A nice big grasshopper!

Some very interesting mushrooms. I need to get a mushroom field guide soon!

A toad hiding in an old cistern.

And finally, a bat just inches from our heads! So sweet and so tiny! Much smaller than the bats we found in our house. The bat, the toad, the nest, and the mushrooms were all spied at the Morengo Cave we visited last week in Indiana!

I can’t wait to share more with you!