I actually have a love/hate relationship with my computer. But I must say, it sure comes in handy when we're doing a little investigating into the world of insects, birds and prehistoric creatures. The caterpillars have been hanging around quite a bit this year, soooo the kiddos have been exploring their world. The eastern tent caterpillar is what you might call a social critter. You know the ones I'm talking about, the black ones with the yellow stripes down his back, who likes to crawl all over you, eat all your ornamental shrubs, and make huge silky webs in the nooks and crannies of your cherry trees?
Looky there, they match!
Anyway, this is right up Laci's alley. She runs to get her bug catcher, a necessity for every adventurer out there. Only $1 at your local Dollar General Store. It comes equipped with a pair of bug tweezers, magnifying glass, and a lady bug maze. After going thru two caterpillars (to which brother dear ran over with his bike, on purpose), we finally found caterpillar number three, hid him in a nice, safe haven, away from our little tirant, and within a few days he had weaved himself a nice little silky cocoon.
We headed to the computer to find out some info on our little friend. Come to find out the eastern tent caterpillar will NOT turn into a beautiful butterfly but into a pesky little moth. This should happen within a 2-3 week period. But being the non-scientist that I am, I did not write down what date his spun his little webbed cocoon, but I'm estimating that it's been two weeks, and as of yet, no transformation. Now don't be a bit surprised if this does not happen due to the traumatization of two aliens gaulking and poking and proding at him during this process! Should we have a transformation, I'll be happy to share it with you, though.
Another little cutie we found lurking around our yard this spring was a groundhog. She's made a home under the piping that crosses under our driveway. And low and behold, she's had a little one. Obviously mother dear has not informed her wee one that she should be scared of those two-legged aliens wandering around because Laci practically walked right up to the little one, and he just stood there. The other day we found the little one in our Daylily garden, eating on our weeds (I wish he would eat all the weeds!) Mother has disappeared from the scene. As a matter of fact, we haven't seen her since seeing the baby. Caleb wants to feed the little one, but what does a groundhog eat anyway? After doing a little reseach, we discovered that groundhogs are vegetarians. They will eat clover, grass, lettuce and carrots! After spotting him in the flower bed, Caleb ran to get some carrots from the frig, and we were able to photograph him. And come to find out from our research, a family of groundhogs do not stay together. Once the babies are old enough, they all set out on their own, in search of their own cubbyholes, usually in the same area. I guess mama has found her another cubbyhole because she's become nonexistent. But here's our little guy now ...
Laci and Caleb have named him "Brownie." How original!
Tuesdays are story time at our local library. The story usually has to do with whatever season we're in, so this week it was about birds. So our craft afterwards usually coincides with our story. This week we made all natural bird feeders. And here's the recipe -
One pine cone smothered in peanut butter, then rolled in your favorite bird seed (yes, they come in many different varieties).
A pair of red birds have been feasting on these little delicatessens each morning.
And our bluebird houses are overflowing with babies once again this year!
But our find of the week? The Chelydra serpentina.
I walk the parameter of our three acres almost daily, and this day we came across a turtle, covered in dry mud, and looking older than mud. But he wasn't quite like your normal box turtle. We tried to get a closer look, and to much of our surprise he was quite the aggressive little fellow. We touched his shell and up he jumped on all fours and completely turning his head around to gaulk at us. This was no ordinary box turtle. He had a huge neck, a jagged shell in the back, rear, and his legs were huge and his feet webbed-looking. I would dare say, without his shell on his back, I would liken him to the alligator family - very prehistoric looking. He never once shied away into his shell. So of course I ran and got my camera and told the kids to keep watch and not let him get away. I wanted to take a picture so we could go online and see just exactly what kind of turtle this was.
So we came back and looked up our little friend online. Come to find out he's a Chelydra serpentina a/k/a the North Carolina snapping turtle. So, unlike our sweet vegetarian friend, the groundhog, this little guy is omnivorous (a meat eater). Caleb and Laci were all tore up as I was reading aloud about our little friend. "Mama, I can't believe you left us outside by ourselves with a snapping turtle. He could have bit our finger off." They even tattled on me to their dad.
Well, I did leave explicit instructions: I'LL BE RIGHT BACK. DO NOT TOUCH HIM. Which is about like giving a dog a bone and asking him not to chew on it! But I did return to 10 fingers and 10 toes, each, so all turned out well. He never snapped at us, though, so I didn't figure on him being a snapping turtle.
But look at this guy. He even looks mean. Smile, you might not be so snappy!!!
Check out his long tail.
Finally, after we finished checking him out, I asked the kids to stand back, and the little guy took off like a lightening bolt (for a turtle anyway), and within seconds he dove into the creek and disappeared into the mud.
Sooo, what's been lurking in your backyard this spring?
1 comment:
I was thinking as I read that- it sounds like a snapping turtle, and sure enough.
Glad they made it through without losing any fingers or toes.
Did the catepillar ever hatch out of it's cacoon?
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