Nature Study: In Your Own Backyard

Here are more of our nature study experiences. These took place at and around our home and in our own backyard:

>>When we lived in the foothills above the Monterey Bay, we discovered that many critters lived all around us, including raccoons, oppossums, snakes, woodpeckers, scrub jays, squirrels, and a deer family. One day we found a wayward mole on the asphalt driveway, frantically searching for a soft spot to tunnel itself into. We filled our empty aquarium with dirt, and scooped the creature into it. We learned very quickly that this insectivore had a voracious appetite that we could not possibly keep up with, so after a day of observation, we released it on the hillside.

>>A garter snake once found its way into the house and slithered halfway up the carpeted stairway. We scrubbed out our aquarium and quickly assembled soil, plants, rocks, and debris in it. The snake resided in it for a time, then after observing and eventually releasing it, we continued to keep the aquarium ready for newcomers. We later kept a gopher snake in it, but learned that it would not eat white (feeder) mice, probably because of the unfamiliar color. We also found a few king snake skins, but never saw a live king snake. By the way, did you know that king snakes eat rattlesnakes?

>>We discovered that a preying mantis is a fascinating insect that can be kept as a pet in a creature keeper. Our mantis would turn its head to look at the children and follow their movements as they approached. Then it would carefully stalk its prey (usually flies) that they dropped into its little habitat.

>>My boys had butterfly nets to capture a variety of butterfly and moth specimens. I built a rather impressive butterfly collection as a child, but my children were not interested in killing and mounting them. After examining and identifying their specimens, they let them go.

>>Living on the California coast, we visited a few fish markets, and once we found a sort of "raw seafood mixture" of tiny octopus, shellfish, and other varieties of sea animals (I can't even remember what!). "People eat this?" and "Gross!" were their comments, but they begged to take a few of each home to examine, identify, and dissect. They spent the entire afternoon happily examining these creatures, inside and out. (Gross!)

>>We lived with poison oak all around us, and we learned that some people are very allergic to it, some become allergic after 5 or 15 or 30 contacts with it, and some people never have a reaction to poison oak. We also learned that you never burn poison oak, because the smoke can be very toxic to some people.

>>There was a dry pond bed at the bottom of our hill. All at once, after it had rained for several days, we heard deafening sounds coming from what was now a small lake. Frogs that had buried themselves under what had become the dry caked bed had been awakened by the rain and made their way to the surface. They were singing, chirruping, and croaking to announce their re-birth!

>>Deer love apples. Never harvest your apples and leave them in piles around your yard, unless you intend to provide deer treats.

If you have any interesting nature-study experiences you would like to share, please add your comments to this blog.

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