Pitcher Dissection

Pitcher Dissection

February 5, 2011

Ever since we went on the hike at the Sundew Trail and saw the Pitcher Plants Stewart has been wanting to dissect one to see what is inside of it. He knew of a place that had some growing wild and so we stopped on our way home and cut a specimen for dissection.

 

Taking a scalpel he carefully cut it along the seem the length of the plant.

Much to our surprise it was full of dead bugs. We figured it would be a couple bugs but there was hundreds.

All kinds of bugs: flies, pill bugs, lady bugs were a few we could identify. The farther down the shaft we looked, the less identifiable the bugs became as they decayed and the plant absorbed their nutrients.

It was a very good science project. I believe I need to get some of these plants and have them around the yard to help control the lovely East Texas insect population.

Evening at Bouton

Evening at Bouton

February 5, 2011

Not ready to go home for the day from our first hike,…

…we drive over Bouton Lake.

 The setting sun reflected off of the water making it glisten beautifully.

This picture turned out really neat with the star bursts shining around the kids.

This old picnic table had seen better days. The ground has washed away from the base. “How is someone supposed to sit on this thing!” Anna wonders as she jumps up on it.

 Adam found some Turkey Tail Mushrooms on a rotting stump.

Stewart decided to cross the little creek branch by walking across a fallen tree. For a second he wasn’t sure he would make it.

“A knee garden honey!” Stewart says excitedly. He has a fetish with Cypress knees.

We find this seed pod. It would make for a lovely canoe for tiny Indians. 

The favorite part of their day is when they found a swinging vine. Stewart gave Anna a hardy push towards me.

Next was Adam’s turn. The three of them stood in a triangle and shoved him from people to person. “Human volleyball!” Anna shouts.

Stewart thought about giving it a go, but decided against it. He was not confident with sturdiness of the tree.

My normally reserved Austin even gave it a turn.

“Adam, you hold on and I will hold on and wrap my legs around you and we both go.”Anna instructed. That didn’t work out as well as it was planned.

After trying for so long, I finally was able to take a picture of a little bird. My best attempt at identifying it with my Audubon Field Guide, I would say it is some kind of Warbler, probably migrated to our parts for the winter.

A perfect end to a wonderful evening in the great outdoors.

Walking in the Woods One Day

Walking in the Woods One Day

February 5, 2011

After being stuck in the house for a few days I was beginning to get “cabin fever”. The sun was shining and the temperature had rose to the 50s mark. I decided we needed to get outside before I went into full blown hibernation mode.

We loaded up in the car and headed to the lake area by the community called Blackforest.

We are quite happy to be out in nature again.

Of course the first thing the little monkeys do is climb trees. This time Austin decided to join in also.

Stewart got a picture of the main thing I do on hikes other than walk, and that is taking pictures.

Adam managed to get pretty high up a tree before I spotted him and told him to get down. The boy tried to climb every tree we walked past. I think he was having withdraws.

We followed the road that runs along the lake shore.

We had to dodge the mud puddles. Anna was trying to hop from dry spot to dry spot.

Walking quietly along, all of a sudden Stewart says, “Stop!” We all stopped thinking it was something bad. Then He says, “This looks like a place Indians would have made arrow heads.” It was a small gathering of rocks on the ground. After a quick look, I moved on.

“Look, A holey tree!” was the next thing my husband announced. Adam thought it was neat. From this view I think it looks like it has a sad face on it.

“Mom, look a little home for a mouse!” Adam says pointing out a small hole at the base of a tree.

I am so happy that my kids are aware of their surroundings and take notice to so many things GOD has given us to explore. They are learning so much on our walks about the world around us and learning to appreciate and care for it.

The only mushrooms we found had been damaged by the freeze and resembled pancakes to me.

Anna spotted a birds nest in a tree. Birds were everywhere. I wished we had brought some bird feed for them. I didn’t get a picture of one because they were darting in and out of the brush. 

We walked out of the wood line and into a “prairie” as Anna calls it. “I love this kind of grass, it reminds me of back in the prairie days.” I assume she means “Little House on the Prairie” times.

Adam hops up on this little ridge of rocks and grabs a couple sticks, holds them to his head and declares, “I am a mountain goat!”

I got tired of my heavy coat so I stuffed it in the back of Anna’s pack. “Wow, I am heavy now!” she says as she pats her tummy.

“Mom! Tracks!” Anna said calling me over. I tell her I think they are hog tracks because the front tips are spread wide and they are more rounded than deer tracks are also it shows the impression of the dew claws.

We cut back through the forest toward the road because the shore was to muddy.  “This would be really fun on a horse.” Anna says as she jumps over the logs that litter the forest floor. 

Austin carefully makes his way over the fallen trees.

“I am king of the mountain!”

I thought the moss on this tree was beautiful against the dead gray background of the winter woods.

We finally came to the road and started to head back to where we left the car. I noticed these “winged seeds” all over the ground. I believe they are from an ash tree. There were clusters of them hanging from a nearby tree. Anna asked if they was supposed to have two wings. I tell her, “No, not this kind but some kinds of trees do have two wings on the seeds.”

“Mom! Books! Why would anyone do this to a book?” Austin sadly asks when he noticed these books in the brush by the side of the road. I am glad to see that my respect for books rubbed off on my kids.

Austin gets a closer look to see what kind of books they were. The other kids stand around and sadly looks at the poor Encyclopedia Britannica set that had been carelessly tossed aside. Adam says, “Well, I am glad it wasn’t the Bible.”

We get back to the car a bit tired. The month we took off from hiking because of winter has made us wimps and we tire easily. It felt great to get out and get our blood pumping again. I almost forgot how much I love hiking.