Animals

by | Feb 6, 2018 | Animals

“The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as now they look upon the murder of men”-Leonardo da Vinci

A Prayer For Animals

Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends, the animals, especially for animals who are suffering; for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry; for all that must be put to death. We entreat for them all thy mercy and pity, and for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion and gentle hands and kindly words. Make us to be true friends to animals and so to share the blessings of the merciful. Albert Schweitzer

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ― Anatole France

Links:

Ravens

Hickory Horned Devil

Bats

Eggsploring

Birds

Climate, Hibernation, and Migration

Moths

Fossils

Flying Animals

Dangerous Ocean Animals

The Ocean and Sea Life

The Cicada

Echinoderms

Fish Facts

Sharks

Whales and Dolphins

Carolina Anole

Yellow Jackets

Brown Recluse Spider

The Honey Bee

Bug Bites and Bee Stings

Fireflies

The Mantid

Worms

The Legend of the Christmas Spider

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth. These are the animals who have adapted and evolved to thrive here and call Mount Everest home: snow leopard, Himalayan black bear, Alpine chough (related to the crow) and standing above all is the Himalayan jumping spider, Euophrys Omnisuperstes (meaning “standing above all”). It lives at at a higher elevation than any other animal. But what does it eat? As far as experts can tell, it eats frozen insects delivered by the wind.

HIMALAYAN JUMPING SPIDER

 

Links to other interesting sites: 

 

Some Animals Querks

1. Ants never sleep.
2. An ostrich’s eye is bigger than it’s brain.
3. Butterflies taste with their feet.
4. Elephant are the only animals that cannot jump.
5. Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from the blowing desert sand.
6. Dogs and cats like humans, are either right or left handed.
7. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.
8. All polar bears are left handed.
9. Camel’s milk does not curdle.
10. Dolphins can swim and sleep at the same time, as they sleep with one eye open.

              Rainbow Grasshopper   Western Great Plains, U.S.

                                            Gecko Toes

IN THE GARDEN – The Great Spangled Fritillaria

The Great Spangled Fritillary is a large butterfly that reaches 2 1/8 to 3″ in wingspan and is found throughout the United States, except for the extreme south. There is only one generation each year. A fast flying butterfly, it is on the wing from late spring or early summer into fall and is mostly orange above, with small black patches and lines and mostly orange below with the silver spots common to fritillaries. Prime habitats for this species include moist meadows and deciduous woods in the east. The caterpillar hatches from a brown egg, overwinters and then begins eating in March on the wild violet. Larvae of this butterfly are black, with numerous black spines running down the body. The great spangled fritillary flies quickly but pauses to take nectar from a variety of blossoms including black-eyed Susan, thistles, Shasta daisy, butterfly bush, cone flower, bee balm, butterfly weed and milkweed. Females mate in June or July and then proceed to hide on bark or under foliage till late August to September. The females lay eggs on leaf litter near violets. First-stage caterpillars hibernate unfed until spring.

Gulf Fritillaria

The Gulf Fritillary or Passion Butterfly has long narrow wings in comparison with other butterflies. Its underwings are buff, with large silvery spots. The larva or caterpillar of the Gulf Fritillary grows to approximately 1.6 in in length and is bright orange and covered in rows of black spines on its head and back. The spines are soft to the touch and do not sting. However, the larvae are poisonous if eaten, as the bright coloration advertises.

The larvae feed exclusively on species of passionflower such as Maypop, Yellow Passionflower and Running Pop. Their toxic flesh provides Gulf Fritillary caterpillars with excellent protection from predators. Many birds avoid them. Some specialized insects are observed feeding on them, however, and larger caterpillars sometimes eat smaller ones. This species belongs to the “orange” Batesian mimicry complex.
The chrysalis is approximately 1.2 in long; it is mottled brown and looks like a dry leaf.

 

 

Egg of Fritillaria

White Lined Sphinx Moth     

White lined sphinx moth caterpillar

Pupa

I was so happy to see a hummingbird moth in the garden today sucking nectar from the flowers. They fly just like hummingbirds and make a nice little hum. They are large and at first glance you will think they are a hummingbird! When the caterpillars are fully grown, they climb down the host plant and into the soil where they make a coccoon and become a pupa (resting stage). If it is early in the season, the adult moths will hatch in a few weeks. If it is in the Fall, the moths won’t come out until the following Spring. Adult Hummingbird Moths feed on nectar from many different flowers, just like hummingbirds. Some of their favorites include: Japanese Honeysuckle, Red Clover, Highbush Blueberry, thistles, wild roses, and blackberries. Unlike most moths, they will fly during daylight, but evening is the most productive time to watch for hummingbird moths. The White Lined Sphinx Moth is about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. These moths are also known as hawk moths. Adults of most hornworms (including the “tomato” hornworms) fly after dusk and are rarely observed except occasionally at porch lights. I know if you grow tomatoes you have encountered the tomato hornworm. The horn is at the rear of the caterpillar.

Hornworm Egg

Tomato Hornworm Caterpillar

 

tomato hornworm adult

You may see a hornworm with white egg-like structures on its back. These are the pupae of very small parasitic wasps less than 1/8 inch long, black with yellowish legs and clear wings. The female wasp uses her ovipositor to lay eggs just under the skin of an unlucky hornworm If you see a bright green hornworm carrying what looks like a clutch of white-colored insect eggs on its back, leave it there! As the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the hornworm. This wasp is a friend to the home gardener! They like to feed on things we don’t like in our gardens: hornworms, caterpillars, beetles, aphids, squash bugs and stinkbugs.

Parasitic wasp

Argiope, the writing spider

Argiope egg sac

 

Argiope . . The Garden Spider or The Writing Spider builds it’s web in open sunny places. It is a large black and yellow orb weaver and doesn’t build a retreat but sits in the center of the snare. It usually makes a long zig zag stabilimentum. The function of the stabilimentum is unknown. The female in the picture in very large 19-28 mm. The males are so small you can barely see them. Males are 5-8mm. The egg sacs are spheroids narrow on one end with a tough brown papery cover. The eight legs are long, thin, tan with black stockings.

Food for Thought: Grains

by | Feb 5, 2018 | Animals, The Human Body

Show children the chart of the food pyramid and ask them the shape of it. Ask them to see the largest part of the pyramid at the bottom. Ask children if they eat grass. Do they eat pasta?

SEEDS FEED THE WORLD.

Hold the ear of corn up and ask them what part of the plant it is; root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, or seed?

Teach them the song (with rhythm and movements) about the six parts of a plant.

Tell a story about corn. When we pick corn fresh from the plant it is young and tender and delicious, but if we let it stay on the plant it becomes hard and matures into seeds. We can take a seed that looks very dead and plant it in the ground and if the seeds needs are met, it will grow a new corn plant! We can pop the seeds into popcorn, grind them up into grits, or cornmeal to make hushpuppies, muffins or cornbread or grind them fine to make cornflower for tortillas. Let children see a sample of bread and notice that it has holes in it from a gas that forms and makes the bread rise when it is baked They can eat it too!). All kids love bread. You know they say bread is the staff of life.

Pretend to make cornbread and put some cornflower in a bowl, add egg, some milk and a secret ingredient that makes air and the batter rises when it is baked. Show them what happens by doing the experiment creating a gas (Co2) from a solid (baking soda) and a liquid (vinegar). Pour some vinegar in a clear soda bottle. Fill the balloon with some baking soda using a funnel. Show children the funnel and tell them it is used to make a little mouth into a big mouth. Attach the rim of a balloon to the bottle and lift it to let the soda fall making a gas that blows up the balloon.

Materials: Chart of the Food Pyramid, ear of corn, samples of grains (from feed store wheat, barley, oats, rye, rice, corn) Samples of things we make from grains (cereal, popcorn, grits, cornmeal, cornflower, bread, and cookies.) 1 soda bottle, baking powder, funnel, vinegar, and balloon.

Activities: Examine grains from grasses. We make flour, bread, pasta, and cereals from them. Do rhythm exercise and teach the song about plant parts. Give each child a slice of bread to examine the holes in it. Then do the experiment making the reaction of vinegar and soda blow up the balloon. This is what happens when we bake bread, filling it with holes from the air created. Children can plant seeds of grains and with care, see them grow!

 

Plants on Our Plate

by | Feb 5, 2018 | Animals, The Human Body

Content: Plants on Our Plate: Fruits and Vegetbles

Have you been tired and felt like you didn’t have any energy? How do we get energy?

1. OXYGEN from the air we breathe.

2. FOOD we eat gives us energy and nutrients to grow and build a healthy body.

3. EXERCISE to keep systems flowing and strengthen them.

4. REST for the brain to gather chemicals needed for the next day.

Do you eat plants; roots, stems, leaves, seeds? (Many young children will respond no!) We eat all the parts of plants. Remind them about the energizing grains, the group of foods like rice, corn, pasta, bread. Two other food groups good for you to eat are vegetables and fruits. Are plants alive? Yes plants are alive and go from seed to seed growing and multiplying. They breathe; need sun to live, water to drink, and vitamins and minerals from the soil to grow strong. Plants turn the light of the sun to energy! You don’t see plants going to the grocery store for food. Their leaves make their food from sunlight through a process we call photosynthesis. Plants are producers and they feed the planet!

What are the parts of a plant? Say after me; roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. Teach children the song about the 6 plant parts. Hold up a vegetable or fruit and let the children tell if it is a fruit or vegetable. Ask what part of the plant is it and let them say if it grows on a tree, vine, or bush. Make up puzzles for the children such as: What is white inside, grows on a tree and can be red, yellow, or green? (apples) What is the difference in processed and unprocessed food? Which is better for you? Fresh raw or steamed vegetables and fruits are best to eat. Ask children to name some of the fruits and vegetables grown in S.C. We get many vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables that help our whole body grow strong and healthy.

Activities Show some energy by doing some stretching and energizing exercises. Hand out samples of fruits and vegetables(artificial samples) and let them tell what part of the plant it is and what kind of plant it grows on (vine, bush, or tree) Solve food puzzles. Ex. It is a root and is the color orange. What is it? Children learn the songs “I am a Sprout” and “Six Plant Parts”

Materials: Food Pyramid chart, samples of fruits and vegetables; coconut, broccoli, carrot, potato, celery, apple, leaves. These represent the different parts of a plant.
Books to read: Where Food Comes From by David Suzuki and Barbara Hehner, Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Elhert