Outdoor Adventures with Mabel
Since we've been spending more time at home, my puppy, Mabel and I have been exploring the woods and the fields around our house. Each week, I'll post something new about an adventure we've had and invite you to explore along with us. I'll also let you know how you can learn more by picking up library materials to borrow, or by finding someone to take you out in the woods and fields around your home to discover on your own. Mabel and I would love to hear about your adventures.
Send us an email: [email protected]
Send us a letter: Mabel and Amy c/o Lanpher Memorial Library, P.O. Box 196, Hyde Park, VT 05655
Send us an email: [email protected]
Send us a letter: Mabel and Amy c/o Lanpher Memorial Library, P.O. Box 196, Hyde Park, VT 05655
Rain! Rain!
"It's raining, it's pouring!" We've been getting a lot of rain lately. Rain helps plants grow, it clears the air, it replenishes waterways like rivers and streams...it helps all life survive. Even you and me and Mabel!
Mabel likes the rain. The rain drops and wet grass do not seem to bother her too much unless it's pouring. One thing she is curious about are the puddles left behind after the rain. She is not brave enough to walk through them, but she does like looking in and around them, and look what we saw inside one puddle! A frog! Next to a puddle, we saw an Eastern newt! In fact, we saw a frog and a newt in the wet woods while it was raining too. And some slugs. So many things to discover while it rains...even, a rainbow.
Mabel likes the rain. The rain drops and wet grass do not seem to bother her too much unless it's pouring. One thing she is curious about are the puddles left behind after the rain. She is not brave enough to walk through them, but she does like looking in and around them, and look what we saw inside one puddle! A frog! Next to a puddle, we saw an Eastern newt! In fact, we saw a frog and a newt in the wet woods while it was raining too. And some slugs. So many things to discover while it rains...even, a rainbow.
Here is a rainy day activity to try: Use washable markers on white paper to draw a picture of a rainbow, or any kind of drawing you'd like! When you're finished, put your drawing outside where the rain can fall on it. What happens to your drawing?
If it's not raining, you can sprinkle some water on your drawing by washing your hands and flicking the extra water on your art instead of drying it with a towel.
If it's not raining, you can sprinkle some water on your drawing by washing your hands and flicking the extra water on your art instead of drying it with a towel.
Rain on the Green Grass
Rain on the Tree Rain on the House Tops But not on ME! |
Did you figure out the word game from last week?
Here are a few more clues! Fannee Doolee likes puddles but she doesn't like rain. Fannee Doolee likes rabbits, but she doesn't like foxes. Fannee Doolee likes squirrels, but she doesn't like chipmunks. Fannee Doolee likes trees, but she doesn't like shrubs. Fannee Doolee likes weeds, but she doesn't like flowers. Fannee Doolee likes grass, but she doesn't like bushes. Fannee Doolee likes green and yellow, but she doesn't like red and blue. |
Outdoor Adventures, in which Mabel likes ants, but does not like mosquitoes (or deer flies)!
Mabel loves to observe ants. There are all kinds of ant hills in the fields around our house, and Mabel will sit and examine the ants for a long time. Some ant hills look like hard mounds of grass. Unfortunately for the ants, Mabel tries to dig these types of hills up! She will dig until she can stick her nose inside. She lets the ants crawl on her nose...and then she rolls around in the grass making "huffing" noises to get the ants off. She must like how they tickle her nose because...she will go back and do it again and again if we let her.
We don't let her if we can stop her in time. The ants work hard to make their tunnels in the earth! They don't need a silly puppy ruining their labor.
Ants are fun to watch though. Mabel can hardly be blamed for being fascinated by them.
Ants are insects that live in groups called colonies. They don't see very well, but they use their antennae to communicate. They feel and smell with their antennae!
All ants have a job to do. There are scout ants that bump their bottoms to leave a smell trail back to food. Worker ants dig out the tunnels in the earth. Some tunnels go to open chambers. The chambers might be for storing food, a nursery for ant eggs to hatch, or even a resting spot for all of the hard working ants!
Ants are strong and can lift up to 50 times their own weight! I wonder if the colony of ants can work together to lift Mabel?
Mosquitoes are also insects. Mabel does not like mosquitoes. I admit, I'm not a big fan of them either. They buzz in my ear and OUCH! They bite! Mosquitoes have a mouth part called a proboscis. Female mosquitoes use their proboscis to break through skin and suck blood! The nutrients in the blood help the female mosquito make eggs. When she "bites" she also leaves behind some saliva and this causes our bodies to have small red bumps that are itchy. No wonder Mabel doesn't like them.
Deer flies are another insect that bite and itch. Mabel really doesn't like them. Here is a video of her snapping at them! Shoo fly!
There are lots of books at the Lanpher Library that you can check out through our curbside service to learn more about ants, mosquitoes and other insects. Visit our catalog for titles, or give us a call: 802-888-4628 and we'll put some together for you to pick up.
We don't let her if we can stop her in time. The ants work hard to make their tunnels in the earth! They don't need a silly puppy ruining their labor.
Ants are fun to watch though. Mabel can hardly be blamed for being fascinated by them.
Ants are insects that live in groups called colonies. They don't see very well, but they use their antennae to communicate. They feel and smell with their antennae!
All ants have a job to do. There are scout ants that bump their bottoms to leave a smell trail back to food. Worker ants dig out the tunnels in the earth. Some tunnels go to open chambers. The chambers might be for storing food, a nursery for ant eggs to hatch, or even a resting spot for all of the hard working ants!
Ants are strong and can lift up to 50 times their own weight! I wonder if the colony of ants can work together to lift Mabel?
Mosquitoes are also insects. Mabel does not like mosquitoes. I admit, I'm not a big fan of them either. They buzz in my ear and OUCH! They bite! Mosquitoes have a mouth part called a proboscis. Female mosquitoes use their proboscis to break through skin and suck blood! The nutrients in the blood help the female mosquito make eggs. When she "bites" she also leaves behind some saliva and this causes our bodies to have small red bumps that are itchy. No wonder Mabel doesn't like them.
Deer flies are another insect that bite and itch. Mabel really doesn't like them. Here is a video of her snapping at them! Shoo fly!
There are lots of books at the Lanpher Library that you can check out through our curbside service to learn more about ants, mosquitoes and other insects. Visit our catalog for titles, or give us a call: 802-888-4628 and we'll put some together for you to pick up.
|
The title of this Outdoor Adventure is: Mabel likes ants, but she doesn't like mosquitoes.
See if you can figure out this word game called: Fannee Doolee. Fannee Doolee likes chickadees, but she doesn't like robins. Fannee Doolee likes raccoons, but she doesn't like skunks. Fannee Dooley likes butterflies, but she doesn't like moths. Fannee Dooley likes buttercups, but she doesn't like dandelions. |
More Outdoor Adventures with Mabel, in which she is not finished learning about snakes, and she accidentally goes on a bear hunt!
Mabel was nosing in the shrubs while I was trimming around a rose bush, when I noticed she was playing with something. What was it? A snake skin! Must be that Mabel is not finished learning about gartersnakes!
Gartersnakes shed their skin about every 4-5 weeks as they grow because their skin does not grow along with their body. Their skin usually sheds off in one continuous piece, which makes them interesting to examine.
I tried out the sssuper simple snake leaf craft activity in the links from the last post (below). It looked really cool, but when I showed it to Mabel, she just thought it was another toy for her to play with. Oh well. Puppies are playful. They're also curious, which is why we've learned so much about snakes, but I hope Mabel gets curious about something else soon.
Almost every day, Mabel and I start out our daily adventure by walking a similar route. We start through a thick, mossy path. Then we go to an area where there are some big logs. Mabel has been practicing jumping from one log to the next. Now that she is getting bigger, she's very good at it. I call this game: Logger Dog. After Mabel plays logger dog for a while, we continue through a ferny field. From the ferny field, we go into the woods. (I drew a map, below)
Last week, as we turned a corner to follow one of the paths in the woods, what did we see? A black bear!
The bear stopped and was still.
We stopped and were still.
The bear looked at us.
We looked at the bear.
The bear turned slowly to the left and continued walking.
We turned around and RAN!
Back through the woods path: stumble trip, stumble trip!
Across the ferny field: swishy swashy, swishy swashy!
Over the logs: Jump, leap, jump, leap!
Down the mossy path: squish, squash, squish, squash!
Back home...phew!
Now when Mabel and I go for outdoor adventures in the woods, we make sure we make noise, or even have carried a jingle bell, just in case. We live in an area that is an ideal habitat for black bears in Vermont, with a mixture of coniferous and hardwood trees, plus a wetland very nearby. This is their home too, so we need to be safe and respectful of them.
If you want to learn more about bears, or read stories with bears in them, take a look at the links below and let us know if you want to check out these, or any other books from the library to pick up at our curbside service! [email protected]
P.S.: One of my favorite books with a bear in it is: The Bear That Heard Crying, by Vermont Author, Natalie Kinsey.
Check it out!
Gartersnakes shed their skin about every 4-5 weeks as they grow because their skin does not grow along with their body. Their skin usually sheds off in one continuous piece, which makes them interesting to examine.
I tried out the sssuper simple snake leaf craft activity in the links from the last post (below). It looked really cool, but when I showed it to Mabel, she just thought it was another toy for her to play with. Oh well. Puppies are playful. They're also curious, which is why we've learned so much about snakes, but I hope Mabel gets curious about something else soon.
Almost every day, Mabel and I start out our daily adventure by walking a similar route. We start through a thick, mossy path. Then we go to an area where there are some big logs. Mabel has been practicing jumping from one log to the next. Now that she is getting bigger, she's very good at it. I call this game: Logger Dog. After Mabel plays logger dog for a while, we continue through a ferny field. From the ferny field, we go into the woods. (I drew a map, below)
Last week, as we turned a corner to follow one of the paths in the woods, what did we see? A black bear!
The bear stopped and was still.
We stopped and were still.
The bear looked at us.
We looked at the bear.
The bear turned slowly to the left and continued walking.
We turned around and RAN!
Back through the woods path: stumble trip, stumble trip!
Across the ferny field: swishy swashy, swishy swashy!
Over the logs: Jump, leap, jump, leap!
Down the mossy path: squish, squash, squish, squash!
Back home...phew!
Now when Mabel and I go for outdoor adventures in the woods, we make sure we make noise, or even have carried a jingle bell, just in case. We live in an area that is an ideal habitat for black bears in Vermont, with a mixture of coniferous and hardwood trees, plus a wetland very nearby. This is their home too, so we need to be safe and respectful of them.
If you want to learn more about bears, or read stories with bears in them, take a look at the links below and let us know if you want to check out these, or any other books from the library to pick up at our curbside service! [email protected]
P.S.: One of my favorite books with a bear in it is: The Bear That Heard Crying, by Vermont Author, Natalie Kinsey.
Check it out!
Oh no Mabel! What did you find?
Mabel and I were walking early one morning and we were both surprised by a movement in the leaves!.
It was a gartersnake!!
Can you see it in the leaves in the picture on the left?
It was moving verrryyy slowly that day. The sun was just starting to warm us up after a cool night, and since snakes are cold blooded, or ectothermic, they need the warmth of the sun to give them energy to be able to move quickly.
Gartersnakes are the most common snake in Vermont.
Garternsnakes are reptiles and they eat slugs, and earthworms, small amphibians and insects, among other creatures.
Look out gatersnake! There are lots of animals who will also prey on you! Hawks, crows, bears, fox, bullfrogs, snapping turtles and raccoons...all have been known to snack on a gartersnake.
Gartersnakes always startle me when I see them, but they can be interesting to learn about.
If you would like to learn more about gartersnakes, or other snakes, you can check out some books from the Lanpher Library or visit some of the websites linked below.
There are also some links to a snake coloring page, a snake craft activity...AND a snake song and dance written by Vermont Author, Jim Arnosky (who also created the coloring page!).
A snakey riddle (from the book "Snakey Riddles", by Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg)
What do thirsty hawks order at the soda fountain?
Chocolate milk snakes!
Mabel and I were walking early one morning and we were both surprised by a movement in the leaves!.
It was a gartersnake!!
Can you see it in the leaves in the picture on the left?
It was moving verrryyy slowly that day. The sun was just starting to warm us up after a cool night, and since snakes are cold blooded, or ectothermic, they need the warmth of the sun to give them energy to be able to move quickly.
Gartersnakes are the most common snake in Vermont.
Garternsnakes are reptiles and they eat slugs, and earthworms, small amphibians and insects, among other creatures.
Look out gatersnake! There are lots of animals who will also prey on you! Hawks, crows, bears, fox, bullfrogs, snapping turtles and raccoons...all have been known to snack on a gartersnake.
Gartersnakes always startle me when I see them, but they can be interesting to learn about.
If you would like to learn more about gartersnakes, or other snakes, you can check out some books from the Lanpher Library or visit some of the websites linked below.
There are also some links to a snake coloring page, a snake craft activity...AND a snake song and dance written by Vermont Author, Jim Arnosky (who also created the coloring page!).
A snakey riddle (from the book "Snakey Riddles", by Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg)
What do thirsty hawks order at the soda fountain?
Chocolate milk snakes!
Rattle Snake Dance: Song by Jim Arnosky
|
Red Squirrels
One day when Mabel and I were walking in the woods, I saw a shadow move above me in a tree. When I looked up, I saw a red squirrel on the trunk of the tree and moving on the branches. This red squirrel was patient with me watching it for a few minutes, but then it began to hop around and chitter at me.
Another morning the woods were wet with leftover rain drops. As I was walking under some maple trees I thought it was starting to rain! I looked up and it was a red squirrel moving around in the branches making the water droplets fall.
Red Squirrels are "diurnal", that means that they are active in the day time.
They mostly eat seeds and cones of evergreen trees. You might see the "middens", or piles of shredded cones, beneath a tree. Those are probably leftover from a red squirrel's meal!
Red squirrels have been known to bite into maple tree bark to release the sap and return later to slurp the concentrated "syrup"!
The noises red squirrels make are described as a "trill", a "chatter" and a "chuck". There is a video I took of the squirrel that Mabel and I saw and you can hear a squirrel making a noise, (you can hear birds too...) and it's hopping about a bit too! How would you describe the noise the squirrel is making? Do you think that squirrel was saying "hello" to us?
Probably not. They use their noises to protect their territory from rival squirrels, to alert other squirrels that there is a predator in the area, and to tell us: "go away"! by scolding us.
Vermont has gray squirrels too. Gray squirrels live in habitats with hard woods, like oak, hickory and beech trees. I see a lot of gray squirrels at the Lanpher Library...we have an oak tree out in front!
Mabel and I hope you enjoy our pictures and video of red squirrels from our walks.
For more information about squirrels, activities and books you can borrow from the Lanpher Memorial Library, click in the boxes below:
Another morning the woods were wet with leftover rain drops. As I was walking under some maple trees I thought it was starting to rain! I looked up and it was a red squirrel moving around in the branches making the water droplets fall.
Red Squirrels are "diurnal", that means that they are active in the day time.
They mostly eat seeds and cones of evergreen trees. You might see the "middens", or piles of shredded cones, beneath a tree. Those are probably leftover from a red squirrel's meal!
Red squirrels have been known to bite into maple tree bark to release the sap and return later to slurp the concentrated "syrup"!
The noises red squirrels make are described as a "trill", a "chatter" and a "chuck". There is a video I took of the squirrel that Mabel and I saw and you can hear a squirrel making a noise, (you can hear birds too...) and it's hopping about a bit too! How would you describe the noise the squirrel is making? Do you think that squirrel was saying "hello" to us?
Probably not. They use their noises to protect their territory from rival squirrels, to alert other squirrels that there is a predator in the area, and to tell us: "go away"! by scolding us.
Vermont has gray squirrels too. Gray squirrels live in habitats with hard woods, like oak, hickory and beech trees. I see a lot of gray squirrels at the Lanpher Library...we have an oak tree out in front!
Mabel and I hope you enjoy our pictures and video of red squirrels from our walks.
For more information about squirrels, activities and books you can borrow from the Lanpher Memorial Library, click in the boxes below:
Moose
One morning in early May, I looked out of the window and saw 3 moose on our lawn! They weren't too concerned with us, but even if they don't seem frightened by humans, moose are wild animals. It's important to keep your distance.
Mabel was pretty little at that time, so she didn't notice them at all, but since then, she has become interested in some of the signs that moose leave behind them to let us know they've been around, even if we haven't seen them....like their tracks in the mud and piles of scat! (Scat is what scientists call "poop")
Moose are huge mammals. They're part of the deer family and grow to be 5-6 feet tall at their shoulders. They might look awkward, but moose have long legs that help them get through deep snow and can even run up to 35 miles per hour. Moose are very good swimmers too.
A male moose is called a bull. A female is a cow. A baby moose is called a calf.
We think the moose on our lawn were a cow and her 1 year old calves. The calves will stay with their mama until right before her next calf is born. Calves are usually born in May or June and twins are common when the moose cow is healthy and well fed.
Moose are herbivores. They are known as "browsers" and will eat 40-60 pounds of browse per day, like: leaves, twigs, buds, aquatic vegetation and new forest growth.
Male moose have antlers that can be as big as 6 feet from end to end and weigh up to 50 pounds. The males shed their antlers in the fall and start growing new ones in the spring.
How did I learn so much about moose? I looked up information in books at the Lanpher Library and found some from reliable resources online.
You can request books from the library to pick up on Wednesdays & Fridays. Please go to our home page to learn more about our curbside services.
Click on the links below for more information about moose, and some fun activities you can try at home.