Our nature study this week mostly consisted of hanging out at the neighborhood pool -- not exactly nature study, I know, but we did pay attention to and identify the various birds we saw there, and Kathryn is always in awe of the giant bamboo that grows near the fenced area of the pool. She says that a panda bear would be quite happy there. {smile} I know in many areas of the country/world, this is getting into the best time of year to study the outdoors, but here in Georgia, it's already getting into the yucky humid hotness of summer. It's been in the mid 90's all week: YUCK! You'd think a gal born and raised in Georgia would be more tolerant of summer heat, but I'm not!
We did spend a little time in the garden, though. Kathryn and I planted everything we bought at the plant nursery last Saturday. We planted the pineapple sage right by our big rock in our butterfly garden, and the pink pentas and purple mystery plant in our front flower bed. Kathryn wanted to personally plant the tomatoes and at least one squash, and she did a great job. I'm hoping that being involved in the veggie garden may encourage her to actually EAT the vegetables!
As usual, Lacy always wants to help. So far she's leaving the raised garden bed alone, other than a thorough sniffing; she's too busy chasing butterflies and bees. We discovered something pretty neat about our zucchini plants: if they are seriously lacking water, they just lay flat on the ground, but within minutes of a thorough watering, they perk right up and stand tall! Kathryn and I both thought that was fascinating!
Our sunflower seeds did not get planted this week, so we're behind on our Outdoor Hour Challenges, but we'll get them planted next week, now that I've finally figured out where I want to plant them. It was too hot this week for much in the way of nature walks, but we did mini-studies of our plants and busy little bees while we traipsed to the mailbox each day. Our gardenias are blooming like crazy, and they smell wonderful! My hydrangea is blooming beautifully, too, but this week it has begun to wilt tremendously by the end of the day - did I mention it has been really, really hot!?! I think I'm going to have to move the poor thing this fall to a more shady location and hope it survives the transplant. I'm still so proud that Kathryn can identify almost all the plants and flowers in our yard, and she has a personal interest in the plants, too. That makes a gardening mama smile.
We did spend a little time in the garden, though. Kathryn and I planted everything we bought at the plant nursery last Saturday. We planted the pineapple sage right by our big rock in our butterfly garden, and the pink pentas and purple mystery plant in our front flower bed. Kathryn wanted to personally plant the tomatoes and at least one squash, and she did a great job. I'm hoping that being involved in the veggie garden may encourage her to actually EAT the vegetables!
As usual, Lacy always wants to help. So far she's leaving the raised garden bed alone, other than a thorough sniffing; she's too busy chasing butterflies and bees. We discovered something pretty neat about our zucchini plants: if they are seriously lacking water, they just lay flat on the ground, but within minutes of a thorough watering, they perk right up and stand tall! Kathryn and I both thought that was fascinating!Our sunflower seeds did not get planted this week, so we're behind on our Outdoor Hour Challenges, but we'll get them planted next week, now that I've finally figured out where I want to plant them. It was too hot this week for much in the way of nature walks, but we did mini-studies of our plants and busy little bees while we traipsed to the mailbox each day. Our gardenias are blooming like crazy, and they smell wonderful! My hydrangea is blooming beautifully, too, but this week it has begun to wilt tremendously by the end of the day - did I mention it has been really, really hot!?! I think I'm going to have to move the poor thing this fall to a more shady location and hope it survives the transplant. I'm still so proud that Kathryn can identify almost all the plants and flowers in our yard, and she has a personal interest in the plants, too. That makes a gardening mama smile.
