Wild Child Zoology

Building A Butterfly Garden, 1 - Transplanting Milkweed

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Boston) — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 20:12:00 +0000

I've been bemoaning the fact that we do not have any sort of a butterfly garden this year although I had full intentions of starting one with some milkweed bought from a local nursery, it just didn't happen.

In the area where I live milkweed is considered a "weed" as it can be toxic to livestock, so I have not seen it flourish like I did when I lived in Hawaii as a child which made me sad because raising monarch butterflies was one of the most amazing experiences I ever had as a kid. So, I've been keeping my eye open for any milkweed plants locally so I could either try to gather some caterpillars and have a food source for them nearby when they need fresh leaves, or try my hand at transplanting them into a butterfly garden of my own.

Oh Happy Day! Today as we were on my parents 57 acres I noticed a flowering plant that looked suspiciously like milkweed and decided we'd borrow a shovel and try to transplant them at home. We managed to unearth 3 full plants with at least a partial root-ball.

They're sitting in my sink with water waiting for me to clear a space to transplant them in a few hours.

One thing I read was to first make sure the plant you're wanting to transplant actually is milkweed as there are a few that might be mistaken as milkweed. So, I did my checking with my phone app...

Sure enough! I'm excited. I started researching transplanting milkweed and thought this short little video was very useful. So I'm sharing it with you today in case you'd like to try to build your own butterfly garden in your yard.

P. S. I have always wondered what the use for all those empty wine bottles I see in thrift stores and now I have a very good idea what we can use them for!

Have you got your own butterfly garden? What did you include in it?

Gathering & Preparing Specimens - Moths & Butterflies

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Boston) — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 20:18:00 +0000

Gathering and Preparing Specimens for Nature Study:

Moths & Butterfies

STEP 1: Relax Insects Before Pinning (or risk damaging)

If it has been more than a few days since your specimens were collected, they will be hard, brittle, and almost impossible to pin without breaking or damaging them. To relax your insect specimens, you will need a plastic container with an airtight lid that is large enough to hold all of the insects you want to soften plus several layers of wet paper towels. The moisture from the wet towels will soften the bodies of the insects without harming or discoloring them. Follow these instructions carefully to soften insects before attempting to pin and spread them.

Moisten a few paper towels with water (they should be wet all over but not dripping water) and lay them flat 2-3 layers deep in the bottom of the container.
Set the largest and hardest insects on top of this layer (i.e. large beetles). Cover these insects with several more wet paper towels (again, wet all over but not dripping water) and place another layer of insects on top. Continue until all of the insects you need to relax are nested between layers of towels, ending with 2-3 layers of moist towels on the top. Be sure to layer the insects starting with the hardest ones on the bottom and ending with the softest ones at the top. Note: Handle the dried insects with care as they are very fragile.
Close the lid tightly and move the container to a place where it will not be disturbed. Most butterflies and smaller insects should be softened in 2-3 days. Larger beetles and other insects may take 5-6 days or longer to soften enough to be pinned without breaking.
Check the insects for flexibility by gently moving the legs after two days. Refresh any paper towels that may have dried out by sprinkling them with water. When an insect’s legs and antennae can be easily moved and its body does not feel brittle, the insect it ready to be pinned. Remove any insects that are sufficiently softened and proceed to the instructions for pinning and spreading.

Read More Here How to Pin and Spread Butterflies & Other Insects PDF

Supplies for Beginners to Gather:

A Net
Ziploc Bags
A jar (to gather & kill if you're collecting to pin)
Nail Polish Remover (as a killing agent)

Supplies for Beginners to Pin:

Bracing Pins
Entomology Pins - (different sizes, vary on size of insect)
Labels
Scissors
Foam Pinning Board
A Razor Knife
Elmer's Glue
Spreading Board optional
Forceps optional

A Few Resources to Help:

How to Mount a Moth

How to Pin a Butterfly

How to Pin a Moth

What is Cartography?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Boston) — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 17:50:00 +0000

What is cartography in geography?

Cartography is making maps. It is part of geography. How people make maps is always changing. In the past, maps were drawn by hand, but today most printed maps are made using computers. Someone who makes maps is called a cartographer.

Making a map can be as simple as drawing a direction on a napkin, or as complicated as showing a census of a whole country. Anyone can make a map, but there are people who spend their lives learning how to make complicated maps.

What is Orienteering?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Boston) — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 17:08:00 +0000

What do you do in orienteering?

Orienteering is a collection of sports that requires navigational skills and tools, such as a map and compass, to navigate from point to point. Sometimes orienteering is done quickly as part of large competitions, but it can also be done at a more leisurely pace to explore a new area and hone one's navigational skills.

Beginner's Guide to Orienteering

How does orienteering work?

Orienteering involves competitive navigation along a course, using a map and compass. Competitors find their way from checkpoint to checkpoint (called controls) in the shortest time possible, so they must decide on the best route and then make it there without getting lost.

A Beginner's Guide to Orienteering

What are the basic orienteering skills?

Basic Orienteering Skills

Folding the map.
Thumbing the map.
Orientating the map to north (with ground or compass)
Reading features on the map.
Taking a compass bearing.
Following a compass bearing.
Pacing.
Judging Distance.

Orienteering Skills

Who invented orienteering?

The history of orienteering begins in the late 19th century in Sweden, where it originated as military training. The actual term "orienteering" was first used in 1886 at the Swedish Military Academy Karlberg and meant the crossing of unknown land with the aid of a map and a compass.

History of Orienteering

Expert Advice

Orienteering Basics

A Brief Overview

What is Orienteering?

Orienteering for Kids - Basic Overview

Orienteering for Adults - Expert Advice

All About A Compass

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Boston) — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 16:26:00 +0000

The compass consists of a magnetized metal needle that floats on a pivot point. The needle orients to the magnetic field lines of the earth. The basic orienteering compass is composed of the following parts:

Base plate
Straight edge and ruler
Direction of travel arrow
Compass housing with 360 degree markings
North label
Index line
Orienting arrow
Magnetic needle (north end is red)

To Read More Visit USSARTF US Search and Rescue "Compass Basics"

How to Use a Compass - For Kids

How to Use a Compass - For Beginners

How to Use a Compass - More in-depth

Here are a few different compasses You Can Purchase* (affiliate links)

AOFAR Orienteering Compass - has disinclination INTERMEDIATE*
Coghlan's Deluxe Map Compass with Lanyard - no disinclination BEGINNER*
AOFAR Military Compass Lensatic Sighting - MILITARY STYLE*
Cammenga Phosphorescent Lensatic Compass - PROFESSIONAL BRAND*

Collaboration with Ambleside Wonderland - Free Monthly Binder Dividers

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Boston) — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 07:23:00 +0000

If you've been following along my journey on Ambleside Wonderland, you've noticed that I have started planning our Year 2 school year in a grand attempt to be more organized and plan for success in our home education lifestyle.

What I really desire in my home is that Charlotte Mason and her philosophies wouldn't just impact our school, but that education would become our lifestyle. And so I feel like in the beginning stages I will have to be heavy hitting on the organized planning for a while until it becomes a habit of just doing things in the way I feel is most beneficial. And authentic. Let's not forget authentic.

I've attempted home education the way I thought school "should look" and it was never a real success. I won't say my children didn't learn that way, because kids brains are like sponges so they can learn in pretty much any environment. But it was not conducive to the lifestyle I was wanting to present for my kids.

So, back to planning; while reformatting the Nature Study curriculum we use I decided I'd really like to incorporate Monthly Dividers into my binders. Yes, Binder(s). To create my own Charlotte Mason for Dummies I'm going to have 1 binder for each Term. This I feel like will create those bite size chunks that I can chew and swallow and allow our days to then flow smoothly. Instead of feeling like there's a kink in the chain somewhere.

And while I was designing them I had an epiphany! Why don't I use the animal fact printables I have been creating for months for our Nature Study project Wild Child Zoology? I added a few and loved the look and thought to myself, why not have a few fun facts follow us each month? So, without further ado, please feel free to use* and share with anyone you think might like them! (*Personal use only). Be advised I got carried away and designed more than 12 months -- so, you can choose between a few months for added individuality! Ha! >> Download them all Here << You can view a few of the options below, but there are quite a bit more in the download...

God Bless,
Julie

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