My annuals have died with the onset of cooler weather, and I’ve missed the colorful flowers that donned my deck and yard.

I waited to prune my bushes, so I could use the cuttings to refill the containers. Then I foraged for seed pods. cones, and grasses. Christmas tree vendors gifted me the bottom branches trimmed off of evergreen trees. After gathering these natural items, I inserted them into the potting soil where the annuals have died or around the remaining perennials. The result brings me joy!

Last time, I filled these containers, the branches lasted weeks, some even months. A few of the cuttings even began to propagate! I also added some sprigs of holly and a few evergreen branches to indoor plants. Be cautious if you have pets.

Here are some examples:

It has rained all week, but when there was a pause in the showers, I walked through my neighborhood and discovered nature’s art on the sidewalks.

When leaves stick to the porous concrete overnight, the leaf tannin is transferred to the sidewalk, and the result is lovely ecoprints of fall leaves.

Tannins are responsible for the brown color in deciduous leaves and appear once chlorophyll and carotenoids disappear. It is a waste product of a tree’s metabolism and has protective properties. Among other uses, tannins are found in tea and wine and used to tan leather.

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” Albert Einstein

Have you seen these holes on the beach? They are perfectly round and are a variety of sizes. These burrows can be up to four feet deep and have angled entrances. Do you know what creates them?

GHOST CRABS!

These crustaceans are humorous to watch and move very quickly! They derive their name from their pale white color and provide a great example of camouflage because they can gradually change colors to match their surroundings. Ghost crabs are nocturnal, but occasionally make daytime appearances. Only one crab lives in each burrow.

Crabs have four pairs of legs and a pair of claws (decapods). One claw is larger than the other. They are invertebrates which means they have no bones, but their bodies are protected by an exoskeleton. They live near the water because they breathe oxygen through gills which must remain wet. Eyes are on stalks that swivel, and they will use their appendages to wipe sand from them.

I caught this one eating. They are omnivorous scavengers and help keep our beaches clean. (Remember not to use flashlights on the beach during the months turtles come on shore to lay their egggs.)

Females carry developing eggs under their bodies before releasing them into the water. Do you see the eggs under this crab?

Click here to watch full screen. I could watch these crabs for hours! Ghost crabs are evidence that God has a sense of humor.

Walk like a crab!

These cute crabs were made by former PreK students in Mrs. Lilge’s class. Make ghost crabs with white paint and mix a little sand into the beach color. Then add some claws.

I grew up in New York and loved the white (paper) birch trees. I saw them again on a recent trip to Montana. Although there are 60 species of birch trees, paper birch trees, deciduous hardwoods, are easily identified by the peeling white bark. Brainstorm why the trunk may have black markings with your children or students. These black streaks are lenticels and help gases move between the air and tree. Birch trees grow quickly but are short-lived. They often have multiple trunks and prefer moist habitats. Native people used sheets of bark to cover canoes and wigwams.

Leaves have double toothed margins and turn yellow each autumn.

The small dry fruit grow in clusters on drooping catkins that turn brown as they mature.

There are simple ways for students to create birch trees, like the ones below made by Mrs. Lilge’s PreK class. Place painter’s tape on your paper to form the outline of the birch trees. Press the edges down well. Older students may want to place some trees in the foreground and others in the background after drawing the horizon. Design trees of various widths by overlapping the tape. Remove the painter’s tape after blending paint across the paper and over the tape to create a sunset. Add the lenticels to complete the trees with a black marker or crayon. Note: Blend paint for the sunset with three colors, such as orange, yellow, and red, or blue, purple, and red.

Let’s continue our study of leaves. (See below for previous posts.) Trees can also be identified by whether they have simple or compound leaves. The blade or lamina is the flat part of a leaf. A simple leaf has just one blade on each petiole.

A compound leaf is composed of three or more leaflets that attach to one petiole. A leaf may have an odd or even number of leaflets. If there is an odd number, one leaflet appears at the top of the stem. Another way to distinguish between a leaflet and a simple leaf is to check where the leaf/leaflet joins the stem. If there is a node, then you have a simple leaf, but if there isn’t a node, you are observing a leaflet. My science students saw a connection between compound words and compound leaves.

One leaf with leaflets

On your next nature walk, look for compound and simple leaves.