During my limited free time this week, and as a method of stress reduction, I collected seeds and ordered seeds for native plants. This is a great conservation activity with school aged kids. Seed Sources for Ordering Over the last month, researching native prairie seed sources has occupied some of my time. If you live…
Someone I just met asked me what my most recent degree was, knowing I used to be a nurse. I answered that I had obtained a second master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin at Steven’s Point in Natural Resources with a focus in Environmental Education and Interpretation (EE/EI). I responded that I was essentially…
This morning, already, I worked on creating a new logo for my handmade jewelry line. I created four and put them out for a vote on email and social media. It’s time to order new tags and I like to have them be “branded” but also feel it is time for new look. Speaking of…
We are approaching the end of the monarch presence for this year as migration is underway. We have noted an uptick in adult monarchs visiting our yard, nectaring on favorite plants such as zinnia, aster, and sedum. Yesterday, two were noted to have tattered and faded wings. They must have travelled far already – perhaps…
Today, I am taking the easy way out to post to my blog. However, it does not mean my post does not have value, it just means I’m trying to save myself some time, as I have other writing projects to attend to. The following is a reflection paper (book review) I wrote during my…
Today I am posting two blogs. The reason? Tomorrow, I host the Poetry Friday Round Up! What does tomorrow have to do with today? It has to do with the Poetry Friday participants that are down under and other places a day a head of the United States across the globe. I’ll post for Poetry…
I slept fitfully last night. I had some mild anxiety about a presentation today – the first student presentation I’ve done since the pandemic started. Although I was confident with the information I was presenting and how I was presenting it (this took a little bargaining), there was still that familiar twinge of fear and…
It’s August! The monarch butterfly season is in full swing! Soon, the monarchs we see flying through our yard will be on their way to somewhere else, and it’s not just the next yard! It will be on to the next state, and the next, and the next until they reach the over wintering grounds…
Today, I returned to volunteering. In preparation, I watched videos on YouTube, took an online orientation from Monarch Joint Venture staff and familiarized myself with forms as well as how data was to be recorded. I am now an official volunteer for the IMMP or Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program run by Monarch Joint Venture. But,…
Last week, I wrote my first post about monarch butterflies for the season. Here is what’s happened since then. Currently, I have 9 chrysalises. A few should be ready to eclose soon. Eclosure is the process of the adult butterfly emerging from the chrysalis. Two just recently changed from the caterpillar to the pupa (chrysalis)…