Mary's Muse

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Since my kids are studying Botany and today's weather is outrageously calm and sunny, but not too hot, I made up a scavenger hunt that the readers could all participate in to find nature right in our yard.  Two of our three readers teamed up with fledgling readers and they were off! Some things I listed, the kids really have to think about.  For example, dragon's head sedum, geranium, and astilbe.  Other things are fairly simple, such as leaves, maple leaves, birch bark, and moss.  I planted some Scotch moss down our rock stairs, so that was very easy to find.  And some were nearly impossible to find, such as a frog/toad and a caterpillar (in our area or at this time of year, anyway).

In our family, if anyone is a winner, everyone is a winner.  I believe we'll be having ice cream bars tonight.

Winter? Or Spring?

It's been snowing gently like this all day long.

The rabbit is not impressed.

But it appears some signs of spring are thriving.

 
 
... maybe ... ?

 

It's Mule Deer Season!

On today's hike, we spotted several mule deer meandering through our nature reserve.  I noted the difference between the dainty, but actually taller, white tailed deer I grew up viewing. 

  

Mule deer have a curious, bouncing gait when they are running away from you.  It's as if there are tightly wound springs under all four feet.  The feet all move in tandem as the deer bound away.  White-tails have a fluid, forward motion and, if I'm remembering correctly, their legs move two-by-two.  The front two legs curl under as the back two push off of the earth.  The legs mule deer bound on are thicker than those of white-tails.  Mule deer's ears are bigger and heavier looking. I guess that's why they refer to them as 'mule' deer, huh?  They're altogether darker, stockier, and, well, less pretty than white-tails.  

But that's not to say that they're any less majestic to see.  Especially that eight-point buck protecting his harem.  Etu hummed her way through our hike and they didn't seem to fear her.  For the most part, the rest of us moved in hushed awe.  They stood like statues aiming their radar ears in our direction if anything alerted them of potential danger ~ for example, when Princess exclaimed, "Oh look! There's another one!"