Oh, was I glad to be back in the forest after spending most of last week at home? YES! Apparently, I am not the only one who has been hit harder than normal with allergies this year. Thank you Sheena, Eric, and Sarah for stepping in during my absence. It is remarkable how much shade the tiny leafs provide. We’re still slipping into protective clothing, slapping on a hat, and slopping on sunblock. The shade provides a much cooler climate in the forest compared to the small grassy area where we eat lunch near the parking lot.
Our exploration of the forest this week continued at the fallen white oak below the Crow’s Nest on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Mabel brought a short piece of bamboo and a tennis ball from home to teach classmates how to play “baseball performer.” During the day, the game and rules evolved; standing on different terrain, catching the ball with bare hands, taking turns striking the ball with different materials, seeing how far away they could make it go, etc. The game’s evolution was so interesting to witness; the game they were attempting to emulate couldn’t possibly be as exciting as this adaptation! :)
It didn’t take long for the warmer weather to bring out some new animals for us to interact with. The Asian needle ant has hit our area hard, and their population has exploded in the last five or so years. Unfortunate for us, they love to live in dead, decaying wood and in leaf litter. I, personally, haven’t found a natural bug spray that deters them. If anything, my natural bug spray seemed to attract them last year! I don’t like using DEET repellents, but am tempted to do so just for the sake of keeping needle ants away. Two classmates were stung by needle ants this week! As a result, we had a class discussion about where the ants like to live and how we, as forest visitors, could avoid being stung. Keep an eye out in your home and backyard for a small black ant with a pointed thorax!
Another warm weather friend we met this week is the black rat snake. Caroline, Tilly, and Silvia were playing near a log when they saw a snake! They immediately moved away from the area, pointed back to where they spotted it and loudly said, “SNAKE!” The class safety/emergency word is “PINEAPPLE,” so when Ashley called pineapple students found their way to either Ashley or Lily (who was volunteering as forest helper"). I spent some time looking in the area where they said they saw the snake. There it was! An adult black rat snake, head poking out of the leaf little just behind a stump. A few of the students were very curious about this new forest friend, so they quietly tip-toed to where I was standing (NOT TOO CLOSE!) to take a closer look. It was an opportunity to discuss how the snake’s body language (kinked up and head facing away from us) tells us more about what the snake might be feeling (it doesn’t want to be anywhere near us!). We gave it plenty of space, gathered our belongings, and headed up the trail for a tasty lunch since it was the end of the day.
Garden Day, on Tuesday, was spent at the visitor’s center field. Maisie’s mother, Kate, graciously donated so many veggie starts and we planted 3 of the raised beds. Stop by and take a look at the kids’ hard work next time you’re in the park for drop off or pick up! There were so many nooks and cranny to explore around the garden and behind the visitor’s center and a lot had changed with the season already compared to our last Garden Day; worms galore in the garden, a mourning dove and robin guarding their precious nests in the trees nearby, blooming flowers, forest tent caterpillars, and so much more! Orora and Mabel excitedly called the class over to an oak tree to share something they found: a freshly emerged pink-striped oakworm moth!
Just in case you missed the invitation, I thought I’d mention that we’re all invited to Caroline’s 5th birthday party! After our last school day on April 29th at 1:00 you could saunter over to the Beach/Playground area for the celebration. Iralyn and Clarke ask that you RSVP (205-296-3263).
Thank you to our AFK Co-op Helpers this week: Bernice, Sheena, Sarah H., Lily, and Anastasiya! This program would not be the same without everyone’s contributions.
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