Nature Studies from home...

Lately we've been hearing some rather interesting sounds coming from the trees around our house. We have an abundance of Periodical Cicadas that just came above ground for the first time in 13 years. The boys love them, but Haley is seriously freaked out by them. I personally think any bug that lives for 13 years is something worth learning about. Plus, they are harmless to humans. So, aside from the fact that they are HUGE, have red eyes, are VERY noisy, flying everywhere, and generally making a nuisance of themselves, they're kinda cool.

Check out this cool caterpillar that we found! He was very similar to the inch worms we're all familiar with, only much BIGGER! Ryan loves caterpillars and is fearless in picking them up. He picked this one up and played with him for a bit before sending him on his way. No idea what kind he is...

Next are our resident bluebirds which I love. Mr. Bluebird comes right up on the deck and sits on the hanger for our bird feeder. He likes to eat the cat food out of the bowl on the deck rail. This has allowed me to get some awesome close up pictures of him!

Last are the four little eggs we discovered in a tree in our front yard. They're mockingbird eggs. We've been watching them for days to see when they hatch. Mommy Mockingbird does not like us watching however!

How cool is it that we're currently studying birds? We're using Apologia's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. What a great opportunity to have some hands on learning with them so close! I'll keep you posted to see when they hatch.