Wordless Wednesday: Celebrating Nature's Life Cycles

For the past few weeks, the our household has been obsessed with caterpillars, tadpoles and birds. We have read countless books, watched many YouTube videos, and have had numerous thought-provoking conversations about these animals. There is something magical about watching life emerge, nature change, and the life cycle continue on during the spring.

We sent away for a caterpillar kit and watched them grow and spin their chrysalis.

Five out of five caterpillars turned into butterflies! The boys were fascinated by the red meconium the butterflies dripped out.

We released them by the lavender plants after we noticed the same type of butterfly landing there.

We met some friends at their neighborhood pond and spent the morning collecting tadpoles and catching/releasing frogs.

There were so many tadpoles that the children were scooping them up by the handful!

My Littlest One was pretty proud of his catch.

The little black dots in the aquarium were the tadpoles we took home. Thinking there would be a mortality rate, we overestimated how many we would need. A week later with no casualties, I am thinking we are going to have a TON of frogs in a few weeks!

Although I don't have any photos to post, you can click on the links below to see a live webcam of the red tailed hawks and their babies, the bald eagle and their eaglets, and the great blue heron who's eggs should be hatching in the next week. It is surprisingly relaxing, amazingly miraculous, and as one of my little four year old friends said, "It is so cute, it makes me want to cry!"

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=2422&ac=ac&utm_source=Cornell%20Lab%20eNews&utm_campaign=48964f52af-eNews_HawkBirdCam_March_2012&utm_medium=email

http://outdoorchannel.com/Conservation/EagleCam.aspx

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=2433


Enjoy and celebrate all of nature's changes you can!
Namaste~
Amber