The ranch has an old apple tree orchard. Some of the apples are super sweet, or tart or were used for applesauce and cider. We all have enjoyed going out and picking apples for our snack, to give to the horses or watch the deer and turkeys pick through what has fallen on the ground.
In all the summers that we’ve been here we are on constant watch for monarch caterpillars. Our friends that live in the park north of the ranch, have always found them and we’ve never had any luck finding them. This year, in most of August and September we girls were finding about 10 to 20 a day!! We took some caterpillars to friends, other homeschool families and we kept three. It has been a fabulous learning activity for us. We’ve reasearched them, observe, collect data each day, make a chrysalis graph, record how many days the caterpillar is in the chrysalis, etc. The girls have LOVED it. We are still on chrysalis watch on two outside.
The caterpillar has just finished making the chrysalis.
Day 14
Day 15
Moving on…
(there’s a little whitetail fawn in the middle of the picture.)
We are having great fun in the evenings watching the elk herds, the bulls run about, and listening to the bugling all evening and sometimes all day. We are in the full rut as of right now.
