Yesterday M and I took a wonderful hike with a new local group called Nature Strollers .  We went to the Goose Pond Created Wetlands area at Goosepond Mountain State Park .  I’ was already planning to begin a nature notebook with M, so I figured this hike would be a great start for it.  Of course I haven’t actually gotten around to buying the actual notebook yet.  I’m looking for something with nice paper and a medium size that can easily be carted around in a backpack.  I’m not sure if I’m going to go with a spiral bound one or a small binder.  The binder might work better since I think it would be great to be able to insert plastic envelopes to put in things we find on our walks – you know, acorns and things.  I plan to go shopping for it over the weekend or next week.

Anyway…back to our walk.  It was great to get out with some other parents who are as nature-oriented as ourselves.  The group is run by two very knowledgeable women who are members of the Audobon Society, so I felt like we were taking some sort of nature class much of the time, which was great.  M and I learned so much from these women.  I absolutely must get my hands on some more field guides and read up on bugs, birds, wildflowers, and other good stuff.

Here is a list of things that we saw on our hike: Monarch Butterflies, Sulphur butterflies, Monarch caterpillars, tadpoles, tiny fish, an eastern watersnake, puff balls , an old turtle nest, a praying mantis, a praying mantis egg case , an egg case for some sort of fly, a turtle, lots of mosquitoes, blue damselflies – mating and laying eggs, a water spider , grasshoppers, crickets, mushrooms, and a bumblebee.

Best of all, M made a friend…