TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE FLOWERS.

              YOU MAY BE SURPRISED BY WHAT MAY BE WAITING JUST FOR YOU!

PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLIES

 ROBINS

SNAILS

RED-TAILED HAWK

Though our school is located in the city, it is often easy to forget this when we look around the beautiful wooded area which abuts our property.  If you spend some time in the early childhood classrooms in Lower School, you just may think that you are living in a treehouse.  There are so many birds who make their home in the woods and we have been lucky enough to have two red-tailed hawks pay us a visit every now and then. 

SWALLOWTAIL CATERPILLARS

     This autumn we were extremely lucky to discover some beautiful surprises waiting for us in the Edible Garden.  On two separate occasions we  discovered Swallowtail caterpillars feasting on the plants growing in the raised beds.  The first caterpillar was found by Henry on one of the Friday Ginkgo group vists to the garden.  We cut back some of the fennel stalks that had bent ove during a recent storm and lo and behold, Henry spotted something moving on one of the fronds.  At first, we thought the caterpillar was a Monarch, but after returning to the Studio and doing some research, we discovered that the caterpillar was actually an Eastern Black Swallowtail. A few weeks later we  found another caterpillar enjoying our parsley plants.  Both caterpillars lived in our terrarium until they formed their chrysalids.  The caterpillars have been overwintering in the Studio.

     On 8 March, a gorgous spring-like day, one magnificent Swallowtail butterfly emerged from its chrysalis

SLUGS