June’s Camp Farmstead Nature Notes

June has been a month full of new friends! Camp started and the fun began! The farmstead was full of life in the month of June! Not only human life running around, but lots of new plants thriving and so many animals and insects making appearances! Vegetables are growing in the garden and friends were able to help harvest some green and purple bush beans. Wineberries are in full bloom around the campus and we are even starting to see ripe blueberries.  The elderberries are flowering and friends keep watching to see when a berry will appear. So many beautiful colors of milkweed are blooming around the campus along with echinacea, yarrow, borage, calendula, native hydrangea, and so many more!

We have been noticing lots of pollinators around the campus and even saw a giant Luna moth resting on the fence. Skinks and eastern fence lizards have been running around stumps and rocks. Friends have so much fun trying to spot a new one each day! The creek has also been alive with crawfish, salamanders, and larvae! We get so many opportunities to watch and enjoy nature while learning not to always touch it. Giving space is something the kiddos have become very efficient in. They know how to give space to living things on campus and even to friends who may ask for it or need it. This has been an especially helpful tool when seeing and interacting with wasps. Staying calm and giving them space allows the wasp to not feel threatened and both the wasp and person can enjoy the rest of their day.

Mud play has been huge this month. Playing in the mud in creek kitchen was a huge activity. It kept us cool and was a lot of fun to play with. Many creations were made with the mud including dams for the creek with connecting “rivers” and “lakes.” Some friends were making mud “apples” to try and lure the chickens to come close to them. Picking up and petting chickens is an activity that seems to last all summer! We love our chickens!

It has been a mostly dry and hot month. Friends keep cool by finding shade under trees and shelter. Drinking lots of water has been keeping everyone hydrated and feeling good throughout the day. It has been such a great month of learning around the farmstead! I know we are all so excited for another full month of gardening, learning farmstead skills, observing nature, and playing in the water!

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