Wildflowers this weekend ...

This was a great weekend for wildflowers.  Some picts below ...

- Common Milkeweed already up several inches!

Crested Dwarf Iris ... just starting their blooming season ...

Columbine in full bloom on limestone outcroppings this weekend ... with stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) blooming in the same location!

Jack-in-the-Pulpits were standing at attention ...

Baneberry?, Foam Flower and lots of Trillium this weekend.

A closeup of Phacelia ...

False Rue Anemone ... I think?  There were much more ... including snakes!

Monarch ... First of 2014

This weekend a Monarch arrived, flying across the front of our back porch as to announce her arrival.  Then, she flew down to our garden to check out our milkweed plants (butterfly weed and common milkweed, both several inches tall).  Hannah quickly grabbed my camera and got the picture below.  I hope the Monarchs have a great season and rebound from their low numbers.  At school, we continue our Patriot Pollinator Project raising hundreds of milkweed plants and other nectar perennials.

AP Review begins and Earth Day...

This week we celebrated Earth Day by our "Pop a Pod" event.  Students took a milkweed pod (or two) and at home or on the way home after school opened (popped) it and let the seeds fly (it was windy that day ... ).  We also gave away native plants to plant.

 We have started our final review for AP Biology ... Today was Biochem to Aerobic Respiration and during FLEX we worked through 12 grid-in questions.  We handed in the Energy Dynamics Modeling Lab we completed earlier in the week.  It's not too late to get that 3+.

Tomorrow in Selected Topics, we will continue work on our "Planting a Garden" project using info and catalogs from Johnny's Seeds.

Most of the computer programming students are finishing up an animation of objects problem before starting their independent projects.

Below, first block choosing their seeds to order from Johnny's Seeds...

Big Bird Test, Transpiration Lab and Modeling ...

Today was Selected Topics in Science today.  As part of our unit on animal science, we had our Big Bird Test today.  We studied 100 common birds and students had to identify 40 today for the test.  We had one perfect score and several near perfect efforts ... How can you appreciate and save the environment if you don't know what's out there?

Tomorrow, we finish our transpiration lab in AP Biology.  We subjected cabbage and broccoli to various conditions and using potometers calculated the water loss in ml/m2.  Tomorrow we will generate group data from two classes before going on to our last lab ... Energy Dynamic: Food Chains.  We will be building an Excel model to demonstate energy flow through a food chain.

Computer programming classes are starting their independent projects soon ... project proposals are due on the 26th.

Transpiration Lab groups below ...

Josh posing with fellow gardener Ron Burgundy ...

DJ helping out on the Patriot Pollinator Project ... thanks!

 

Transpiration Lab tomorrow ...

Tomorrow in AP Biology, we will doing our transpiration lab using potometers.  For review of this lab see below ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEfmTok3OCo

Trillium, Twinleaf, Violets, Phlox ... Spring Wildflower Season Underway!

Tomorrow is club day at school and our 8 period day ... review begins in AP, Selected Topics will working on organ systems and bird ID and Computer Programming is working on a multi-form problem.

Spring wildflower season should begin to peak next weekend.  Several flowers were blooming this weekend.  Only a few Great White Trilliums were blooming but the violets were blooming everywhere on our wildflower walk this afternoon.  No Twinleaf flowers but, should be blooming by next weekend.  We saw lots of butterflies today.  Several swallowtails and while in the woods,  dustywings and a couple of Falcate Orangetips (the first I have ever seen ... not quick enough to get a picture ... sorry).  While bush-hogging ... a black racer and a mother woodcock with her chicks!

Turkey Time

The last couple of weeks, we have had turkey in our back yard ... mating season.  We could shoot one easily from the porch ... pict by Hannah!

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and spring break over ...

A busy spring break ... lots of activity on the farm.  This week large patches of purple deadnettle and henbit are blooming and the pollinators are out working.  I have seen several bumblebee queens, lots of small butterflies and a few swallowtails (see below).  Our honeybees are hard at it and the population in the hives are already increased.  I noticed two Eastern Tiger Swallowtails today ... one was in our yard visiting the henbit and stayed long enought for a picture.

Tomorrow is our 8 period day.  In Selected Topics we will plant some wildflower seed in flats for the Patriot Pollinator Project.  AP Bio will finish organ systems and start on ecology ... transpiration lab will be on Thursday.  Computer programming will have their beginner problems checked and work on an animation program.

Back to work, but a long way until the end of school since we had so many snow days.  AP Bio test in one month ...