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NATURE NOTEBOOK ----Issue 6
The Newsletter written for parents with kids in mind.
September 16, 1999
Linda M. Watson, lmwatson@naturely.com
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Welcome to Nature Notebook.  This newsletter is by 
subscription only.  If this edition was forwarded to you by
a friend, see the bottom of the newsletter to receive your
own, personal subscription or visit our website at
http://www.naturely.com

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Index:
1.  Sponsorship
2.  Feature Activity
3.  Nature in the news
4.  The Spotlight
5.  Q & A
6.  Guest Column
7.  Classified Ads
8.  How to be featured as our guest columnist
9.  Subscribe/unsubscribe information

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1.     Sponsorship Notice
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for Kids Naturely and Nature Notebook is owned and
sponsored by T. L. Creations http://www.tlcreations.com

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2.     Feature Activity
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Chirps and trills

It's not too late in the season to enjoy the sounds of the
night.  The air is crisp and the chirps and trills of 
grasshoppers and crickets fill the air.

You can do this activity in your own backyard, park or camp
ground.  All you need is the cooperation of the insects and
the children.

If I am working with young children or ones that may have
difficulty walking on a trail at night, I'll stay around the
campfire.  Older children can take a walk down a trail.  
When they think they've located an insect by its sound, they
shine their flashlight on it.  We've found katydids,
crickets, and grasshoppers on these hikes.  Sometimes, if
the children are quiet and still, they may get to see the
insect play it tune.

I use a tape of insect sounds before we take listen.  I
could not find any tapes on amazon.com, so I would suggest
calling your Audubon Society or Nature Center to see if they
have any tapes with insect or night sounds.

For a full description of Chirps and Trill click on
http://www.naturely.com/chirp.htm?id=n6

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3.    Nature in the News
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Weeds for Dinner?

I've heard of dandelion wine and have eaten dandelion
leaves in my salad, but chickweed or stinging nettles? Not
on my plate.

Last week's Wall Street Journal ran an article on some of
the exotic dishes several upscale restaurants are serving.

Purslane is served with potatoes and onions with a 
Bordelaise sauce.  It has a lemony taste.  Chickweed tastes
like spinach crossed with cabbage.  It can be part of a
salad.  Stingy nettles should be eaten in the spring before
the stem gets tough.  It says that cooking destroys the
sting.  It's best made into a soup with morel mushrooms.

The next time you look at your lawn, don't think weeds,
consider it haute cuisine!

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4.     The Spotlight
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The White Pine

The white pine is usually found in the Northeast and North
Central states.  You can tell the difference between pines,
spruces and firs by looking at their needles.  Pine needles
grow in clumps of two, three, or five.  Only the white pine
has five needles in its clump.

The branches of the white pine form a circle around its
trunk.  You can tell its age by counting the rings of
branches, which is much kinder than cutting it down and
counting its rings!  If the rings are close together, the
tree did not grow much.  It was probably a very dry year.
The better growing seasons have more space between the 
rings.

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5.     Questions and Answers
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If you have a nature question, send it to question@naturely.com
We will answer the questions in the next issue of Nature
Notebook.

Q. Is poison ivy harmful to all creatures or just humans?

A. It's the oil from the poison ivy that causes the allergic
itch.  The oil must touch the skin for the reaction to
start.  The fur protects most animal skin from the oils, so
they can walk right through it and not be affected.  Also,
some animals may not be allergic to the oil.  I know of some
humans who have a high tolerance to poison ivy, too.

Birds, like the tufted titmouse, eat the berries with no ill
effects.  These birds are responsible for spreading poison
ivy when the seeds from the berries pass through their body
in a new location.

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6.     Guest Column
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If you have information to share that would be of interest
to our subscribers, consider writing an article for our
Guest Column.

See 8.     How to be featured as our guest columnist

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7.     Classified
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*** We reserve the right to limit sponsors to 5 per issue 
on a first come, first serve basis upon approval of the
editorial staff.  

All ads must be family and nature friendly.***

For more information mailto: advertising@naturely.com

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8.     How to be featured as our guest columnist
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Nature Notebook is always looking for articles pertaining
to nature, activities that adults and children can 
participate in together and ways that we can work together 
to sustain the balance of nature.

Articles should be no more than 700 words long.  Submit to 
editor@naturely.com.  No attachments please.  The article
should be part of the body of the e-mail.

Articles should not be advertisements disguised as 
information.

Do not query.  Submitted articles will be reviewed and 
responded to within 2 working days.

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9.     Subscribe/unsubscribe information
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Send a blank e-mail to one of the following addressed:

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Copyright 1999. for Kids Naturely
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