Last Class

For our last class we met and took the final test.  We also had to turn in journals and species papers and then we all had to think up a project and present it that had to do with our class. Here are a few that I got pictures of. 
This is a robins nest cake.

trillium made out of cake

A bucket of dirt dessert-see the snakes head?

owl and deer cookies

buckeyes-see the actual leaves underneath?

Oil painting

oil painting

We then went outside for a cook out and ate the desserts. 
Here we all are-it was a great group to be with. 

We were being silly...well some of us
Good luck to all!

Wild Winds Buffalo Preserve-Fremont IN

Our last trip of the class was to visit the Wild Winds Buffalo Preserve in Fremont, IN.  It was a very pleasant, pretty place.  I would enjoy taking my family there again.  Their main objective is the preservation of the Bison.  They have 5 Bulls (male bison) and the rest are female.  They have approximately 230 bison on the land. They have approx. 40 new babies born with another 60 due. 
They sell bison meat and I had a bison sloppy joe.  It tasted a little different from my regular ground meat but one could get used to it if they ate it all the time.  They are all grass fed and only feed hay during the winter. 

Here we were being pulled by a Kubota tractor to field number 6 where the herd was at that day.  Pretty blue water and green grass.

Here we stopped at the ceremonial section.  When any female bison dies the skull is added here.  They are the ones who give birth.  They believe that the bison are very spiritual animals.

Here is our first siting of the herd.  It reminded me of Dances with Wolves. 

Females have curved horns and here are a couple, one with her calf. 

Another female

Here is our guide, he is Cherokee.

Bison are migrators and they were always moving from one end of the pasture to another.  Some were losing some of the winter coat and they pick this up and sell it. 

When we were getting ready to go out of the pasture the herd started running toward us. 

This was the second vehicle, see how they are in front of him and others were at the gate ready to get out. 

So the guide had to get down and speak Cherokee to them and got them moving back.
It was very entertaining annnnndddd a little worrysome. 

Just a beautiful pine tree near the entrance.

They only kill animals that have genetic traits that they don't want to pass on.  They give vaccines and deworming.  They let nature takes its course and if an animal dies they just let it go back into the earth unless it is hot.  After 7 days they take the carcass off the field.  If there are twins born the mother takes care of the strongest one and the weaker one has to fend for itself.  If a human interferes the mother will not take care of the youngster at all. 

I would recommend a visit, it was very educational. 

 

Edna W. Spurgeon-Woodland Reserve

Here is our destination for today

The Class getting together to go into the woods.

The trail we will follow up and down hills.  A different area than the marsh.  Tall old trees. 

A super large slug.

Solomons Seal False

Squirrel Corn

Beautiful Wildflower Trillium

A cherry tree that fell down and someone cut.  See the reddish color?

I thought this knob looked like a cartoon wolf.

Myself and a classmate.  We have to wear hats and sleeves so that ticks and mosquitoes don't get us. 

We thought this was endearing and hoped it worked out for them, carved on a beech tree.

Woodpecker

Unidentified Bright colored bird.

Nuthatch

Hope you enjoyed, thanks for checking in. 

Eagle Marsh

Today we visited Eagle Marsh which is in southwest Fort Wayne.  While tromping through the area you would never know that the city is just down the road.  In a very shallow pool of water was Mr. Garter snake posing for us. 

Here is a pool of water with lots of geese activity.

It was only 58 degrees or we would have seen frogs, turtles, fish.  There was not much aquatic activity. 

Discovered a black snack also. 

A pond with thousands of tadpoles.

The dark spots are all tadpoles.



We stopped at Swinney Park and saw an old fashioned Honey Locust tree.  They have these nasty thorns that grow out of their trunk.

This tree trunk was so big it took 6 people to make it around.

This goose had only one leg.  I wondered if is swam in circles. 

The frosting on the cake...we saw an eagle!  He is so majestic!

Mothers Day

Ma Boys (just out of the shower)
Blessed to be their Mom.

Two families of geese in the pond this year, totaling 6 goslings.  There is another set of geese also.  We will have to watch to see if they are hatching babies. 

I hope that you had a happy Mothers Day too!