Outdoor Wildlife Learning Site
(OWLS) User Guide
Eisenhower High School
Developed by:
Denise Scribner, Ecology teacher
and EHS Ecology Students
2011-2012
What is an OWLS?
OWLS is an acronym for Outdoor Wildlife Learning Sites. It is a Program sponsored by the
Chickadee Checkoff of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. An OWLS is an outdoor
environmental/wildlife laboratory, at or near a school, consisting of one or more native habitat
features. It is designed to attract native wildlife and to facilitate multi-discipline learning
opportunities for students.
OWLS sites provide fantastic opportunities for learning more about nature through such
activities as planting trees, establishing butterfly and hummingbird gardens, and creating
wetlands for tadpoles.
Why Do We Need OWLS?
Each new generation eventually assumes responsibility for our environment. OWLS is designed
to help stimulate more learning. To help prepare children, it is necessary to emphasize
educational programs that deal with ecology and wildlife. It is well established that "hands on"
activities greatly enhance a student's ability to understand concepts and facts. One of the best
ways to accommodate this is to provide natural environments at or near school property. That is
why the OWLS site was established on the Eisenhower High School campus.
OWLS projects provide opportunities to integrate across the curriculum using a thematic
approach. Here are a few examples of how the OWLS project at Eisenhower High School
could help to support instructional objectives and tie to subject areas.
Life Science: Identifying plants and animals, studying living communities, ecological systems,
and monitoring change.
Earth Science: Studying soil characteristics, hydrologic cycles, and properties of water.
Physical Science: Applying concepts related to weather, climate, and seasonal patterns.
Mathematics: Tallying species, mapping of site, graphing growth of vegetation, interpreting
data.
Language Arts: Developing a written plan, making oral reports, writing newspaper and
newsletter articles, communication with diverse groups.
Social Studies: Identifying historical uses of site, engaging in the political process, working
cooperatively with others.
Art: Developing site maps and illustrations, drawing natural objects.
Industrial Arts: Applying appropriate technology in land use projects.
How to use this guide booklet:
1. Review the guide to get familiar with what it contains.
Section One—Pre-Visit, On-site and Post Visit Activities
Section Two—Organisms found at the EHS OWLS site.
Section Three—equipment available from EHS for outdoor studies and investigations.
2. Complete the pre-visit assessment prior to your visit and a post-visit assessment to assess
progress.
3. To arrange for a visit to the site contact the EHS ecology teacher at 316-794-4190. Limited
equipment is available to barrow on-site from the high school to help improve your outdoor
experience (see section three).
PRE-VISIT PREPARATIONS
1. Set Ground Rules and Expectations for visiting the EHS OWLS site.
If students have already visited the EHS OWLS site, they will be familiar with the equipment,
and will just need a review and your ground rules and expectations.
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All children are to be monitored by adults at all times, especially along the shoreline of
the pond.
Each group should stay at their sampling station for the duration of class.
Group members should take turns at all tasks.
Complete any chemical and physical tests and measurements first.
Be gentle when handling or observing aquatic organisms.
Students working in the lake will need to wear shoes or water shoes that can get wet and
muddy. They should only wade (below knee depth) into the water. No swimming is
allowed.
Bring a ring buoy or other flotation device to the site for throwing rescues.
Eye protection should be used during the dissolved oxygen test.
2. Practice using equipment prior to arrival at the site.
It is important to practice how to properly use the nets, testing equipment, etc prior to your
arrival to maximize the time you have when visiting the site. Contact the ecology teachers at the
high school for an orientation appointment for the adults in your group.
3. Set goals for the visit.
For example: Upon completion of the Lake or Stream Study class students will be able to:
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Understand and measure the temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen of an aquatic system.
Examine and report upon the diversity of aquatic creatures captured.
Recommend actions to preserve healthy lake environments.
4. If possible, keep a journal or other record of the observations students made, including
the date. Record data in the same categories in different seasons, years, and bodies of water.
Students can graph results over time and use them to make inferences.
SECTION ONE
Pre-Visit, On-Site Visit and Post-Visit Activities
These two activities are a great way to introduce your students to the EHS OWLS site.
INVISIBLE SCAVENGER HUNT
In this scavenger all the chosen objects should be natural. None is actually collected.
Awareness and observation skills will be practiced as girls look for and list things they found
in the environment. This list should include items that make the scavenger hunt thought
provoking as well as a fun project. Discourage picking or collecting so as to preserve the
natural surroundings of the campsite. Hunt for objects on the list (see below) or adapt the list
of your own.
You will need:
 Pencil
 Copy of the list of objects to hunt for. (made from own list or one provided)
1. The players pair off (for safety and to exchange ideas) and should be prepared to return with
their observations, sketches, and notes about the items on their list.
2. Establish boundaries. The players should not be sent to potentially hazardous places such as
an abandoned building or creek without adult supervision.
3. Set your own time limit for the scavenger hunt and develop a signal to call the players back
on time.
4. Now….get ready….get set….
Suggested Invisible Scavenger Hunt List:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
The softest thing you can find.
A sun trap.*
The oldest thing you can find.
Something that lives in the water.
Something yellow.
Something with six legs.
A tree shorter than everyone in the group.
Something a bird would eat.
A sign or erosion.
The smallest thing you can see.
Something that has an odor.
An animal home.
Something that is of no use in nature.
Something that always changes.
Something that chirps. (what type?)
An animal track. (what kind?)
The youngest thing you can find.
18. An animal without a backbone.
19. A plant that “points the way.”
20. Poison Ivy (please do not touch)
21. A nut.
22. A seed pod.
Remember: each team must be able to document where they found their object. If time permits,
you might want various teams to take the rest of the group on a hike to show where their objects
we found.
*a sun trap is anything that captures the sun’s heat (water, rocks, plants, animals)
Caterpillar Walk
You will need: bandana or blindfold for each student
Take the class to the trail head. After blindfolding each student, arrange them in a line,
caterpillar-fashion, with each student placing their hands on the shoulder of the student in front
of them. Tell the students that as you lead them along they are to listen to, smell, and feel their
surroundings as completely as they can. Make frequent stops along the way at points of interest,
such as unusual trees and rocks, or to smell a fragrant flower or bush. The more variety there is
along the route, the better.
When you have gone as far as you think is appropriate, remove the blindfolds. The students
must now try to find their way back along the route to the starting point.
Caution: blind caterpillar’s more than six segments (people) long quickly become entangled
and hard to manage. Make sure you have one non-blindfolded aide with each group of
blindfolded participants to ensure the safety of the group.
The following pages in this section have pre/on-site/post activities within the following topics:
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Animal Senses
Food Webs
Birds
Small Mammals
Trees and Keys
Pond Study
Weather Forecasting
Wind Power
Animal
Senses
Classroom
Connections
Activity Description: In this animal ecology experience, students will learn how senses work
through experiments, games and role playing. They will compare their senses to those of other
animals, and learn why senses are important to survival.
Total time: 1-2 hours outdoors
Audience: 6-20 students, 1st grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: 0.2 mile around the EHS OWLS site
Accessibility: uneven terrain on grass trails; pavement adjacent to site
Pre-Visit Activities
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Create posters to illustrate the anatomy and function of each of the human senses.
Use Animal Senses Trivia Cards to write a story about a day in the life of a particular
animal.
Write a report on the scientific research on sensory awareness in human or other animals.
On-site Visit Activities
1. Scent Trail This is to simulate how animals “mark” their territory as they walk through the
environment. There are two ways to do this activity. You need to remember that scents
dissipate quickly so work quickly when setting the scent trail up.
Option 1: purchase some really inexpensive and smelly perfume. Have the students turn their
backs on the site you wish to “mark” with your scent. While they are waiting, one adult goes
and sprays the trail at various places to have the students find. After the “marking” is completed,
instruct the students to spread out to find the trail by scent and then follow it. It is more fun to
have two or three different scents to follow so not everyone will “follow the leader.”
Option 2: Have students make scent markers before your arrival to the site. It could be
something with a strong smell inside a plastic baggie or better yet, a re-usable container. Or you
can spray a strong scent onto a card that can be tied to a tree/plant or a stick placed in the ground.
I you choose to spray a card, make sure it is in an airtight container to preserve the scent until
you arrive at the site.
Once on the site have each group create their animal scent trail for others to follow.
2. Sounds (you may want to bring some plastic or pads to use at the site if you wish to sit or lie
down)
Have the children lie down on their backs with both fists held up in the air. Every time someone
hears a new bird song or insect noise he/she lifts one finger. Who has the best hearing?
For fun, see if you can count to ten without hearing a bird song or insect. Vary the game by
listening for general animal sounds or for any sounds at all, like wind in the grass, falling leaves,
animals splashing in the water.
3. Colors and Shapes
To help students focus on what is around them in the natural world, ask them how many different
colors (or shades of color) they can see in front of them without moving from where they are
standing. How many geometric shapes do they see in nature? The teacher may wish to call out a
shape and ask students to locate something in nature with that shape or to have students make a
list of what they see and then match it with a geometric shape.
4. Touch (you will need some blind folds for this activity)
Remember: Take only memories or photos leave only footprints. Have students locate areas at
the site that have different textures. Once these have been found, have students get into pairs or
triads with one wearing a blindfold. Carefully lead the student to the site that have a different
texture and have her/him feel the texture and describe it to the others.
5. Camouflage
Choose a section along the trail at the EHS OWLS site or outside your school building to place
15-20 man-man objects. Select objects that are both brightly colored and those that are more
muted. Keep the number of objects you have placed a secret from the students. Also make sure
to place the objects at various levels along the trail—remember nature happens all around you.
Now have the students walk along the trail one at a time, with intervals between each student.
The objective for each student is to try to spot (but not pick up) as many of the objects as they
can. After they reach the end of the trail, they either write down or tell another teacher what they
found on the trail. If one or more of the objects have been missed, tell the students there are still
more out there and start over.
End this outdoor experience with a discussion of the ways coloration helps animals and plants in
the environment.
Toothpick/Kibble & Bits Camouflage
Materials needed:
One box of regular toothpicks*
One box of colored toothpicks*
Paper and pencil
* An alternative is to use a bag of mixed Kibble and Bits dog food. Be sure to get the kind
that has colored pieces in it. This is a good environmental alternative in case all of the pieces
aren’t located animals in the area can enjoy a special treat after your departure.
Prep: mix the two boxes of toothpicks together. Select a portion of the EHS OWLS site or
outside your school building for this activity. Randomly toss handfuls of toothpicks/Kibble into
the grass.
As the students arrive at the site explain there are hidden toothpicks in the grass. Some of the
toothpicks will be easy to spot; others may be harder because they are wearing camouflage.
Explain what camouflage means for those who may not know.
Give each participant a piece of paper and pencil. Ask them to make columns and write
headings on the paper like the sample below:
SAMPLE:
FOUND RIGHT
AWAY
FOUND AFTER
3 MINUTES
FOUND AFTER
5 MINUTES
LAST ONES
FOUND
The object of the game is to for the student to find as many toothpicks (or kibble pieces) are they
can in 10 minutes or less in the yard. Have the participants pick up and stick their toothpick
through the paper in the appropriate column as they are located. Or if using the Kibble & Bits,
provide each student with a container to hold their finds.
One person needs to look at a watch or clock. Start at the word “GO”, announcing the 3 minute,
5 minute and 10 minute marks.
After 10 minutes have everyone look at their paper and tooth picks. Which ones were found first
(what is the color), which were found next, and so on…. Discuss how camouflage coloring
made it easier or harder to locate the toothpicks (Kibble & Bits) in the grass. How is color used
in nature to “hide” objects or animals?
CAUTION: If toothpicks are used, be sure to pick up ALL of the toothpicks so that an
animal won’t get injured.
The Sixth Sense
Can you name the colors of the rainbow in order? What words would you use to describe a
milkweed pod or a prickly pear cactus? When was the last time you watched the sun rise? Have
you listened to a chorus of spring frogs or the call of an owl at dusk?
We have become accustomed to the fast pace of our mechanized environment. With all the
demands on our time, we forget to pause and look at a flower in a field or a bird perched on a
branch. Learning to become an outdoor observer means developing sensitivity to your
surroundings is a skill that requires practice.
Try some of the following exercises to enhance the senses:
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Use a hand lens to look at family features such as the veins of a leaf or an insect clinging
to the stem of a plant.
Watch the movement of the clouds as they drift by.
Smell the variety of scents and aromas in the air.
Sniff a flower or describe the odor of a trowel full of soil and mud. Have you ever
smelled an approaching rainstorm or new odors after a heavy rain?
Feel the many varied textures in the environment. Use a blindfold and try to identify
various natural objects by feel alone.
Post-Visit Activities
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Design and direct classmates in a game which shows how a certain animal uses a
particular sense to survive.
Design and conduct an experiment to test the sensitivity of one of your own senses.
Design an experiment to test one sense of an animal.
Web Links
http://www.colby.edu/biology/BI398/senses.html
http://www.indianchild.com/what_do_animals_see.htm
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0776199.html
Food Webs
Classroom
Connections
Activity Description:
In this animal ecology experience, students will learn how each
type of organism is linked to the other---producers and consumers; herbivores, omnivores, and
carnivores.
Total time: 1-2 hours outdoors
Audience: 6-20 students, 1st grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: 0.2 mile around the EHS OWLS site
Accessibility: uneven terrain on grass trails; pavement up to 25 feet of site
Pre-Visit Activities
Food Webs
You will need:
 1 set of 12 food web cards (made up in class before your arrival—sun, water, grass,
flowering plant, frog, spider, bird, snake, rabbit, etc)
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1 ball of yarn (you provide)
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1 squirt bottle with water
How to play:
Sit in a circle with the food web cards around each person’s neck. Have each student hold their
right index finger out like a hook.
Start by wrapping the yarn around the finger of the student who is the sun. For our purposes, life
starts there. Ask the students to choose who should be next in the web and walk over to that
person and hook the yarn around her finger. Do not tie the yarn. The web must be flexible and
accommodate change, an important part of the exercise.
For example: the sun could
a) Connect to the plant and give it energy to make food
b) Evaporate the water, moving it along the water cycle
c) Warm the frog that needs its energy and warmth to survive.
Continue connecting the web around the circle until everyone has been woven into the web at
least once. Now spray DDT (i.e. water from the squirt bottle) on the insect. The DDT, of
course, is going to kill the insect. The insect then straightens out her finger, releasing the yarn,
and is no longer part of the food chain. This leaves a hole in the food web. All of the other
students of the food web have to adapt and adjust.
Discuss the results. Suggest that since all of the bugs are dead, the frogs, suffering from
malnutrition, kick the bucket as well. The frogs let go of the yarn. Continue the story as you see
fit and discuss the implications.
On Site Activities
1. Look for evidence of animal activity—footprints, nests, empty seed pods.
2. Print the following organisms commonly found in the EHS OWLS site onto cards—mouse,
frog, butterfly, ant, dragonfly, crayfish, snake, bird, vole, rabbit, turtle, fish. Give one card to a
pair of students. Ask students to locate and list all the items they find at the site that their
organism would eat as a primary consumer.
Post-Visit Activity
1. Use some old issues of nature type magazines (ex. National Geographic, Field and Stream,
Outdoor Life).
2. Find and cut out 8 or 9 pictures of plants, animals, and or decomposers that could be living
together in one ecosystem. Paste the pictures on a sheet of white paper.
3. Draw arrows connecting the plants and animals to show feeding relationships. Be sure your
arrows are pointing in the direction that the energy flows.
4. Label each organism as a producer, herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore.
Web Links
http://www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/currl/food_chain/default.htm
http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/foodweb.htm
http://www.gould.edu.au/foodwebs/kids_web.htm
http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/Science/sciber00/8th/energy/sciber/foodweb.htm
Birds
Classroom
Connections
Activity Description: In this animal ecology activity, the amazing diversity of birds will be
studied with emphasis on field observation. Students will use binoculars, field guides, visit
feeding stations, and can play a migration game. Close-up looks at the birds are possible at the
bird boxes located at the site.
Total time: 1-2 hours outdoors
Audience: 6-20 students, 1st grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: 0.2 mile around the EHS OWLS site
Accessibility: uneven terrain on grass trails; pavement up to 25 feet of site
Outcomes: Upon completion of the Birds activities students will be able to:
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Describe adaptations that make birds unique.
Demonstrate proficiency with a bird field guide.
Identify by sight or sound 6 or more birds found at EHS OWLS site..
List ways people can have a positive and negative impact on birds.
Why care about birds?
We know that birds play an important role in the ecosystem. They pollinate plants, spread seeds,
eat insects, and serve as an important link in the food web. Without birds, we might have many
less plants and many more insects on the planet.
Birds give us a great window into the health of our planet. Many birds use Kansas as a stop-over
during spring and summer migration traveling both north and south. Most birds fly south to
spend the winter in warmer habitats in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America, or
fly to the southern US. This means they need healthy forests, grasslands, lakes, and rivers in all
parts of the Americas.
Pre-Visit Activities
1. Bird Word Find
2. Bird Word Match
3. Play "What Bird Is It?"
4. Be a "Bird Phrase" Sleuth
5. Flash Cards/Matching Game
6. Beef Up Your Powers of Observation
Identifying birds takes practice and keen observation skills. Try this activity to help students beef
up their powers of observation.
a. Ask one student to leave the room for a moment. On their way out, try to chatter a bit with that
student so that others will glance at them on their way out. After the student is gone, ask the class
questions about what he/she was wearing or things they may have said on the way out.
b. Write a list on the board of what students remember. When the missing student returns,
compare what the class observed and remembered to reality. How did they do?
c. Try again with a new student, and with the class having a bit of warning. When the student
returns, the "what the class observed" list on the board should be much longer and much more
accurate. Why? What does it take to be a keen observer? (Concentration, focus on details . . .)
d. If you have Bird field guides (Peterson, National Geographic, Sibley, and Golden Guides are
common) in your school library, ask students to look up the American Robin (or Robin) in the
index to locate the correct page. Compare the American Robin to other birds on the page. Are the
sizes the same? Colors? If the colors are different, exactly where and how are they different?
Some field guides use arrows to point to distinctive characteristics of a particular bird. What
advice would you give to someone going outside to observe and identify birds? (Focus,
concentrate, look for patterns of color, try to gauge size, bring a field guide and binoculars . . .)
7. Beak Adaptations:
 Suggested Food Resources: uncooked shell macaroni, goldfish crackers, M&M®
candies, gummy worms, chocolate sprinkles, peanuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, minimarshmallows, cereals (you get the idea!) For an interesting ending, try individual
cups of pudding for each student!
 Beaks (utensils): one set per group
clothespin, toothpick, straw, spoon, small plastic scoop, tweezers/small scissors
 Other Materials: paper plate for feeding dish (1 per group); small cup for stomach (1
per student), whistle/bell to signal change of feeding
Students should work in groups of 4-6, either at a table or around a clean mat on the floor.
Distribute one type of "beak" (utensil) to each student, instructing them to hold it in one hand
and place the other hand behind their back. Place a "stomach" (cup) in front of each student.
Place one type of food in each group's feeding area (plate) and instruct students that, at your
signal, they must compete for as much of that food resource as they can gather with their
"beaks". Remind them that their survival depends on their ability to gather food. Give the
signal, and then allow each group 5-10 seconds to "feed". All food must go into their
"stomach" (cups)! After 10 seconds, give the signal to stop.
Have the students tell which beak was most successful in gathering that type of food. Repeat
the procedure for each type of food available.
Extensions to Bird Beak Activity:
a. Have students predict which type of beak will be successful in collecting each food type.
b. Ask students to compare each of the food items to things that birds really eat, like snails,
grubs, worms, seeds, and other things.
c. Repeat the food-gathering activity with some types of foods floating in a plastic container
or water.
d. Have the students sort the food they collected into small piles and construct a data table to
record how much of each food they collected per beak type.
e. Using the class data, construct a bar graph, with food types along the horizontal axis and
beak types along the vertical axis. Discuss the results with the class.
f. Discuss with the class the differences between a bird specialist (one that eats only a certain
type of food) and a bird generalist (one that eats is variety of foods). Relate these ideas to
habitat destruction, competition and ecological niches.
8. Assign each student a different type of bird found in Kansas to research, particularly its
beak type and the type of food it eats. Report to the class.
9. Invite a speaker from the local Audubon Society to make a presentation to the class.
Build a Bird Feeder:
Set a pie tin on a stool or flat topped tree trunk or hang it in a hanging plant hanger; dump it out
after a rain, or punch drainage holes in it, and elevate it a little by placing small rocks or twigs
beneath it. (All birds, especially Juncos, Cardinals, Jays, Sparrows)
Punch holes on either side of a plastic pop bottle, stick a twig all the way through with its ends
sticking out for perches and poking more holes nearby for the birds to pull the seeds out. Then
hang the bottle by tying a string around its neck. (Finches really like these!)
Coat a pine cone with peanut butter, roll it in birdseed, and hang it from a tree branch;
Use a rectangle of old window = screening. Wear heavy cotton gloves and use needle-nosed
pliers to crimp the loose wire edges back (so they won't poke the birds nor snag their feathers),
fold it in half, run two string hangers through the corners on each side, and hanging it. Slide in a
suet/birdseed cake from the grocery store, or make a "cake" of oatmeal, birdseed, and peanut
butter. (Cardinals, Jays, Robins, = Sparrows)
Stick a piece of bread, a doughnut, or half of an orange, on a twiggy branch of the tree (the
Orioles will LOVE the orange!)
Tie a string around the neck of a baby food jar and fill with orange juice. Hang it from a tree. (It
will hang tilted, but Orioles will perch on the rim and take dainty sips).
How to identify birds:
Birds in the same general group
often have the same body shape and proportions, although they may vary in size. Silhouette
alone gives many clues to a bird's identity, allowing birders to assign a bird to the correct group
or even the exact species.
In the above illustration are 23 different birds. How many can you recognize just by their
silhouettes? Look carefully - don't miss the ones hiding in the leafy tree!
Pay attention to the following:
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body shape
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proportions of the head, legs, wings
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tail shape
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length of the bill
Need some more help? See the for silhouette descriptions below to help you.
Field Markings
Flight Patterns
Striking a Pose
Posture clues can help place a bird in its correct group. Watch an American
Robin, a common member of the thrush family, strut across a yard. Notice how it takes several
steps, then adopts an alert, upright stance with its breast held forward. Other thrushes have
similar postures, as do larks and shorebirds.
Vertical Posture Certain bird groups have distinctive vertical posture
when perched on a branch. Flycatchers, hawks, and owls typically sit in an upright pose with
tails pointing straight down.
Horizontal Posture Other birds perch horizontally on vegetation with
tails pointing out at an angle, for instance vireos, shrikes, crows, and warblers.
Distinguishing Similar Birds---Distant perched crows
and hawks may look alike, but paying attention to their different postures may help to tell them
apart. The Red-tailed Hawk perches upright, whereas the similarly-sized American Crow perches
horizontally.
On Site Visit Activities
1. Bring your bird feeder to the site or bird seed to place in feeders at the site.
2. Have the students stand in a circle. Ask everyone to close their eyes. When they hear a bird
sing have the student raise their hand.
3. Ask students to identify the habitats they find in the EHS OWLS site (water, trees, burrows,
man-made bird boxes). What kinds of birds live in the water? What kinds live in trees? What
kinds forage on the ground? Are their feet shaped differently? Their wings? Their beaks or bills?
Talk about how the habitat in which some bird lives affects how they look. Why does a duck that
lives in the water look different from a woodpecker that lives in trees?
Post-Visit Activities
1. Project WILD http://www.projectwild.org/ "Adaptation Artistry" -- students design and
create imaginary birds and write reports including descriptions of the bird's adaptations.
2. Project Learning Tree Environmental Education Activity Guide http://www.plt.org/
“Birds and Worms". This is best played outside, where students become birds searching
for food of different colors as they study the concept of protective coloration.
3. Write syntu poetry about bird beaks.
4. Make bird beak masks with construction paper.
5. Read books or stories about birds to the class. Stellaluna provides interesting
comparisons between lifestyles of birds and bats.
6. Research other specific adaptations of birds, such as those required for locomotion,
reproduction, or protection.
7. Construct an ecological community in a shoebox, including birds specially adapted to
that particular habitat. Set up an exhibit in the school library, or use them to make
presentations for other classes.
8. Write a short story: "The Bird I'd Most Like to Be".
9. Compare and contrast fish with birds that live in water.
10. Develop a student magazine on the class discoveries about bird adaptations.
11. Write a riddle or poem about a kind of bird frequently seen in Kansas.
12. Draw an outline of the bird and write the riddle or poem inside.
Web Links
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Journey North - Robins- http://learner.org/jnorth/spring2003/species/robin/index.html
Lots of fun stuff about Robins. Songs, current migration maps, ask the expert, FAQs . . .
Nest Box Cam - http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/home/index This just sounds
like fun! Live views into the nests of several birds once they start nesting in spring.
Ebird - http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ Serious data available here. On this site you can
find maps and information about what birds other folks around the country are seeing, or
you can add your own bird information.
http://www.plt.org/ Project Learning Tree
http://www.projectwild.org/ Project WILD
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/birding123/identify/field_marks
http://biglearning.com/treasurebirds.htm Bird watching for kids
Small Mammals
Classroom
Connections
Class Description: In this animal ecology activity, students will learn characteristics of some of
the small mammals found in the EHS OWLS site. By traveling through various habitats
searching for small mammal signs, they will learn about the role these small creatures play in the
environment.
Total time: 1-2 hours outdoors
Audience: 6-20 students, 1st grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: 0.2 mile around the EHS OWLS site
Accessibility: uneven terrain on grass trails; pavement adjacent
Outcomes: Upon completion of the Small Mammals activities students will be able to:
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List the four characteristics that distinguish mammals from other animals.
Define niche and describe which niche is occupied by each of the small
mammals’ native to meadows/prairies of south central Kansas.
Find and interpret signs left by small mammals.
Describe a predator/prey relationship including small mammals.
Pre-Visit Activities
1. What makes a mammal a mammal? (Ranger Ricks Nature Scope, Volume 2, Number 3)
Describe the main characteristics of mammals, how mammals are different from other animals,
and how mammals are classified. Class discussion of mammals inside and out: Backbones and
brain cases, active and warm-blooded, production of milk and nursing young, skin and glands,
hair, an inside look (metabolic rates, blood transportation, breathing), bigger and better brains
(central nervous systems), different types, arrangement, and number of teeth, making sense of
the senses (smell, sight, hearing).
2. Activity: For the Record
In this activity the kids in your group complete research to learn some neat mammal statistics
and get a feeling for how diverse mammals are. Use the information to compete in a contest and
compare their own sizes and abilities with those of other animals.
After a discussion of how mammals come in all sizes and shapes and with all kinds of natural
abilities that help them survive, create a classroom chart of the “Record Holders”. (i.e. Cheetah:
the fastest land mammal over a short distance.) After your discussion, ask the kids how well they
think they’d compare with any of the animals you have discussed. Then tell them that they are
going to compete in contest to find out exactly how they do compare with these other animals.
Some ideas for the “events” in your contest: 25-yard Dash: Compare the fastest kid with a
cheetah. (A cheetah could run the race in less than one second!), 40-foot Hop: Measure off a 40foot distance and see who can jump from one end to the other in the least number of hops.
Compare this number with that of a kangaroo. (A red kangaroo could jump the distance in one
hop!)
3. The Vertebrate Grab Game:
Define vertebrate. Describe the characteristics of the five major vertebrate groups-mammal, bird,
reptile, amphibian, fish-then play a running game. Explain that you will read a statement that
describes one or more vertebrate group. The kids must listen carefully and try to figure out which
vertebrate group or groups you are describing. Explain that when you call out a number, the child
on each team with that number must run to the center of the field and find the cutout of that
vertebrate group. Then each person must run back to his or her team before being tagged. For
example, if you said, “These vertebrates have hollow bones.....number five,” the child with the
number five on each team would run to the middle, try to grab the bird cutout, and then run back
“home.” When one child grabs the bird cutout, the other one may chase and try to tag him or her
in order to score a point.
4. Play the Track Quiz online
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/cool/trackQuizLVLOne.htm
On Site Activities
1. Set out track traps. There are a number of reasons to study the diversity and abundance of
shrews, voles, mice and other small grassland mammals. These little balls of fur provide food for
hawks and foxes and play an important role in seed dispersal and influence insect populations.
Monitor small mammal activity by placing track tubes at several locations at the OWLS site. Be
sure to anchor your track trap so that it doesn’t get carried off by wildlife. A track tube is a
plastic tube with a piece of paper taped inside. A felt ink pad is placed at each in of the paper
tube. Oatmeal is placed in the center of the tube used as bait. When an animal walks through the
tube they leave their tracks. The density of the track marks can provide a rough measure of small
mammal activity.
2. Look for other signs of animals—bite or chew marks, things that animals build, things
animals leave behind (empty seed pods, skeletons, snake skins).
3. Have students make an animal trail by tying pieces of colored yearn to blades of grass,
bushes, trees. Have different colors for different animal types. Each group of students will set
out their trail in the EHS OWLS site for other students to follow. For example: a turtle might
have a trail leading from the pond’s edge, out into the grass, then back to the pond’s edge.
Post-Visit Activities
1. Have students select a Kansas mammal to study and write a report. Using a variety of sources;
books, encyclopedias, Internet, video and magazines, students will prepare a 3-5 page report on
their chosen mammal. Finished reports should include; physical characteristics, food, shelter,
habitat, environmental hazards/longevity, and relationships to other animals. Other additional
information should be presented in the form of charts, maps, graphs or pictures.
2. Design and construct a humane live trap. Based upon your knowledge of the animal, create a
map and plot out the terrain of the habitat and designate an ideal trap site. Create a key and
legend for your map.
3. Create a board or card game centered on a small mammal. Include the following: food source;
possible predators; niche/habitat, food web, etc.
Web Links
http://www.bear-tracker.com/
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/cool/trackQuizLVLOne.htm
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/guides/tracks_and_sign/
Trees and Keys
Classroom
Connections
Description: Trees and Keys is an ecology activity. Students will learn how to construct and use
a simple dichotomous identification key. Given a map and a simplified tree and shrub key,
students will attempt to identify them correctly. Tie-ins can be made to a variety of topics
including biodiversity, tree life cycles, dichotomous keys, tree parts and functions and more.
Total time: 1-2 hours outdoors
Audience: 6-20 students, 1st grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: 0.2 mile around the EHS OWLS site
Accessibility: uneven terrain on grass trails; pavement up to 25 feet of
Outcomes: Upon completion of the Trees and Keys class students will be able to:
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Construct, understand and use a simple dichotomous key to identify trees and
shrubs around the EHS OWLS site.
Evaluate their role in the stewardship of natural resources.
Pre-Visit Activities
1. Collect leaves from around school or from your home. It’s good to have a wide variety of
different types of leaves. Rub over the leaf to leave its image on the piece of paper using a piece
of scratch paper and the broad edge of a crayon. This is done by laying the paper over the leaf
(veins up) and then gently rubbing the crayon back and forth across the raised surface of the
paper. After getting a variety of leaves compare and contrast the differences. Identify lobes,
serrations, palm-shaped, rounded, simple, compound, alternate and opposite. Can you identify
other parts of the leaves? This activity will be a good way to get to know the parts of a tree prior
to working with keys. These are important words to understand and they will help you to become
a key master.
2. Play twenty questions with the students. Have one student pick a person, event or thing and
have the other students ask you yes or no questions to narrow the scope. Remember that you only
have twenty questions. Using a key is a matter of asking yes/no questions about something and
the answer is right in front of you in the form of a leaf, twig or its bark. Instead of stabbing in the
dark while you attempt to identify a particular tree you simply look at a leaf, twig or bud and ask
a yes or no question. Needle or leaf? Big buds or small buds? Red bark or brown? After
answering each of the questions it is a matter of following directions to find the next question.
What fun! It's an adventure.
3. Make your own dichotomous key. Use at least ten different plants and make an identification
key that you can use to differentiate one plant or tree from another. You could also use the trees
that are in your yard or at school. Have other students use your key and see if they can
successfully identify all the different species correctly. Challenge yourself to use vocabulary that
is specific to plants and that will help you expand upon knowledge that you learned.
4. Most kids have played "20 Questions", but what they don't realize is that they are really
practicing a technique scientists use when they identify plants and other living creatures with a
dichotomous key.
Introduction: Play "20 Questions". Pick something or someone in the classroom the students
can see. After finding the correct answer, go back and process the strategy students used to
narrow their answer down from everything in the room to the one correct answer. Scientists use
this same strategy when they come upon a plant or animal they have never seen before. They
might first ask "Is it a plant or an animal?" If it is a plant, the next question might be "Is it a tree
(over 20 feet when full grown) or not?" Each time a question is asked and answered, the scientist
eliminates more possibilities, gradually coming closer and closer to the correct name for what
they have found. In this activity, students will see how they can apply the "20 Questions"
concept to a real scientific question.
Learning Leaf and Tree Parts: Before students can solve the "what is this" question, they need
to know a bit of the language scientists use when they identify plants. The key does a very good
job of showing students some pictures that help define "opposite" and "alternate" branching, etc.
If you wish to prep them a little more, you could do a matching game to learn those terms.
Preparation for the Computer Lab Activity - Do one of the following:
If there is an abundance of willow branches you can cut without affecting the population or
health of individual trees, you might consider bringing branches (with leaves and buds, or just
buds) into the classroom. Keep them in a vase to help them last. Or If you'd rather not
collect branches, you can ask students to make detailed drawings of branches, buds, and/or
leaves from the willow or another common tree species. Before you ask students to draw, choose
twigs from a tree or two that you already can identify and check to see if that species is possible
to key out at the address below.
In the Computer Lab: Ask students to go online and open their browsers to the EEK Tree Key
Start page at http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/veg/treekey/index.htm
To use the key, students click on the link with the drawing and description which best represents
their twig or sketch. When they have made their final choice and identified their tree, they can
click on a link to a more detailed description of that species. Ask students to read the description
and pick one fact to share at the end of class.
Conclusion: Scientists use identification keys not just to show off how many plants they can
name, but as a "key to knowledge." Once you know the name of something, you can find out
what others already know about it. Ask students to share the facts they learned. From here, they
could do an internet search for Salix discolor (searching for "pussy willow" can lead to some
unfriendly results . . . ) and learn about how to grow pussy willows, get them to flower early,
medicinal uses, and more.
On Site Activities
1. Gather fallen leaves at the site
2. Bring a sheet of paper (recycled paper is best) and a crayon. Place the paper over the tree
trunk and rub the paper with your crayon to obtain a rubbing picture. Use the rubbing back in
class to help you identify the tree.
3. Play “ID this TREE” to see which team of students can identify the most types of trees or
bushes.
Post-Visit Activities
1. Over your life you have seen countless numbers of trees. Choose a tree that intrigues you and
do some research. A simple search on the Internet may bring out a few simple facts.
2. Write a story about what a tree does all year from the perspective of that particular tree. You
eat and change your behavior throughout the seasons and so do trees. In your short story describe
how trees "eat" and what they do all year. How long does your tree live? What kind of leaves
does it have? Do they change color, why? What are some things you would be concerned about
as a tree. What are things that all those people could do to help you?
WebLinks
Tree Key for Kids http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/veg/treekey/index.htm
The National Arbor Day Foundation has a wonderful website. In addition to learning games
for kids to do at home or school, there are lesson plans-- http://www.arborday.org/kids/; field
guide to common trees-- http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/ Trees for Kids
http://www.iowadnr.gov/forestry/treesforkids.html
http://www.arborday.org/kids/teachingYouth.cfm Interactive Games from Arbor Day
Pond
Study
Classroom
Connections
NOTE: The EHS OWLS pond is a vernal pond---meaning seasonal. The water depth is very
low at this time since it so new (built July 2011) but it can hold a variety of micro and maco
orgranisms. It will take another 3-5 years for it to completely fill.
Class Description: Students will examine the physical, chemical and biological properties of the
EHS OWLS pond. Wearing boots which are provided, and working in small groups, the students
will test temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen. They will use nets to collect and examine
aquatic animal life, and will evaluate the health of the pond based on their findings. Tie-ins can
be made to a variety of topics including biodiversity, insect life cycles, adaptations, water
quality, chemistry, the physics of water, and more.
Total time: 1-2 hours outdoors
Audience: 6-20 students, 5th grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: 0.2 mile around the EHS OWLS site
Accessibility: uneven terrain on grass trails; pavement up to 25 feet of site
Outcomes: Upon completion of the Pond Study activity students will be able to:
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Understand and measure the temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen of an aquatic
system.
Examine and report upon the diversity of aquatic creatures captured.
Recommend actions to preserve healthy lake environments.
Pre-Visit Activity
1. Get to know what you are looking for.
On Site Activity -Aquatic Ecology Study
These step-by step teacher instructions, equipment lists, and worksheets should help make it
easier to get your class outside and wading into aquatic habitats. Most of the equipment is easy to
make, find, or borrow. The main goal of this activity is to determine the general health of your
local lake or stream. Is it healthy or not? If you do this activity each year, do records show any
change? People can often directly sense a problem with water quality. It may smell funny or look
purple and gross. We can look for life and notice if something is missing or an unusual species is
present. Many times our senses are not accurate enough to test water quality. Chemical tests
enable students to measure dissolved oxygen and acids in the water. Finally students will collect
a wide range of aquatic animals to identify and observe.
Step 1. Gather Equipment
For a class of 20 you will need:
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4 clip boards
4 student data sheets
4 chemical/physical water property charts
8 long-handled aquatic nets (purchase, see below, or make at school)
12 pairs of wading boots (students can probably provide enough from home)
1 plankton net (optional - purchase, see below, or make at school)
4 large, white exam buckets (ice cream buckets or dish pans do fine)
8 small aquarium nets
4 pond life field guides and/or aquatic ID sheets
1 - 4 dissolved oxygen test kit (borrow from high school science dept.?)
1 - 4 pH test kits (borrow from high school science dept.?)
4 safety goggles (borrow from high school science dept.?)
4 thermometers (borrow from high school science dept.?)
4 soup ladles (optional)
4 turkey basters (optional)
Equipment Sources used by Eisenhower High School:
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Carolina Biological Supply, 2700 York Rd. Burlington, NC 27215 (919) 584-0381
(thermometers, nets)
Wards Natural Science, 5100 W. Henrietta Rd. PO Box 92912, Rochester, NY 146929012 (800) 962-2660 (nets)
CSI Ltd. Box 360-360 Industrial Blvd., Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 (612) 252-4193 (nets)
Hach Company PO Box 389 Loveland, CO 80539 (800) 227-4224 (test kits)
Step 2. Set Ground Rules and Expectations
If students have already visited the EHS OWLS site, they will be familiar with the equipment,
and will just need a review and your ground rules and expectations.
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Each group should stay at their sampling station for the duration of class.
Group members should take turns at all tasks.
Complete any chemical and physical tests and measurements first.
Be gentle when handling or observing aquatic organisms.
Students working in the lake will be given rubber knee high boots. They should only
wade (below knee depth) into the water. No swimming is allowed.
Bring a ring buoy or other floatation device to the site for throwing rescues.
Eye protection should be used during the dissolved oxygen test.
Step 3. Review Background Information and Equipment Use
A. Physical Properties
1. Temperature
Taking the temperature of the pond is easy. Take temperature readings of the air, the water’s
surface, deep water, and perhaps sunny and shady areas of the pond. Be sure to dry the
thermometer before doing the air temperature so evaporation doesn’t affect the reading. Hold the
thermometer at the top, not the sensing tip. Let it remain in position for at least one minute to
stabilize. Read the numbers quickly and record the results on the data sheet.
Temperature is an important factor for all aquatic life. Since water in lakes and streams never
gets below 0 C (32° F) it is a safe haven for creatures that can’t handle cold winter weather.
Temperature also determines the rate of chemical and metabolic reactions. Warm water allows
more and faster reactions to occur. Therefore, warm lakes usually contain more fish which grow
bigger and faster than in cold lakes.
Temperature of stream water is important because it dictates how much dissolved oxygen (DO)
the water can hold. Cold water has the ability to hold more oxygen than warm water.
2. Bottom Type
Describe the bottom of the pond (sandy, mucky, rocky, and gravelly). There may also be logs,
plants, slime, etc. found on the bottom of the pond. These are important observations, because
certain creatures are adapted to and can be expected to be found in particular bottom types.
B. Chemical Properties
1. Dissolved Oxygen
Some aquatic creatures breath air with lungs just like land dwelling animals. Others use gills to
obtain dissolved oxygen present in the water. Even the skin of many aquatic animals allows
dissolved oxygen to pass right on through to the bloodstream. Frogs for example manage to
hibernate all winter underwater without lungs or gills.
Cold water holds more oxygen in solution than warm water, just as cold soda pop keeps its fizz
longer than warm soda pop. Rushing streams and wave tossed lakes have more oxygen dissolved
into them due to the mixing action of the air.
Animals have differing requirements for dissolved oxygen. Generally 4 to 5 ppm of dissolved
oxygen content is the borderline concentration for most gill breathing creatures over an extended
period. For adequate game fish populations the dissolved oxygen content should be in the 8 to 15
ppm range. Dissolved oxygen concentration varies with water depth, temperature, and clarity and
flow rate. Thus a single water sample is rarely representative of the overall condition of a body
of water.
We can easily do a chemical test to reveal the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water.
Show the students the dissolved oxygen (DO) test kit contents and demonstrate some of the
techniques involved in taking a DO test. Don’t do a complete demonstration test because the
sample needs settling time. Show how to stopper the bottle so there are no air bubbles.
Demonstrate how to cut the tops off the foil and plastic chemical packets. Stress stewardship and
ask students not to throw the packets on the ground, but to keep all trash with the kit. Stress that
they will carry even used chemicals back to the classroom in a container for disposal through the
septic system. Demonstrate the final titration step by adding drops to the bottle to obtain the final
reading. We express the amount of dissolved oxygen in parts per million (ppm.)
2. pH
Another chemical test the students will do is to search for the concentration of acids in the lake.
Some acids come from plants (tannic and humeric acids) and are naturally present in the water.
Volcanic smoke is also a source of natural acid (sulfuric acid). Some acids are not natural,
caused by human activities, and enter streams via rainfall, run-off , or direct discharge from
factories or mines. Aquatic life is very sensitive to chemicals in general and most creatures have
a very narrow tolerance range for acid.
Acids are substances which react with and tend to dissolve substances.. Acids come in various
strengths. The stronger the acid the more rapidly it dissolves. For example, battery acid (sulfuric
acid) will make holes in the pants of car mechanics, while a weak acid, like vinegar, does not
affect clothes at all. Our bodies can detect the strength of acids by feel and taste. The stronger the
acid, the more sour the taste, like citric acid in lemons. Using ourselves as an acid tester,
however, is sometimes dangerous, and not very accurate. We therefore use various types of acid
test kits. They usually employ an acid sensitive dye that changes color depending on the strength
of the acid. The scale used to compare the strengths of acids is call the pH scale. pH stands for
the negative logarithm (p) of the hydrogen ion concentration [H+].
The scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 in the middle at neutral. A neutral substance has no acid at
all, such as pure, fresh, distilled water. As the numbers go from 7 down to 0, the acid gets
stronger by a factor of 10 for each number in the scale. This means that an acid with a pH of 6 is
ten times stronger than pure water (show the dot charts.) An acid with a pH of 5 is on
HUNDRED times stronger, 4 is one THOUSAND times stronger, etc. Finally, an acid with a pH
of 0 is ten MILLION times stronger than pure water. The other side of the scale measures bases,
often called alkalines, which are the opposite of acids. Like acids, they react with other
substances, and cause burns if they are strong enough. You can detect a strong base by the feel of
it; it may feel slippery, because it is dissolving your skin. The reactions are caused by an excess
of OH-rather than H+. If acids and bases are mixed, they neutralize each other, or cancel each
other out. Like the acidic side of the scale, the strength of bases is increased ten times for each
number greater than 7.
A relatively neutral pH is important for the survival of aquatic plants and animals. When an
environment becomes too acid or alkaline then destruction of tissues and disruption of chemical
processes becomes a problem.
Some examples of familiar acid/base reactions:
1. Using baking soda and vinegar to make a cake rise. The acid and base react to neutralize each
other, eliminate the taste of the vinegar and creating carbon dioxide gas bubbles which cause the
cake to rise.
2. The Rolaids commercial which says that it “neutralizes excess stomach acid.” If our stomachs
become too acidic, they can cause pain. Rolaids are basic and raise the pH of our stomachs from
a painful pH 1.0 back to a more normal pH of 1.5 or 2.0.
C. Biological Properties
1. Capture and Identification
Students will look for and collect aquatic creatures, mostly insects. They may deposit them for
closer examination into a tray half-filled with water. Many insects spend the early part of their
lives underwater and grow wings and take to the air only as adults. Insects in all stages of their
development are the EHS OWLS aquatics pond (catch basin).
Simple metamorphosis: (Grasshopper, dragonfly, etc.)
Egg......> ....... Nymph......> .......Adult
Complete metamorphosis: (butterfly, caddis fly, etc.)
Egg .......>.......Larva.......>.......Pupa......> ......Adult
Do not scoop up rocks in the net, since they will put holes in the net.
Micro animals and plants are the bottom of the food chain and the basis for all life in a lake or
stream. Gently swish the plankton net in the clear, undisturbed water for several minutes. With
the help of a partner, drain the contents of the net into a clear jar. Hold the jar up to the sky and
carefully examine the contents for movement. Students should be impressed with the quantity of
micro-life they observe. Bring the sample jar back to the classroom and examine several drops
using a microscope.
Students should identify the other (macro) animals they have found. The ID sheet and Pond Life
field guide are very helpful. Keep the critters in your tray within 5C. (10-51;F) of the stream
water temperature. At the end of the outdoor session, return all creatures to the pond.
2. Biotic Index
A healthy pond ecosystem (any ecosystem) has a great diversity of species that interrelate with
each other. The presence or absence of living creatures is one of the best tests in determining the
health of an environment. Many animals are very sensitive to chemical pollution, soil erosion,
temperature fluctuations, non-native species, etc. By using a simple formula which considers the
pollution tolerance of different species, we can determine water quality. Each species has a group
number describing its ability to withstand pollution. Group numbers are found on the "Aquatic
Animal ID" sheet. On the data sheet, list the creatures and their group number. Using the
following formula, calculate the Biotic Index of Lake Study.
Biotic Index = 2( ___ group I species) + ( ___ group II species).
If the Biotic Index is:
0-2........ The pond is heavily polluted.
4-6........ The pond is moderately polluted.
8-10...... The pond is clean.
Step 3. Go Out and Explore!
Post Visit Activity
Step 4. Organize Data, Draw Inferences, Make Hypotheses . . .
After examining the EHS OWLS pond, see if students can draw some comparisons to other
locations. What was similar? What was different? Can students suggest a hypothesis for the
differences or similarities? How might they go about testing that hypothesis?
If possible, keep a journal or other record of the observations students made, including the date.
Record data in the same categories in different seasons, years, and bodies of water. Students can
graph results over time and use them to make inferences.
References:
1. The Life of Rivers and Streams, Robert Usinger, 1967
2. Pond Life, Golden Guide 1967
3. Project Aquatic Wild, 1987
4. Fresh-water Invertebrates of the U.S. 2nd Edition, Robert Pennak 1978, ISBN 0-471-04249-8
5. Field book of Freshwater Life, Elsie Klots, Putnam's and Sons, New York 1966.
6. A Guide to the Study of Freshwater Biology, James G. and Paul R. Needham, ISBN 0-81626310-8
7. Ontario Ministry of the Environment, 435 James St. So, Thunder Bay, Ont. P7C SG6
8. Project Stewardship Minnesota, Office of EE, St. Paul, MN 1990. (Biotic Index)
Make a pond life bulletin board. Ask the students to list what would be necessary if they were
going to reconstruct a pond. List their answers. Set aside a section of bulletin board or a few
sheets of poster board as the pond. Assign different groups of students to make the living
(animals and plants) portion and the non-living portion (rocks, water, soil) of the pond. When the
pond is put together, leave it up for further study. After you return from the pond, ask the
students if they need to add anything to their habitat. (Many students will initially forget microlife forms such as bugs (daphnia, worms, springtails, various insect larvae, etc.) because they are
concentrating on the macro-vertebrates.
Read a story of “Frog and Toad” by Arnold Lobel.
Discuss the differences between frogs and toads (frogs usually live in water, toads have bumpy
skin, etc.).
Have the children write a letter to Toad from Frog explaining what they did that day, keeping in
mind what real frogs and toads can do.
Life in a pond---Give each child a clean Styrofoam meat tray, collage materials, natural materials
such as leaves and twigs, paper, and crayons. Ask the children to recreate what they found at the
pond. They can draw the creatures or use materials to represent the animals. When they are
finished, ask them to describe what they saw and what the created. (Most things will be
described as "bugs," but they will need to describe their "bugs."
Life Cycle of a Pond---Give each child scrap paper for practice and a large piece of paper for the
final project, as well as drawing materials. Ask the children to design a poster that will explain
the life cycle of a dragonfly or a frog to other children. Make sure that the poster includes a
written description as well as pictures (or photographs).
Web Links
http://42explore.com/pond.htm
http://www.paversnest.com/pond_adventures.htm online activities
http://www.umaine.edu/umext/earthconnections/activities/28.htm
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/pond-study-science-project.html
http://familyfun.go.com/printables/craft-templates/printable/origami-pond/
Weather
Forecasting
Classroom
Connections
Activity Description: After learning some of the historic changes in earth's climate, students
will collect data on today's weather, and then do demonstrations to understand cloud formation
and low pressure systems. An outdoor game will explain the jet stream and its effect. Finally,
students will use their new knowledge to create a forecast for the next day at Goddard, KS. Tieins can be made to a variety of topics including studying the weather itself, phenology, map
reading, and more.
Total time: 1-2 hours outdoors
Audience: 6-20 students, 1st grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: 0.2 mile around the EHS OWLS site
Accessibility: uneven terrain on grass trails; pavement adjacent to site
Outcomes: Upon completion of the Weather Forecasting activity students will be able to:
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Predict the chance of rain and the trend in temperature for the next 12 hours, using
wind direction.
Interpret the chance of storms in the next 24 hours based upon a surface weather
map from a TV or newspaper.
Evaluate a newspaper article on climate change.
Recall that low pressure systems follow the jet stream and bring storms.
Recall that winds, clouds, precipitation occur when warm and cold air collides
with one another.
Pre-Visit Activities
1. Weather Scavenger Hunt
See how many weather related objects students can find in their school yard or at home. Students
may collect, draw or describe the objects. At the conclusion of the hunt, each team will show and
explain what they found for each clue.
2. Weather Proverbs
Students talk with older people (grandparents, community or nursing home interviews, etc.) to
collect other proverbs and their explanations. Students will collect these and present them in
some format, whether reading, acting them out, or creating a book (with drawing?) of the myths.
3. Making Rain in your Classroom
Using a hot plate, saucepan, cookie sheet and ice, students learn how raindrops form in a cloud,
as warm, humid air rises and cools.
4. Grade the Forecaster
Students will check and record forecasts daily from the newspaper, TV or internet for one week,
and compare the forecasts to actual weather. They also check the forecasts for Wolf Ridge to
prepare for their stay.
On Site Activities
1. Look up to see what clouds types are in the sky. Do the clouds predict fair weather (cumulus
clouds), change in the weather (cirrus clouds), altocumulus clouds on a warm and humid
morning is commonly followed by thunderstorms later in the day
Post-Visit Activities
1. Weather Assessment Chart
Given a chart with categories of “Sun, Air, Water, and Earth” written across the top, students fill
in spaces with words or phrases that connect the category topic to weather, and explain how the
word or phrase relates to weather, and justify their answers to others.
2. Weather Recording and Forecasting
Using a simple weather station in the classroom, students will daily weather records at their
school. Each day they will make a forecast for the following day, then compare their forecasts to
the actual weather for that day.
3. CO2 and your automobile
Students determine the carbon debt for their family's car travel during the past year, then might
actually plant and tend the trees in or near their school yard.
Web Links
http://www.ussartf.org/predicting_weather.htm
http://www.quietjourney.com/weather/clouds.html predicting weather by clouds
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/
online activity
http://sciencespot.net/Pages/kdzweather.html weather links for kids
http://kidsactivities.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_be_a_cloudspotter
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/
http://www.education.noaa.gov/sweather.html
http://www.ems.psu.edu/WeatherWorld/kidstuff/
http://www.weather.com/
The Weather Channel
Wind Power
Classroom
Connections
Activity Description:
Total time: 1-2 hours outdoors
Audience: 6-20 students, 1st grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: 0.2 mile around the EHS OWLS site
Accessibility: uneven terrain on grass trails; pavement adjacent to site
Outcomes: Upon completion of the Wind Power activity students will be able to:

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learn how to construct a wind vane and wind meter by using materials supplied by an
instructor.
predict which way the wind is blowing by looking at the direction the arrow of their wind
vane is pointing and how fast the wind is blowing using a wind meter.
Explain how plants use the wind to help them reproduce.
See how the wind can be used as a sustainable alternative power source.
Pre-Visit Activities
Research how wind power has been used over time and how it is becoming a sustainable
power source.
Watch a video about wind power.
Make a kite out of a plastic bag
1.
Fold the plastic bag in half. Be sure it is flat, and even.
Cut out the kite shape. Cut off the bottom of the bag. Cut as closely to the base of the bag as
possible, but be sure to cut off the bottom. Cut the bag in the middle. Cut from the base to the
center of the plastic bag. Then cut a slanting cut that goes up to the folded part of the bag.
Open the bag out flat. You should have 2 irregular pentagons. Cut a stick to the length (top to
bottom) of the kite.
Tape the stick vertically to the center of the kite. Tape the top end (at the tip of the kite) first.
Before you tape the bottom part, stretch the plastic a little and then tape the stick onto the
bottom.
Tape another stick to the left, on a slanting position. Bend the stick carefully to make a bow. Tape
the other end to the right. Keep the taping very tight.
Cut the extra plastic in strips and tie together. Make it 4 feet in length (see the photo). You could
use different colors as shown here (red and white).
Tape the tail to the bottom. It depends on you what color should be taped at the bottom of the
kite.
Use a pointed item to make a hole at the intersection where the two sticks meet, as well as at the
bottom.
Cut a piece of string 1 foot (30 cm) in length. Push one end of the string to the intersecting sticks
at the other side of the plastic. Tie firmly. Do the same with the other end. Now you have the
"bridle".
Make a knot with a hole in the bridle on the same level as the intersection of the sticks. Check the
alignment by pulling the string to one side to see if the knot is next to (not above or below) the
intersection.
When you are outside, hold the bridle string between your thumb and finger, so that the kite tries
to fly from your hand. Start in the middle of the bridle and gradually move your fingers up toward
the intersection. At one point, the angle of attack will be right and the kite will fly best, so this is
where you want to tie a loop into the bridle line. This loop needs to move up or down depending
on the wind speed, so you have to adjust the location for each flying session.
Tie the rest of the string to the loop and fly it! To fly, simply throw the kite and pull the string as
if you are fishing. Extend the string while doing this. You may need to give it some help to get
into the air by running a little. If so, check that the ground ahead is free of obstacles as you are
likely to be looking up as you do this and not concentrating on the ground!
Make a Wind Meter
You will need four two-liter soda bottles, a bicycle speedometer, and some scraps of wood. First
cut the top cones off the bottles, leaving a plastic tab hanging down. Arrange the tops in a circle
and screw each tab into the lid next to it. Fasten a wooden crosspiece and tie its ends to the necks
of the bottles. Drill a hole in the center of the crosspiece and nail it to the top of a stick so it is
free to rotate. Attach the magnet to the cross piece and the bicycle computer to the stick. Hold
the contraption in the wind and watch it spin! To calibrate, change the rim size on the
speedometer. Calibrate by holding the meter out of a moving car and adjusting until its
speedometer matched the car's.
Make a Wind Vane
Knowing the direction of the wind is an important part of predicting weather because wind
brings us our weather. A wind vane, also called a
weather vane, is a tool for measuring wind direction
and was probably one of the first weather instruments
ever used. To determine wind direction, a wind vane
spins and points in the direction from which the wind is
coming and generally has two parts, or ends: one that is
usually shaped like an arrow and turns into the wind
and one end that is wider so that it catches the breeze.
The arrow will point to the direction the wind is
blowing from so if it is pointing to the east, it means the
wind is coming from the east.
Additionally, wind direction is where the wind is
blowing from. Therefore a west wind is blowing from
the west. To use a wind vane, you must know where north, south, east, and west are.
Materials
Tag board or manila file folder
Straight pin
Scissors
Glue
Plastic drinking straw
Modeling clay
Paper plate
Pencil with a new eraser
Procedure
1. Cut out an arrow point 5cm long.
2. Cut out an arrow tail 7cm long.
3. Make 1cm cuts at the ends of each straw.
4. Slide the arrow point and the arrow tail into the cuts in the straw.
5. Push a straight pin through the middle of the straw and into the eraser end of the pencil.
6. Stick the sharp end of the pencil into a lump of modeling clay; this will be your base.
7. Mark north, south, east, and west on the paper plate
8. Put the clay on a paper plate.
9. Test out your Wind Vane: Blow on the vane and make sure that the arrow can spin free
Make a pinwheel. Moving air is wind. Wind is caused by warm air rising over cool air. You
cannot see the wind but you know when it is around. Wind makes things move. Can you name 5
things that the wind can make move? A pinwheel will spin as the wind pushes it around. Make
your own pinwheel by following these simple directions.
You will need:
A sharpened pencil
A plastic drinking straw
scissors
a paper fastener
white construction paper
crayons, colored pencils or markers
How to make a pinwheel:
1. Use the pinwheel pattern at the end of this section. You can reproduce this pattern on white
construction paper with a copy machine. Be sure to cut the construction paper to 81/2 in. by 11
in. If you are working at home, print the pinwheel pattern. Cut the solid lines. Lay it on top of the
construction paper lightly paste the corners down.
2. Cut-out the pinwheel on the solid lines only.
3. Decorate both sides of the construction paper pinwheel.
4. Cut the dotted lines from the four corners to the center circle. Try not to cut into the center
circle.
5. Use the sharpened pencil to poke a hole through the four tiny dark circles. The pencil point
also works well to poke a hole into the straw. Carefully push the pencil point through the straw
about 1/2 inch from the top.
6. Make the tiny holes on the four points meet at the center circle.
7. Push the ends of the paper fastener through the holes on the pinwheel. then push the fastener
through the center circle.
8. Place the straw on the back side of your pinwheel and push the ends of the fastener through
the hole in the straw. Open-up the fastener by flattening the ends in opposite directions.
Now you are ready to try-out your beautiful pinwheel. All you will need is a little bit of wind to
make your pinwheel spin round and round. Have fun!
On-Site Activities

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Check out the Windmill Powered Pond Aeration System at the OWLS site.
Fly your plastic sack kite
Use your pinwheel
Use your wind vane and wind meter
Observation
Take your students on a series of five-minute field trips. Just walk around the EHS OWLS site. If
possible, walk around at different times of the day, and have the students observe and record
their observations. Ask the students to use the Beaufort Wind Scale handout to help them
estimate the wind's strength. Another good way to have the students record their findings is by
using a list of sense observations as follows:
Date of observation:
Time of day:
Location of observation:
I can see: ________________________________________
I can feel: ________________________________________
I can smell: ________________________________________
I can hear: ________________________________________
I can taste: ________________________________________
I can taste: ________________________________________
After a few mini-field trips, students should begin to recognize a pattern. Does the wind blow
harder or softer in the morning? Does the wind blow from the same direction each day? Are
there times when the wind doesn't seem to be blowing at all?
Play—Wind, Water and Earth. Just like the game Rock, Paper, Scissors students need to
come up with hand motions that represent: Water: Flood and tsunami; Wind: Hurricane and
tornado; Earth: Earthquake and volcano
Here are the rules:
 Water beats Wind!
 Wind beats Earth!
 Earth beats Water!
Post Visit Activities
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

After they have had enough time to gather data, bring the class together to discuss what
they've discovered. Chart any "wind trends" the class as a whole agrees upon.
Make a wind chime.
Learn how the wind helps plants to pollinate---dandelions, whirly gig seed pods, etc.
Web Sites
http://www.kidwind.org/
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind.html
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/wind1.htm
http://www.gepower.com/businesses/ge_wind_energy/en/kids_teachers/index.htm
http://www.windpower.org/en/kids/
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS230US230&ei=Eri_Sc72GMSGt
genxr1d&resnum=0&q=wind+pollination&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=Fri_ScWwIsegtgf1iFN&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title wind pollination
Pin Wheel Pattern photocopy master
SECTION TWO
Organisms found at the EHS OWLS site
The following pages were developed by EHS students from the ecology
classes to help you identify and learn about the various organisms that
can be found at the EHS OWLS site.
This section will be updated annually with additional organisms as they
are identified by the students.
 Amphibians
 Birds
 Mammals
 Reptiles
 Birds
House Wren
Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon
Kingdom: Animalia
Order: Passeriformes
Species: T. aedon
Description: The animal is a small bird that has short stout legs. It has a long tail that has the
same color looking feathers as does he have on his back. The bird is also part of the wren
family. The bird has a light brown color belly. The bird has a long snout that allows it to dig
and eat worms in the ground. But also the beak allows the bird to break into eggs of other
animals and sometimes its own; the bird then sucks out the goods that are inside the egg. The
bird is grows up to 11 centimeter long and can weigh up to 12 grams. The bird sings a rich
bubbly song that they sing during mating season to attract women but it is rarely heard after the
season. Since some of the birds migrate there is a distinct difference between their songs. The
birds in the North have a mellower and low pitch to their voice while birds in the south can have
a more boisterous voice and is more upbeat in their melody.
Habitat: As I said earlier the house wren is part of the wren family. The house wren lives in
bushes, trees, hedgerows, and wetlands. The house wren can live in many different habitats as
long as they can provide shelter and food for them. The birds that do not migrate grow a thicker
feather layer that keeps them warm and the hide in residential yards, thick bushes, and some roof
canopies, to keep the warm from the winter elements.
Season: The house wrens are a summer time bird that you can hear early in the spring. But
because some of the birds do not migrate for whatever reasons they can be seen mostly all year.
The birds in the spring time are very active when they first migrate north because they are
looking for mates so you will see a lot of the birds during the spring. You can also see the bird
all the way up to September or October.
Interesting Trivia: The north house wrens migrate to the Southern United States during the
winter months.
Field Sparrow
Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla
Kingdom: Animalia
Order: Passeriformes
Species: S. pusilla
Description: The field sparrow is classified as a small sparrow. Adult sparrows have brown
upperparts. It also has a light brown breast and a white belly. The sparrow also has wing bars
and a forked tail. They have a grey face and a rusty crown. On its face it has white eye rings
and a pink bill. The male sings on top of a pole or fence post declaring that this is his territory
and his song is a sad series of whistles and then one trill.
Habitats: Their breeding habitat is shrubby fields across eastern North America. Their nest is a
cup of branches and thickets place under grass or a small thicket. The sparrow migrates to
southern United States during the winter months. But also there are permanent residents of
these birds in southern North America. The put their nests on top of perches or poles that are
located near a field giving easy access for food. The bird also can be found in an abandoned
field with patches of shrubs in it. One of the biggest problems for the field sparrow is the losses
of their fields, making them lose their homes causing them to have to find new homes giving
them exposure to its predators.
Season: In the Southern United States the bird is their year round, but the mate in early May.
The birds that migrate go back to the northeastern parts of North America around May and mate
soon after that. The birds then stay there throughout the summer months and then migrate back
to south United States in early October or possibly at the end of September because of the frost.
Interesting Trivia: The sparrows are on a decline because farmers take their land back and start
making crops in that field giving the sparrow exposure to its predator basically killing the birds
off slowly.
Black Crow
Scientific Name: Corvus brachyrhynchos
Kingdom: Animalia
Family: PASSERIFORMES
Description: Widespread, common, and obvious, the Black Crow is known by most people.
What is less well known is how complex its life is. Young crows remain with their parents until
they can find a home for themselves. They also may be on their own for years. The black crow
has dark brown eyes, black legs; all their feathers are glossed black with a little violet. From
front to back their 40-53cm long, their wingspan is 85-100cm wide, and their weight is about
316-620 grams.
Habitat: The range of the Black Crow extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in
Canada, French islands and into northern Mexico. Virtually all types of country from wilderness,
parks, woodland, and farmland to open towns and major cities are inhabited by this bird. The
black crow is omnivorous; it will feed on all types of invertebrates, scraps of human food, seeds,
eggs and nestling, and fish of shore.
Season: We may see this bird during the spring, summer, and fall.
Interesting Trivia: The black crow seems to be the biggest victim of the West Nile Virus.
Black crows congregate in large numbers in winter to sleep in communal roosts
Least Flycatcher
Scientific Name: Empidonax minimus
Kingdom: Animalia
Family: Tyrannidae
Order: Passerformes
Description: The Least Flycatcher is a small insect eating bird. It is the smallest flycatcher in
North America. The adults have grayish-olive upper parts, darker on the wings and tail, with
whitish under parts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars, a small, short bill and a short
tail. The breast is grey and the sides of the belly are yellow.
Habitat: Their breeding habitat is open deciduous or mixed woods across Canada and the United
States. They migrate to Central America and Mexico. It eats mainly small insects and some
berries.
Season: We might see the Least Flycatcher in the fall or winter.
Interesting Trivia: One Least Flycatcher nest was found to have used dragonfly wings as nest
lining.
American Robin
Scientific Name: Turdus migratorius
Kingdom: Animalia
Family: Turdidae
Order: Passerformes
Description: The American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. They are most
active during the day and flock together at nights. It is the first bird species to lay eggs. The
Robin has a brown back and a reddish-orange breast, varying from rich red maroon to peachy
orange.
Habitat: This bird breeds throughout most of North America, from Alaska and Canada
southward to Northern Florida and Mexico. They eat beetle grubs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and
worms.
Season: We might see the Robin around spring, summer and a little fall.
Interesting Trivia: The American Robin is among the first to sing at dawn.
Hundreds of thousands of American Robins can gather in a single winter roost.
Canada Goose
Scientific Name: Branta Canadensis
ORDER: ANSERIFORMES
FAMILY: ANATIDAE
Description: Both sexes of Canada geese have a black head and neck except for broad white
cheek patches extending from the throat to the rear of the eye. The female of a breeding pair is
often smaller. The breast, abdomen and flanks range in coloring from a light gray to a dark
chocolate brown, either blending into the black neck or being separated from it by a white collar.
The back and scapulars are darker brown, the rump is blackish and the tail is blackish-brown
with a U-shaped white band on the rump. The bill, legs and feet are black. Most subspecies are
uniformly large and pale and exhibit the characteristic "honking" call.
Habitat: wetlands
Season: migration through Kansas but have also been seen year round
Interesting Trivia: A familiar and widespread goose with a black head and neck, white
chinstrap, light tan to cream breast and brown back. Has increased in urban and suburban areas
in recent years; just a decade or two after people intentionally introduced or reintroduced “giant”
Canada Geese to various areas, they are often considered pests. The Giant Canada goose is the
largest goose in the world, with some individuals weighing more than 20 pounds. They can also
be long-lived, with a banded Giant Canada goose at 30 years and 4 months currently holding the
longevity record for waterfowl.
Mallard
Description: The male, or drake, is the more distinctively colored of the mallards. Its iconic
green head sits atop a white neckband that sets off a chestnut-colored chest and gray body.
Females are mottled drab brown in color, but sport iridescent purple-blue wing feathers that are
visible as a patch on their sides. They grow to about 26 inches (65 centimeters) in length and can
weigh up to 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms).
Habitat: Mallards prefer calm, shallow sanctuaries, but can be found in almost any body of
freshwater across Asia, Europe, and North America. They’re also found in saltwater and brackish
water and are commonly found in wetlands.
Season: Mated pairs migrate to and breed in the northern parts of their range and build nests on
the ground or in a protected cavity. They normally lay about a dozen eggs, and the incubation
period lasts just under a month. Mallards are territorial during much of this period, but once
incubation is well underway, males abandon the nest and join a flock of other males.
Interesting Trivia: One of the most familiar of ducks, the Mallard is found throughout North
America and all across Eurasia. Where it does not occur naturally, it often has been introduced. It
is found in all kinds of wetlands and is a familiar inhabitant of urban park ponds.
Diet:
Omnivore
Average life span in the wild:
5 to 10 years
Size:
20 to 26 in (50 to 65 cm)
Weight:
2 to 3 lbs (1 to 1.4 kg)
Group name:
Sord (in flight)
Did you know?
Mallards are thought to be the most abundant duck on Earth.
Spiders and Insects
Brown Recluse Spider
Kingdom: animalia
Family: Sicariidae
Phylum: Arthropoda
Order: Araneae
Species: Loxosceles Recluse
Description: The brown recluse is a dark tan and even brown color. It has a dark violin marking
in the abdomen. There leg span in about the size of a quarter. The males are a little bit smaller
than the females. Male and female recluses are venomous.
Habitat: The recluse is found mainly in the central Midwestern states southward to the Gulf of
Mexico.
Season: The recluse is found al year round. they like to live in dark, undisturbed areas, indoors
and outdoors.
Interesting Trivia: recluses are not aggressive spiders. They usually bite when crushed, handled
or disturbed. Their venom will kill the skin tissue in the bite area. It may feel like a pinprick or
go unnoticed.
Variegated Fritillary
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Family Nymphalidae (Brushfooted Butterflies)
Species claudia (Variegated Fritillary)
Description: Orange-brown upper surface edged with black spots wings. On the underside its
light brown with a pale postmedian band on the hindwing, and no silver spangles. It flies low to
the ground and its hard to approach. The black-edged light spot near the center helps to
distinguish it.
Habitat: It lives in open sunny areas such as prairies, fields, pastures, road edges, landfills, and
the larvae feed on passionvines, violets, Mayapple, Stonecrop, Purslane, and other things. The
adults eat nectar from several plants, including butterflyweed, common milkweed, dogbane,
peppermint, red clover, swamp milkweed, and tickseed sunflower.
Season: Annually, it colonizes northwards from the southern US and as far north as of
Massachussets and Canada, and west to California, but not as far as the Pacific Northwest.
The season for them is four broods in the south, and three in the north. In Kansas a good month
to see them is in April.
Interesting Trivia:

Wing span: 1 3/4 - 3 1/8 inches

It often flits nervously from flower to flower.

Females lay the tiny, cream-colored eggs singly on the leaves of the host.
SECTION THREE
Equipment available
Equipment available upon request from EHS (contact Denise Scribner, EHS ecology teacher at
dscribner@goddardusd.com:

Water testing kit—containing water thermometer, water turbidity/density meter, water
testing supplies for pH, oxygen content and base/acid levels.

Shovels, rakes, hand trowels (to be used at EHS OWLS are only)

Buckets

Scan nets, D-nets (for aquatic studies)—please arrange for an orientation session on the
proper use of this equipment before your class uses this equipment.

Insect sweep nets

Bug Boxes and hand lenses

Quadrant Sample Squares (6)

Water view tubes (tin cans with tops and bottoms taken out)