Today was the second 4th grade bioblitz. I was one of the content experts, leading five groups of 5-7 fourth graders for 45 minutes talking about plants (and other things). As was the case last year, it was an interesting experience. There was a wide range of prior knowledge, attention span, and interest in the subject matter. My station this year was along the Forest and Muskeg Trail where it goes through the woods and starts to transition to muskeg on the boat launch side. I found there was plenty to talk about for 45 minutes. There were a few things I talked about with each group (trees, in particular), but I think every group had some things that I only showed them. (This was partly based on what the kids were finding and asking me about.)
While the weather started with broken clouds, by lunch time it was overcast, and we had some showers by the last group. At the end of the long day, the showers didn’t seem to do much for the enthusiasm of some of the kids (though my last group still had a fair amount of energy).
One thing I noticed today that I don’t remember seeing before is a sort of leaf bundle on some blueberries. I suspect it’s from an insect, but am not sure. I collected some and hope to raise them up and see what emerges.