Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A Little More About Tadpole Shrimp

Dear reader,

Now that we know what our little pond friend is, we've been finding out all sorts of things about his family! We were surprised to learn that their eggs are sold in novelty stores, like sea monkeys. The scientific name of tadpole shrimp is "triops", and there are several internet sites devoted to them. We liked this video, which shows some "triops" swimming around, while sharing information about them (Even if it is evolution-based). We'll have to go down to the pond and get more, now that we know how to take care of them! Maybe we'll go into the triops egg-selling business :) .
You'll want to pause the Playlist before viewing!



(Incidentally, the music brings back memories of watching "Spaghetti Westerns" with my cowboy-loving brothers growing up!)

Enjoy your wonderful Wednesday,

Love,

Marqueta

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"Nature-study cultivates in the child a love of the beautiful; it brings to him early a perception of color, form, and music. He sees whatever there is in his environment, whether it be the thunder-head piled up in the western sky, or the golden flash of the oriole in the elm; whether it be the purple of the shadows on the snow, or the azure glint on the wing of the little butterfly. Also, what there is of sound, he hears; he reads the music score of the bird orchestra, separating each part and knowing which bird sings it. And the patter of the rain, the gurgle of the brook, the sighing of the wind in the pine, he notes and loves and becomes enriched thereby.

But, more than all, nature-study gives the child of sense of companionship with life out-of-doors and an abiding love of nature."

~Anna Botsford Comstock, "The Handbook of Nature Study"

4 comments:

  1. Querida Marqueta,

    Aqui donde nosotros vivimos tenemos bastante pajaros que nos visitan.

    Los muchachos pueden identificar los cantos y enseguida nos dicen que pajaro es. :)

    Tambien tenemos un pequeno lago artificial, esperoms sapos nos visiten en esta temporada.

    Gracias, como siempre, por compartir con nosotros.

    Bendiciones,

    lady m

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  2. Oh that is really cool ~I wonder how you ship them lol!! Blessings

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  3. We watched the video. That was very interesting. We're wondering if we can find some around here!

    Lynn

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  4. Thanks for the video. Though you forewarned it was based on "Evil-ution" (and I thank you for doing so), I just had to comment on the figure: "200 million years".

    I do not think I ever realized how ridiculous such figures are, until I set counted beyond one million.

    Nevertheless, it was fascinating to know that, though they died when the pond dried up, their eggs could lie dormant for decades. I was just reading in Job:

    Job 14:7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease...
    Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live [again]? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
    15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

    And Jesus said that a seed can do nothing alone, but if it falls into the ground and dies, it "bringeth forth much fruit". So, the key to fruitfulness is dying. Paul said in I Cor 15, "I die daily".

    And, finally, I think, in
    2Cr 4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
    2Cr 4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

    God bless you, Graham Family. Sincerely,

    Daniel

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