Early Moring Spider Webs in the Park: Big One, by Emma and Tim

This morning we went to the park and  we saw a big spider web.  It had drops of mist on it still. Spiders can't fly and jumping spiders can't  jump from tree to tree if they are far apart, so the breeze must have carried the spider as it was letting go of it's thread as it glided from tree to tree. The spider wasn't there any more, I wonder what type of spider it is? I wonder if it hides away in the leaves if it is scared of us?

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Mom's favourite picture. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

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Emma's favourite picture. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Look this part of the web is a bit dusty so it can't be brand new. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

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Tim's favourite picture. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

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Emma's favourite picture. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Mom's favourite picture. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

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One misty moisty morning...

A fly went by....(All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

As soon as we realised it was misty this morning we scrambled out of bed to wake up properly at the park with all it lovely creatures.

Misty dew drops graced each leaf. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

And spider threads draped all over undeterred by the mist. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Drops competing with berries in size. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Or berries competing with drops. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Who wins? (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Morning warm up- soccer. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Boys - always find a stick to play with. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Sleepasorous, who does not feel the cold! (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Dripping swings. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Emma- always drawing! (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

Eventually the sun broke through the mist to grace us with long shadows and the promise of a fine warm Autumn day! (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

 

Platanus x acerifolia or is it just plain old Plane Tree...1

This is the Plane Tree we see from our house looking over to the park. Right through April we have been patiently (? impatiently) waiting...  to see it change to Autumn colours; but this year it seems to be slow in coming. You can just see faint Autumn colours starting to come in this 'end of April' photo and every day there is a little more. It is already a third of the way though autumn, so it seems slow in brightening this year. (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

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The Leaves are a most perfect shape, I prefer them even to a beautiful Maple leaf! The younger kids have enjoyed collecting the few leaves that have turned/fallen. We can't wait for more. Tim has pressed leaves too for making cards.

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We have 6 Plane Trees in our park, at least I think so... two confuse us -the leaves bunch together differently and each leaf has only 3 prongs as opposed to 5???? See below but it has the same seeds pods, so is it  a Plane Tree? Help I don't know....but we think so.

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Judging from this wiki quote, you can get three 3 - 5 prongs or lobes on Plane Trees

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_plane "Leaves: Alternate, palmatelycordate or wedge-shaped at base, decurrent on the petiole. Three to five-lobed by broad shallow sinuses rounded in the bottom; lobes acuminate, toothed, or entire, or undulate. They come out of the bud plicate, pale green coated with pale tomentum; when full grown are bright yellow green above, paler beneath. In autumn they turn brown and wither before falling. Petioles long, abruptly enlarged at base and inclosing the buds. Stipules with spreading, toothed borders, conspicuous on young shoots, caducous." nerved, broadly-ovate or orbicular, four to nine inches long, truncate or

The seed pods presently on the tree are soft enough but give them a few months on the ground and they become hard and prickly - 'eina,' as we would say in South Africa (ouch!)(All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission) 

If you look carefully you can see seeds in the pods and if you wave vigorously they will come out...actually we need to experiment there a bit as a fine powdery something comes out- we will have to take a closer look at that another time.

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Perhaps my love for 'my Planes in the park' is a bit too romantic....they may after all be the case of my sinus issues that seem worse since we have moved here.  see  http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1215645.htm

But who after all, can resist watching Autumn leaves grow brilliant and fall?

This is our most brilliant tree in the park at present, one side is brightly coloured the other side still green, why? More about it later! (All photographs copyrighted and the property of Joy Murray, not to be used without permission)

 

Kigelia, Sausage Tree 1.

Wouldn't Charlotte Mason be tickled pink to know how much she has inspired a 'South African Kiwi' (who was born in Kenya, who has lived in Boputhatswana, South Africa, and New Zealand) and who is now living in Brisbane, Australia and who is married to a Zimbabwean to enjoy 'international nature study' so much! 

Last year we had Zimbabwean (Zimbo) visitors and they were so excited to see this tree in our park, as it is an African tree! (And I am a fair dinkum African living a few meters away from it and I didn't even know it!) The children have always loved this tree as it is so interesting. And I have certainly have taken a deeper interest in it since. Hopefully we'll keep you posted with photographs through the seasons. 

April 2011 has seen a few last flowers in ones and twos not in it's usual large numbers burdening their huge strings as we have seen before.

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The flowers grow on long stalks. Once the flowers drop to the ground, the stalks remain as tempting whips/weapons for boys to play imaginary games with.

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 This April has also brought our first fruit. It looks a bit like a Kiwi Fruit only much, much bigger and it does not get soft, at least I don't think so!

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We love the look of the bark and of course the lichen adds a dimension to the bark too.

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Of course typical me, I had forgotten the name of the tree from last year's Zimbo visitor but today I  had a friend with me at the park today who knew it's common name - sausage tree! YAY! I have waited ages for someone to give me the name of the tree again. And although it is a different name to the Zimbabwean name given last year, at least I have been able to find it on the net.See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigelia

Of course I am curious to know the Zimbo name now, can anyone tell me? Doug doesn't know it unfortunately. I will have to write to our Zimbo friend, won't I?