Summer in Illinois can be a beautiful time. As I write this, I am sitting on my front porch, and the weather is perfect. The sun is shining, a light breeze is blowing, and the temperature is around 80 degrees. Summer is a busy time, but because the weather is warmer, and the days are longer, we try to spend as much time outdoors as possible (unless it gets too hot and humid!). As I watch my daughters grow and play, it brings back many memories. The girls have been spending their evenings flitting around the yard, trying to capture fireflies. While visiting my parents recently, my niece was also visiting. The girls were running around the yard trying to catch butterflies, and my younger daughter was watching cardinals and other birds that were feeding and nesting in the yard and mentioned that cardinals are her favorite bird. My older daughter loves blue jays, and I am excited that at their young ages, they can recognize the birds, both by sight and sound. I think that it is great that they actually have favorite birds!
As summer progresses, so do the plants in bloom in the prairie. Even my small backyard prairie patch is full of interesting plants and colors. Spiderwort has been blooming for a few weeks, and Butterfly Weed is now in bloom. This vibrant orange milkweed is a favorite of many. Larger prairies and prairie plants growing along roadsides are a rainbow of color, and the warm season prairie grasses are growing like crazy.
When doing book readings and programs, I have switched from reading “Rachel and Sammy Visit the Forest – A Guide to Spring Woodland Wildflowers” to reading “Rachel and Sammy Visit the Prairie”. I collect plants from my backyard prairie to show children, as we read about the plants highlighted in the book. Children love to take a closer look, touch, and smell the plants I bring, and hopefully they will remember some of the plants. Later this summer, I have book readings and programs scheduled at prairies, where I will be leading children on prairie hikes.
Summer is the perfect time to take “Rachel and Sammy Visit the Prairie” outdoors. The book is a great tool to help children learn more about plants and identify some of the more common prairie plants.