Flash cards, smartphone apps, and activity books can never stand in for outdoor learning in nature.  The thrill of spotting animals in the wild will stay with you forever!  My son is old enough to record his findings in a nature journal which he lovingly keeps up. My daughter has become an expert spotter and she shares her new skill with great pride: “I was the first one to spot the deer when no one else saw it!”

Spotting animals takes lots of real world patience, observation skills, attention to details with all 5 senses, identification knowledge, and just plain luck.  My kids are better spotters than I am.

So when my daughter matter-of-factly whispered: “I just saw the bobcat.”  I believed her.

In fact, she saw two bobcats!  And they were beautiful!  We watched them slowly saunter away from us. Although it looks like we were close, I took these photos from VERY far away with my daughter at my side. We were quiet and still. We didn’t worry the cats. They were just moving through their territory and we were lucky observers.

Our wild learning from wildlife encounters makes up some of our best family memories. I know I won’t forget this day for a long time!

Know the difference between bobcats (less than 30 pounds, spotted, short tail, and knee-high) and mountain lions. Stay safe and follow all posted safety guidelines.

The Butterfly Habitat at Mason Regional Park in Irvine opened in November 2010.  The kids and I finally stopped by to find the hidden garden during our summer exploring in 2011.

As with most of our amazing regional parks (OCParks.com), Mason is pretty massive to cover on foot.  There are 3 play areas scattered throughout the park.  I thought the Butterfly Garden would be back in the corner of the park closer to Harvard. I was right, but it took a little searching.  It’s not necessarily a “destination garden,” but it’s certainly a destination park!  It’s beautiful for a lazy afternoon and there are some lessons to be learned about native plants and local wildlife.

Where is the Garden? The easiest way to find it is to turn right when you enter and park your car by the playground and fitness course on that side of the park.  Walk straight in, past the playground, and turn right at the Amphitheater in front of you.  We took a more “mysterious” approach by parking at the far end of the playground parking lot — closer to the exit.  There’s a sidewalk that leads through the trees and we turned left back towards the playground.  We investigated the rustling in the bushes and marveled at how big the leaves are on the oak trees here.

Butterflies? Yes! We saw a few butterflies, but I can never catch good photos of them.  Look for little placards on the plants to identify their names (like the coast sunflower on the right of this post.)  All different kinds of sage seem to be popular and native to our area.

Location: Between Culver Drive, University Drive, and Harvard Avenue winds around it. Very near Tanaka Farms and the San Joaquin Golf Course. MAP to Mason Regional Park in Irvine

Checklist:

• Parking is in the county fee-based parking lot. During peak season it’s $3.00 on weekdays and $5.00 on weekends. Check official OC Parks website for more info. (I think the annual parking pass is a great investment in our beaches and parks, especially if you go often.)
• Drinking fountain in the garden
• Restrooms near the lake and playgrounds
• Lots of trees in the park and shade on the edges of the garden
• Picnic tables and grills everywhere in the larger park – many under shaded gazebos

More about Mason:

• Dara talked about Mason in her Scooter-Loving Mom post.
• Read my original review of Mason.
• A long time ago, my husband and I used to cross Culver and hike/bike around on the sidewalks in the wilderness area between Culver and Tanaka Farms.
• The UCI Marketplace is also within walking distance and there is a HUGE Farmer’s Market there on Saturday mornings.
• Drive a little further on University and you can turn right onto Campus for a visit to the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary.

*Added to KaBOOM.org as part of their 2011 Park-A-Day Summer Challenge

I mentioned “Helicopter Seeds” in yesterday’s post on Minaya Park, but I didn’t really go into detail on these wonderful finds in nature.  Joel Robinson, an expert naturalist from Naturalist-For-You, first introduced me to these seeds on one of his guided family hikes (if you haven’t been, you should go!).   The one we found on our hike with Joel was rather small and thin.

The ones at Minaya are much bigger!

If you keep your eyes open you can find them on the ground at lots of parks in the area.  There’s a great web page for learning about the “Wind Dispersal of Seeds.”  Check out #3 which is about the South American tipu tree (Tipuana tipu) and how its seeds are called Helicopters or Whirlybirds.  You’ll no doubt find more of these trees and seeds on your adventures around town.  Here is what the tree looks like:

How do you make the seed fly?
Have your kids hold the seed by the round part and throw them swiftly straight UP in the air. On their way back down, they wondrously spin like a helicopter!

Here is what the seed pods look like on the tree:

Thanks for indulging my inner naturalist! Hope you have fun finding and flying these precious gifts from nature.

The outdoors is unpredictable and exciting to me. I can be in the same place ten times and see something new or have a different experience every time.

Hope this video inspires you to get outside and find your own treasure of the day!

[You know not to feed the ducks, right?  Read "Please Don't Feed Waterfowl" to find out why.]

See more animal posts here:

• Centennial Farm (with video)
• So a pig and iguana walk into a park
• The bonus of bugs
• Babies, butterflies, and bird nests

Centennial Farm is a great excursion located at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.  I took the kids on a lazy afternoon and there were way more animal residents than people visiting. Plus, we had the added enjoyment of seeing a lot of little baby farm animals. I was overwhelmed by the cuteness factor of the baby pigs, chicks, goats, and sheep.  I can’t guarantee there will be babies on your visit, but it’s still a fun trip.

Location: At the Orange County Fairgrounds off the 55 Freeway at Fair Drive.  I’ll defer to their map and directions. I’ll still put it on our playground map, though. MAP TO CENTENNIAL FARM AT THE ORANGE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS IN COSTA MESA

Highlights:

• Many Orange County Kindergartners get to take field trips here. You can preview with your toddlers or preschoolers.
• Great for teaching kids where our food comes from — and for helping them identify animals by: the sounds they make, their English names, and their Spanish names.
• The gardens have interpretive signs about the edibles growing there.
• Download FREE activity sheets from the Centennial Farm website to complete before your visit.
• Don’t miss the bee hive at the back corner of the education building.
• If you remember the old wooden silo at the corner of Bison and McArthur in Newport Beach – you’ll recognize it at its new home near the entrance.

Be Aware:

• Very busy when the OC Fair is going on. I’d suggest planning a visit outside of the OC Fair dates which occurs July and August.
• No picking up or feeding the animals. My daughter wanted to hold a chick so badly, but this isn’t really the place unless you’re will a school group.
• Check the website to see if there are any special events which might cause the farm to close to the public.
• The hours are a little funky M-F (from 1pm-4pm) and Sat-Sun (9am-4pm).
• Some might complain “there’s nothing to do here” — but I loved it because we could explore on our own and read all the signs. We learned a lot on our visit.

Checklist:

• Free parking at the fairgrounds
• Restrooms and handwashing station
• The trip took us about an hour – taking our time and strolling.

Costa Mesa