connecticut nature study

i took the anna botsford comstock book outside today to read about daisies . . but we also read about asters, as that is what we found in the garden.

 i wasn't sure at first that these were asters, but my sister confirmed it when she came outside. i felt very pleased with myself for correctly identifying them!

 aster means star in latin. this is the whorled aster, found in late summer and early fall throughout wooded areas.

the stems are slightly zigzag, and the leaves are thin and crowded on the upper stems.

the girls also worked on writing down their observations of the garden in august: plants, animals, insects.

we also found a magnificent spider web stretched across the bushes in the front yard.