Canku Ota
(Many Paths)
An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
 
 
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NATURE
General Information
Birds
Fishes
Insects and Spiders
Bears
Bison (Buffalo)
Cats
Deer
Mammals - Miscellaneous
Whales
Wolves, Foxes, Coyotes and Dogs
Plants and Trees
Reptiles and Amphibians
The Sky
 
Insects and Spiders
Black Flies or Buffalo Gnats
Members of the family, Simuliidae (Diptera) of which there are more than 1,000 known species, are small flies, 1-5 mm in length. The common name, black fly, is somewhat of a misnomer since many species are gray and others are light tan to yellow in color.
http://entowww.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/uc/uc-019.html
The Bug Page: Insects & Entomology - www.thebugpage.com
Have questions about insects, or want to vote for YOUR favorite insect?
http://www.thebugpage.com/
Butterflies 2000: On the Wings of Freedom
This is a comprehensive site about butterflies created by an international team of three students for the ThinkQuest competition

http://library.thinkquest.org/C002251/index2.shtml
Butterfly website
Welcome to The Butterfly WebSite! Join us in learning more about the fascinating world of butterflies. Here you can tour our photo gallery, learn how to plant a butterfly garden, take a field trip, find a pen-pal, chat with other butterfly-lovers and so much more! Take a look...
http://butterflywebsite.com/
Golden Garden Spider 
These spiders occur from southern Canada throughout the lower 48 United States
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/argiope/a._aurantia$narrative
Honeybee
People have known and used honeybees and their products since ancient times. Honey used to be the only sweetener in the food of many peoples.
http://library.thinkquest.org/C007974/2_4hon.htm
Honey Bee
What do bees look like? All bees have a head, a thorax (middle section), and an abdomen (end section). The head has their eyes, feelers, and tongue.
http://pelotes.jea.com/honeybee.htm
Monarch Butterfly Migration
They flutter in the wind and are a pleasure to behold but they're also a great mystery. Learn about the life and times of the monarch butterfly.
http://familyeducation.com/topic/front/0,1156,2-5148,00.html
Mosquito Information
Mosquitoes are insects belonging to the order Diptera, the True Flies. Like all True Flies, they have two wings, but unlike other flies, mosquito wings have scales. Female mosquitoes mouthparts form a long piercing-sucking proboscis. Males differ from females by having feathery antennae and mouthparts not suitable for piercing skin. A mosquito’s principal food is nectar or similar sugar source.
http://www.mosquito.org/mosquito.html
Mosquito Menace
Trivial facts about a non-trivial insect
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/016skeeter/index.html
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Plants and Trees

Aggie Horticulture Texas A&M: Vegetable Gardening In Containers
Container gardens are perfect for small spots such as patios, window sills, balconies or doorsteps. They also sidestep problems related to poor soil conditions and soil-borne diseases. "Vegetables which are ideally suited for growing in containers include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, green onions, beans, lettuce, squash, radishes and parsley." This single-page site from Texas A&M covers the how-to gamut including synthetic soils, containers, seeding, transplanting, watering, light and controlling diseases and insects.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/container/container.html

Arbor Day Crafts
From things you probably already have around the house (such as construction paper and egg cartons) Enchanted Learning creates seven tree-related craft projects. The colorfully illustrated step-by-step instructions are great for preschoolers and lower elementary grades. Looking past Arbor Day, these crafts will also be fun around Thanksgiving (see the string of leaves) and Christmas (especially the paper evergreen tree, and the pop-up tree greeting card.)
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/arborday/
Arbor Day Net
Arbor Day Net tells the history of Arbor Day, from 1872 Nebraska to President Nixon's 1970 creation of National Arbor Day. Nebraska's  first Arbor Day, proposed by state agriculture board member J. Sterling Morton,  was an amazing success -- more than one million trees were planted.  So when Nebraska made Arbor Day an official state holiday in 1885, they chose to honor Morton by celebrating it on his birthday , April 22nd.  Arbor Day (or some variation)  is celebrated in many countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, Korea and Israel.

http://www.arbor-day.net/
American Forests
American Forests is the nation's oldest nonprofit citizen conservation organization, founded in 1875. Our vigorous advocacy helped create the conservation movement and the National Park and National Forest systems in the U.S. American Forests plants millions of trees each year through our Global ReLeaf program and advocates the benefits of both rural and urban trees, good science, and sound policy.
http://www.americanforests.org
Birch Trees
Long before the arrival of Europeans and even before the development of ceramics, bark containers were used to collect, store, cook and consume food or other products.
http://ftnelson.sd81.bc.ca/~fnap/trees/treesbirch2.html
Cedar, The Great Provider
Scientists call it Thuja plicata or Western Red Cedar. The Nuu-chah-nulth call it humis, the Haida name is tsu and the Ktunaxa word for it is ?i¢nat.
http://www.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/notes/cedar.html
The Cherokee Rose
The above photograph shows three stages in the flowering of a Cherokee Rose. At left center is an unopened bud; at top is a recently opened bloom; and at bottom is a mature bloom.
The Cherokee Rose became Georgia's official state "floral emblem" by virtue of a joint resolution of the General Assembly approved by Gov. Nathaniel Harris on Aug. 18, 1916.

http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/cherokeerose.htm
ENature-Wildflowers
This virtual field guide to plants and animals has an extensive listing of all kinds of plants. This particular link takes you to wild flowers, which are categorized by very visual descriptions so that even younger children can make use of the site: simple shapes, odd shapes, dandelion-like flowers, rounded clusters and seeds and fruits to name a few. You can even view the entire category. The clickable photographs are clear and colorful and the resulting pages are chocked full of information. Your students can even send an e-card of the flower they've studied!
http://www.enature.com/guides/select_Wildflowers.asp?curGroup=Wildflowers
Fruit & Vegetable Encyclopedia
Looking for detailed information on fruits and vegetables? Here is where you’ll find it!
http://www.dole5aday.com/ReferenceCenter/R_Home.html

Kiddie Gardens: Growing Vegetables
"Vegetables are actually some of the easiest plants to grow, especially from seed. To encourage your child's enthusiasm, let them choose from the easy vegetables to grow list and you will both be delighted with the results." Kiddie Gardens is chock full of advice on what to plant, how to plant and why to plant. The long list of benefits of growing your own vegetables includes value for your money, being assured of freshness, eating organic, and teaching your children a valuable life skill.
http://www.kiddiegardens.com/growing_vegetables.html

Kids' Valley Garden: Veggies
"Vegetables are one of the most rewarding things to grow in a garden because you get to enjoy the end result of your hard work by eating it!" Kids' Valley Garden provides kid-friendly instructions for growing seven common vegetables: beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, peanuts, potatoes, and tomatoes. "Read the directions for each vegetable carefully to get the maximum yield from each plant and watch over them for signs of disease or bugs."
http://www.copper-tree.ca/garden/veggies.html

Kids for Trees
"Trees don't just stand around. They do many jobs that are very important to animals, people, and the environment." This illustrated, eleven-page guide  for  K- 3 students was created by The Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Best clicks are the glossary (from "Arbor Day" to "zoologist"), and the teacher guide, which includes ideas for projects and activities.  The site is also available in Spanish. To find it, click on "Other Classroom Materials" and follow the link to "Wild About Plants."

http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/tree_kit/
Kudzu Facts
Kudzu is a perennial, trailing or climbing vine of the legume family. Dark green leaves, starchy fibrous roots, and elongated purple flowers with a fragrance reminiscent of grapes readily identify this aggressive vine.
http://www.vnps.org/invasive/invpuer.htm
Kudzu in Alabama
Almost anyone living in a rural area of Alabama knows what kudzu is and that it is a pest. Kudzu in Alabama has also been called "porch vine," "telephone vine," and "wonder vine" It is only the visitor or tourist who asks the name of the aggressive and highly visible green vine
.
http://www.aces.edu/department/ipm/kudzu.htm
Maize Page
Columbus did not realize that the gift of maize was far more valuable than the spices or gold he hoped to find. He had no way of knowing that the history of maize traced back some 8,000 years or that it represented the most remarkable plant breeding accomplishment of all time.
http://maize.agron.iastate.edu/
The Miracle of Fall
A directory of links to information about fall foliage and related topics. Includes links to sites about fall color, trees, fall foliage updates and reports, driving and hiking suggestions, photos, lesson plans, activities, autumn gardening and composting, and more. From the University of Illinois Extension.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/fallcolor/

No Dig Vegetable Garden: Gardening for Kids
A no dig garden is one that is planted in a raised bed created with layers of organic material such as compost, fertilizer, straw, hay and newspaper. "Building a no dig garden is a particularly good gardening for kids project because the garden can be built and planted in just a couple of hours." And for something edible in just a few days, try starting with bean shoots, alfalfa, cress or snow pea seeds. "Put the seeds into a clean, wide mouth jar and place a mesh material over the mouth. It must be a material that water and air can pass through, but not the seeds."
http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/gardening-for-kids.html

Pumpkin Nook:
Did you know?! Pumpkin not only tastes good, it is good for you. Pumpkin is high in Vitamin A (beta carotene) and high in dietary fiber. As the weather warms up, remember to choose Pumpkin Ice Cream.
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/
Trees are Terrific... Travels with Pierre site from the University of Illinois extension.
It is a rather long presentation for young children under five years old.  Suggestion: Bookmark and Show portions of it in different activities. For example: Show the pages that deal with the shapes of trees before the craft presentation.

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/trees1/index.html
Trees Forever
Trees Forever promotes environmental awareness through the planting of trees. To learn more about "Trees Forever" visit their website
http://www.treesforever.org/

University of Illinois Extension: Vegetable Gardening Basics
"All gardens have problems. One year it may be insects and disease and the next year it may be a drought. Gardening does require work, but by learning a few basic skills and techniques, you can make your vegetable gardening experience a pleasant one." And this University of Illinois Extension site is a terrific spot to learn those basics. It covers topics such as location, basic tools, soil prep, and planning tips. It also includes an illustrated Vegetable Directory and a glossary of gardening terms from "acidity" to "zucchini."
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/basics.html

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  Canku Ota is a free, bi-weekly, online Newsletter celebrating Native America, its traditions and accomplishments . We do not provide subscriber or visitor names to anyone. Some articles presented in Canku Ota may contain copyright material. We have received appropriate permissions for republishing any articles. Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have expressed an interest. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law. Please read our privacy policy.  
 
Canku Ota is a copyright © 2000, 2001 of Vicki Lockard and Paul Barry.
 
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