Morton Arboretum - Animal Habitats

We visited the arboretum today. It was a little chilly, but Charlie has a leaf project due for the Greenhouse, and what better place to find some leaves than a place grown with trees? Right now the special exhibit there is "Animal Houses: The Door is Open". So we spent a little time exploring some various habitats. First stop, part of the ant colony~
Anywhere the boys are, Mary wants to be, too ~

My budding naturalist~

While Charlie was sketching, Mary and Sam entertained themselves throwing walnuts~

The arboretum calls the birch family "Slender Beauties of The Forest". They are very pretty~

I think this weeping willow is also part of the birch family~

Here's Sam perched in a heron nest, our next animal habitat stop~

Everyone outside the beaver lodge~

After gathering a few more leaves, we made our final stop at Big Rock, a huge granite boulder left by glaciers 14,000 years ago~

It was a great day to explore outside - thanks Emily for the pass :)