Our Trip to the Arboretum

When we got to the arboretum, Dad told me to take pictures of 5 different butterflies.  Right when Dad told me, Mom saw a spider which I took pictures of.  Then there were more on the other side.  

 

The first butterfly I saw was white.  

We saw a fairy garden in a log and Dad said I think those are termites eating that.

The second butterfly was orange and I saw a bunch of bumblebees.  

I found a blue butterfly and took a couple of pictures.

We saw a moth that curled its tongue, that was very cool.  The moth looked like a hummingbird and kinda like a moth.  He was very big. 

White-lined Sphinx Moth

 

 

 

Mom thought she saw a snake, but someone else told it us it was a blue-tailed skink. We saw one hiding in the rocks later.  

I saw a another orange butterfly, Dad thinks it is pearl crescent but is not sure.  

Dad saw a damselfly, Danielle said "That's a dragonfly" but I told her it was a damselfly.  Mom saw a dragonfly, and I said "Is it alive?"  Mom said I don't think so.  Then we saw ants eating it.

 

Mom saw a very cool plant that had little lines going down from it with a big ball on top.

Mom saw a blue-tailed skink that's tail had fell off. I saw a dragonfly by it.

 

I tricked Dad by saying "I see a big dragonfly", but it was just a bench. 

Mom showed me a grasshopper, nobody else saw it. I said where is it, then mom showed me.

I saw a grasshopper when Mom told me to take a picture of a dragonfly.

I saw a grasshopper nobody else saw.

Dad pointed to a dragonfly on a log in the pond and it was in the middle on the way back.

  

Mom saw a red bug, nobody knew what kind it was.  

Malcolm writing now, below are other photos that Michaela wanted to include in this blog post even though they did not fit with her story. 

Michaela took over 300 photos today, including one of us.

Summer nights

On Friday we listened to Landrush at Stump Park, an event put on by Shawnee Parks and Recreation. Later afternoon swimming only allowed us to make their second set and the fireworks that followed, but an hour of music was enough for the girls anyways. High 80s at sunset was a welcomed break from the midday heat and the slight breeze made for comfortable viewing. Capital Federal bank's blue tchotchke was a fan favorite throughout, prompting the creative conversations in the videos below. The astute viewer accurately determined that both girls are drenched head to toe from running through the sprinklers. Another video similar to the second night dancing can be seen here.

Both girls decided to dance to the music after dusk, and the led lights reminded me of previous summer concerts and sparkler dances. The firework display exceeded our experience on the 4th, where we had not planned on staying awake to attend the KC fireworks only to choose at the last minute to view from considerable distance.  No bugs, no moisture, warm weather, and easy traffic leaving the park were all wonderful.  We didn't bring the larger DSLR cameras with, so this photo is a bit lacking in comparison to any of the last three year's of firework photos (2012 photos and 2011 photos).