a nature lesson

This is a fun little nature lesson we've learned this winter: Sometimes it's hard to tell if a tree is dead or alive in winter because they have no leaves. A little trick we learned is to snap off a tiny branch on the tree...if it bends and won't break off easily, the tree is alive, and you can even see green on the inside when it breaks open. If it snaps right off and has no green, the tree (or sometimes just that particular branch) is dead. I know it's not kind to the trees to break off their branches, but we decided the science lesson was worth the pain to the tree. Plus the dead ones don't really care.


This one is bending in his hand.


See the green inside? It's alive!




This one snapped right off! It's dead.

Isabela has fun waiting for the bus, by testing the little bushes and trees around the driveway....I guess that's one of the benefits of being picked up right at your house.