We have only one school up at camp this week, and they're all fifth graders. For our afternoon field class today, I had them explore the chaparral, which resulted in the discovery of an Alligator lizard, a Ringneck snake, some Fence lizards, a tiny Jerusalem cricket, a big fat mouse, deer and coyote scat, and a very dead mole. I had asked the kids to spread out and explore on their own, but they seemed to want to bunch up and follow me around instead. Maybe they're still a bit intimidated by the great outdoors. Maybe they thought I was more likely to find interesting things than they were. Maybe next time they'll spread out a bit more.

I think I'll let the Wolf spider go tomorrow. She's still dragging around her egg sac, looking a bit like somebody glued a small marshmallow to her butt. A spidery marshmallow though.