Flora, Fauna, Taters

In the two years of Tate's little life, I have made it a priority to get him out in nature as much as possible, to teach him to appreciate all of the different flowers and critters and trees of the great Pacific Northwest. Ever since we moved to Portland, we have gone on weekly hikes in the spectacular Forest Park and the whole time I prattle on about flora and fauna, greeting all that we see. "Hello, moss. How are you, slug? Hi there, yellow finch." For the first year, he bounced along silently in my trusty (and indispensable) Ergo, seemingly more interested in pulling my braid than anything else. But lately, he is looking outwards more. And apparently, he has been listening. Here is his current list of correctly identified living things that he himself can point out in the wild. Domesticated and zoo animals have not been included but for the record, he is bananas about otters. 

Finches, blue-jays, crows, chickadees, seagulls, and twice now, bald eagles. Spiders, bumblebees, ladybugs, slugs, squirrels, moss, ferns, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, dandelions, and his favorite -- lavender. He will spot lavender from a mile away and run towards it, full tilt. Okay, a block. He loves the stuff. My mom used to take me on walks as a child and point out the names of flowers (as her father did) and I have always appreciated that.

He can only learn as much as I can teach him and sadly, I am reaching my limit. My list is sort of similar to the one above....I know my flowers, a handful of birds, some plants, and hardly any trees. It's kind of embarrassing. Oak tree, maple tree, cypress tree......uh, big tree, little tree. I'll have to get a guidebook of sorts to help me keep learning as this kid is gaining on me fast. I love it, though. I hope to teach him to hear a bird song and know what it is, to take a hike through the woods and to truly appreciate the company of the trees he is among, and to learn all of the sweet lessons that non-humans have to teach.