500 Observations
Yesterday, I hit 500 observations with a monarch butterfly perched on a Texas thistle.
I consider this a milestone. 500 is a lot of observations, representing a considerable amount of time spent outside. My offspring have tolerated this obsession, getting really into it at times and at other times rolling their eyes with impatience while I try for "just one picture". I've learned that no one believes me when I say "I'll be gone only an hour".
I've learned quite a bit since @mchlfx got me started. I started out not knowing very much and now I know more, but I still have so much to learn. Sometimes I guess, and I guess wrong- as a perfectionist that's hard to accept but I'm working on it. Nature can be tricky sometimes. I absolutely appreciate all the people who have ID'd for me, given me hints, and corrected my boo-boos.
I've accepted that there are some aspects of nature I like much better than others. I love butterflies, flowering plants, fungi, skinks, and birds, although it's hard to get good bird shots with an iPhone. Dragonflies and damselflies are gorgeous but, like birds, hard to document. I am learning to appreciate snakes and spiders. I'm starting to get excited about road kill, but I could do without dead fish left alongside the trail. Crawly bugs and mosquitoes, not a fan. Poison ivy, no way.
I've acquired several field guides. Last year, my kids gave me field guides for Christmas. Some mothers get jewelry; I get books on how to identify spiders.
I'm looking forward to getting my next 500 observations. I plan to start today.