Finding Nature

5/9/2011

During my recent visit to Chicago, I also found nature with my 5-year-old niece and 7-year old nephew.

Saturday, we picnicked at North Park Village Nature Center and walked trails that winded through woodlands, wetlands, prairie and savannas.

On Sunday, we spent the day at The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum – and its Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, a 2700 square-foot greenhouse filled with 1000 butterflies (more than 75 species from the Southern hemisphere)!

I could not be more pleased that my niece and nephew share my love of nature!

1 of 3 deer we saw at North Park Village Nature Center.

Owl butterfly on my nephew's index finger!

I love the reverence and respect my nephew and niece have for nature!

Scarce Bamboo Page butterfly in my nephew's palm!

My niece admires the butterfly resting on my sister!

Blue Morpho Butterfly on the shoulder of a volunteer.

My niece musters the courage and patience to wait for a butterfly to approach her!

Have an inspiring and creative week!
Mary

53 Comments

SibStudio

5/8/2011 10:39:54 pm

I love watching kids experiencing nature up close! Your niece and nephew are adorable! Great photos!

Lori/ Beneath the RowanTree link

5/8/2011 10:45:07 pm

Wow! Those are amazing shots,what patient children! Looks like a good time had by all :)

Lori
www.beneaththerowantree.com

Mary C. Nasser link

5/8/2011 11:11:22 pm

It was a joy for me to watch them experiencing nature close up! My niece and nephew have been raised to respect and appreciate nature, and their gentleness with the butterflies really seemed to come through in these photos.

Thanks,
Mary

Mary C. Nasser link

5/8/2011 11:22:38 pm

Lori,

Thank you for the complimenting my niece and nephew's patience, too.
I will definitely pass that onto my sister. :)

We all did have a really great time and have wonderful new memories from the experience!

Best,
Mary

Angie, owner Crimson Hill Soaps & Scents link

5/9/2011 02:24:06 am

Thanks for following my Crimson Hill Soaps & Scents blog. I am your new follower! I am originally from STL and most of my family is still there!

Mary C. Nasser link

5/9/2011 02:32:47 am

Angie,

How cool that you are originally from St. Louis and still have family here!
Small world!

Excited to be following your lovely blog!
Best,
Mary C. Nasser

Marilyn link

5/9/2011 03:27:14 am

This is so cool! I have never been to Chicago before and I do hope to go later this Summer. This is the kind of place I would like to explore. :)

Mary C. Nasser link

5/9/2011 03:40:54 am

Marilyn,

Thanks for your comment.
Although I had been to Chicago several times, I had no idea that these 2 quiet places existed! :)
They were exactly the kid of places I like to explore, too! :)

Best,
Mary C. Nasser

Anabel, weird amiga link

5/9/2011 04:11:58 am

That 3rd picture captures the moment beautifully...
I've been fantasizing about that butterfly exhibition!

Mary C. Nasser link

5/9/2011 04:15:55 am

Thanks for your comment, Anabel.
The 3rd photo is my favorite, too, because it does capture the moment so beautifully.

Best,
Mary C. Nasser

Alessandra @ Tribal Times link

5/9/2011 05:40:07 am

I miss my lovely Morphos. I would wake up everyday to them on the flowers of my garden when I lived in Costa Rica.

Mary C. Nasser link

5/9/2011 05:44:50 am

Wow, Alessandra!
How lucky you were to wake up to Morphos everyday in Costa Rica!
I will have to tell my niece. :)

Best,
Mary C. Nasser

Scrollwork link

5/9/2011 06:56:12 am

Hi Mary! Nothing like experiencing wonder through the eyes of children. My fave pics were the third and fifth.

I browsed your archives and found thought-provoking posts from December on accumulation (of inspiration) and failure (and fear of success). I was surprised to find that comments are already closed for those posts. Would you consider leaving your older posts open for comments for those of us who are just discovering you?

Thank you for following my blog and commenting. I'm looking forward to your future posts, and following you as well.
BTW, my husband was born in St. Louis.

Jess link

5/9/2011 07:59:51 am

How precious! Butterflies are so pretty, and those ones were huge!

Mary C. Nasser link

5/9/2011 08:20:11 am

Hi, Scrollwork!

It truly was amazing to experience the wonder through the eyes of my niece and nephew that weekend.

Thank you for browsing through my archives, too. I need to look into why comments are closed for those posts. I appreciate you letting me know that. I would love to leave my older posts open for comments for those just discovering my blog.

Your blog is fantastic, and I'm glad to be following it. Thank you for following mine. BTW, is you husband a Cardinals baseball fan since he was born in St. Louis? :)

Best,
Mary C. Nasser

Mary C. Nasser link

5/9/2011 08:22:37 am

Hi, Jess.

Thanks for commenting.
I thought it was precious, too!
Some butterflies definitely were huge!
And the variety of species was fantastic!

Best,
Mary C. Nasser

Melissa @ Bubby & Bean link

5/9/2011 08:29:01 am

North Park Village Nature Center is one of this city's charms! I've done some events there and it's such a lovely place. So glad you got to go.

And thanks for the sweet comments on my blog!

xo,
melissa

Mary C. Nasser link

5/9/2011 08:57:44 am

Hi, Melissa!

North Park Village Nature Center is one of my new favorite places in Chicago, too!
So glad you got to do events there.

Best,
Mary

hannah link

5/9/2011 09:22:00 am

what a fun weekend! the blue morpho butterfly is so beautiful!

and thank you for subscribing to my blog!

www.1stitch2stitch.com

Megan link

5/9/2011 11:21:19 am

Beautiful shots, I love the butterflies!

Maggie Flatley link

5/9/2011 11:27:34 am

mary, the photos are spectacular, and the children are full of wonder.

Duni link

5/9/2011 05:11:48 pm

Hi Mary!

These are all lovely photos! The deer is so beautiful. I think it's fabulous that your nephew and niece respect and love nature and animals! I wish more kids did these days.
Thank you for visiting my blog too!

best,
Duni

Shelley (EvenAndy) link

5/9/2011 08:46:53 pm

I love it that your niece and nephew love nature! Those are awesome photos!

Jeff link

5/9/2011 10:22:41 pm

Thanks for stopping by my blog. It is great that you were able to share a nature experience with your family. It looks like you had a great time.

Keep up the good work.

Mary C. Nasser link

5/10/2011 12:26:58 am

Hi, Hannah.

The Blue Morpho was my favorite (and my niece's favorite) butterfly, too! Love the iridescent blue color!

Glad to be subscribed to your blog, too!

Best,
Mary

Mary C. Nasser link

5/10/2011 12:33:17 am

Thank you, thank you for all these wonderul and encouraging comments!

Best,
Mary

Tess

5/10/2011 12:39:54 am

aww, it looks like so much fun! I love watching kids interact with nature, it's so sweet and you can tell they are just so interested in learning!

Mary C. Nasser link

5/10/2011 12:48:04 am

Hi, Tess.

It was so much fun!
And true...children are just so interested in learning about nature!

Best,
Mary

Patty link

5/10/2011 01:34:21 am

I went with one of my boys on a field trip to a local Butterfly farm and it was the BEST field trip ever!!! You got to have a q-tip dipped into Gatorade and the butterfly's would land to drink off it! evryone of the kids was just mesmerized by them. Very calming indeed!

Julia link

5/10/2011 02:40:22 am

Those butterflies are stunning. Looks like you had a brilliant time. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Just LOVE yours. Looking forward to reading more.

Mary C. Nasser link

5/10/2011 02:44:09 am

Hi, Patty.
That sounds so fun and unique to feed butterflies with q-tips dipped into Gatorade!
Butterflies already seem to have an abounding amount of energy; the Gatorade must have just added to it! :)

Best,
Mary

Mary C. Nasser link

5/10/2011 02:47:00 am

Hi, Julia!

We did have a brilliant time indeed.
Loved your blog, too, and looking forward to reading more of your posts as well! :)

Best,
Mary

Back Home Vintage link

5/10/2011 03:54:06 am

Those are wonderful photos! Love the butterflies! :) Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Your newest follower, Elizabeth :) (from EBT)

Nancy L link

5/10/2011 04:02:08 am

Thanks for hopping by! I'm returning the follow!
Love the photos! How many people have actually had a butterfly sit on their finger like that? That's so neat!!
Have a great week! It's been a pleasure to stop by!

Crystal Jigsaw link

5/10/2011 04:08:08 am

Your pictures are beautiful. I especially love deer; we have them roaming free in our fields and it's a wonderful sight.

Came here via Totally Tuesday.
CJ xx

aprile.mazey@gmail.com link

5/10/2011 04:23:38 am

Gorgeous pics! Signed up for email updates. Thanks for stopping by The Steady Hand.

Tricia link

5/10/2011 06:17:02 am

Wow, those butterflies are so beautiful! My daughter would've been completely freaked out by them. She loves the "idea" of butterflies. =)

Mary Lou link

5/10/2011 06:46:05 am

Beautiful photographs!! I love the Peggy Notebaert Museum. I go there whenever I get a chance.

kelly link

5/10/2011 10:53:39 am

wow! those butterfly shots are awesome!

Rose link

5/10/2011 11:30:16 am

What beautiful pictures. I've never been the Peggy Notebaert Museum... but now after seeing how much fun you all had I will have to schedule a trip!

I found your blog button on The Ultimate Blog Hop and I just subscribed to your feeds!

Keep In Touch!

Krafty Max Originals link

5/10/2011 07:25:48 pm

WOW, what a weekend!

Hop'pin by from 'Tuesday's Blog Hop'. I'm following your blog now, wont you please come and follow me back?? ~KM

<a href="http://kraftymax.blogspot.com/2011/05/terrific-tuesday_10.html">Krafty Max Originals </a>

dana link

5/11/2011 06:03:28 am

Beautiful butterflies and pictures! Thnks for dropping by-- returning the love!

Dana

Lisa link

5/11/2011 06:04:44 am

Gorgeous photos! Love the depth and subject.

Mary's nephew

5/11/2011 10:54:30 am

You forgot the one when the butterfly automatically landed on my shirt next to my shoulder! And also P.S. I can't wait to see you again! Oh, and you're a good artist.

Mary's niece

5/11/2011 11:02:51 am

I tried and tried to catch a butterfly to get on me. I saw the butterfly landed on my brother's shirt. Well, they were letting some butterflies get out of their cage. My brother knows how to get a butterfly on him. I was kind of scared to have a butterfly on me because it looks hairy on the middle of its body but not on its wings. It was hot in that room. I had two shirts on. So it was really hot. It is good for nature to give butterflies food and to let little animals go, like animals that live underground. The butterfly room is very cool. We went to that room two times. That room was my favorite. We love you, Aunt Mary!

lily cheung link

5/11/2011 01:32:36 pm

We often see deers in our backyard.

Kaili link

5/12/2011 12:56:55 am

these photos are all so adorable! very heart warming :)

Mary McAndrew link

5/12/2011 06:31:23 am

Hi Mary, Love your blog and your artwork, I think it'd be neat to see artwork with maps, I love maps! Great nature photos too.

Anita Elmore link

5/17/2011 01:48:52 am

Oh wow! How cool is that! ...and what amazing pics you got of it all! I have always had a love for nature myself, and glad my kiddos do too. Your niece and nephew are total dolls! ...and aahhhh, seeing the wonderment in a child's eyes!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I look forward to many more visits with you my new friend!

Hugs & Blessings,
♥Anita
http://aseknc.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aseknc/
To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. - - Chinese Proverb

Lorraine link

5/18/2011 05:10:02 am

love the shots of the butterfly

Anita Van Hal link

5/19/2011 02:09:11 am

Hi Mary! OMG...what a fantastic blog you have here! I loved reading your list of "artist" movies! There are so many more than I realized! I've been able to watch some of them on Netflix online. Your art is amazing! But this post...I LOVE...it is always exciting to share with a younger generation, whether it be art skills or an appreciation of the greatest Artist of all...the butterflies and the care with which the children observe them...I love the sense of wonder on their faces! Thank you for sharing this! Awesome! Hugs!

EWian link

5/31/2011 06:58:47 pm

Owl butterfly was a new one to me, wonderful capturing of the moment, yes, teaching children the love of nature is an important part of the future.

EWian

Hannah Robinson link

9/6/2011 09:07:57 pm

Hello from over the sea, your latest reader from the UK! Great photos, it's so lovely to see wonder on people's faces when experiencing nature, no matter their age :-)

Hannah