A new Learning Monday this week. We focused on tree climbing and tree care. Here's the large Quercus palustris - Pin Oak we practiced climbing on. Ain't she a beaut! You can see the setup we had for climbing in this picture of Peter climbing the tree. Here's a picture that makes it look like I climbed much higher than I did. And here's one of Trinity just hanging around. At the break I got some shots of more critters. The first was this line of immature Branta canadensis - Canada Geese gracefully steaming up the pond. These ubiquitous birds are in themselves relatively harmless but are seen as a pest due to the profusion of large droppings they leave in their wake. Here we see a Marmota monax colloquially known as a groundhog, woodchuck, whistle-pig, or land-beaver these largest of the New World squirrels can be a problem because of their penchant for dining on the plants we humans are trying to grow for our enjoyment. This little fatkins was particularly large considering its only June! These critters Homo sapiens sapiens - Human were everywhere! These young were climbing in the sculpture garden where one of the little females described the experience as the "best field trip ever". I also got a shot of the lichen Cladonia cristatella - British Soldier Lichen called so because its red fruiting bodies resemble the red uniforms once worn by British Soldiers. This species tends to colonized dry, rocky soils but is picture here growing a top a bridge piling in the Arboretum. Finally after the break was over we learned to respect but not fear the chain saw, that's right Daisy, give that log the business!