This week is teacher appreciation week and I wanted to make something fun for Riley's teachers.  I was searching my Gift Ideas board on Pinterest when I found this pin: 39 DIY Girfts You'd Actually Want to Receive. I had pinned the photo of the Terrarium Kit and knew that this was what I wanted to do!  Of course, I had the so much fun buying supplies and getting everything ready that I finished the terrariums instead of leaving them as a kit for the teachers to put together...something tells me they won't mind too much!

While I was making the teachers a terrarium, I decided that I needed one as well...then my husband asked for one for his office so  in the end, Riley & I made 4 terrariums!

I pulled some Pinspiration from my Plants & Fungi board to see more instructions on what all to include in my terrarium.  I ended up combining a few things, mostly because I really liked the layered look of one terrarium in particular (seen here).  (Also, there are some great instructions found at this website.)

It may take awhile to figure out if you have too much water or need to add more.  Keep an eye on your terrarium and if it starts to look dry, add more water.  If there is too much condensation, remove the lid for a little while to let the water escape.  You should be able to reach an equilibrium where you need not remove the lid!  You'll have your very own self-contained terrarium!

I have always had a great interest in biospheres - especially after I came across the EcoSphere Self-Contained Underwater Ecosystem.  They are salt-water biospheres with shrimp in them!  So cool!

I had the wonderful opportunity to take a free composting class through the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, something I knew nothing about until I put my name on a list at a booth at the Midland County Fair so I could learn more about recycling in the area.  The TAES has a program called Earth-Kind, which provides the public with the knowledge and skills to protect the environment while obtaining "maximum gardening and landscape enjoyment." 

We were first introduced to the composting class by a gentleman who spoke to us on behalf of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.  He explained a lot about the municipal solid waste and landfill disposal in Texas.  This two night program was available due funding from the Regional Solid Waste Grants Program.  So not only are we learning how to compost, but this free program will help encourage the public to reduce their average pounds per person per day amount of garbage that goes into the landfill, thereby saving everybody money.  Recycling is a fantastic way to do this!  

Our classes were taught by Permian Basin Master Gardeners, volunteers who have been educated on gardening and horticulture through many hours of hands-on training.  These volunteers then in turn, share their knowledge with the public.  The first night, our class met at the Commemorative Air Force Museum where a Master Gardener taught us what composting is and how we can build and maintain a compost pile.  The second night of our class was located at the Time Machine Recycling Center in Odessa.  Here we learned about vermiculture or how to raise worms to produce compost.  We then went outside to help build a new compost pile in the Permian Basin Master Gardener's demonstration garden.  

The most important thing I learned about composting??  If there's ever something wrong with your pile, turn it!  Turning it helps in the decomposition process and can solve many problems that you may come across.  The second most important thing I learned about composting??  The BROWN:GREEN ratio should be around 30:1.  Browns are materials high in carbon such as shredded paper, dried leaves, or dried grass.  Greens are materials high in nitrogen such as your kitchen scraps (no meat or dairy), fresh grass, coffee grounds, or herbivore manure.  Too many browns will lead to slow decomposition process and too many greens will lead to a stinky pile.  I also learned that you shouldn't waste your money on the plastic barrels for composting as they take a very, very long time to compost and the plastic will probably break down too quickly for your liking...especially in West Texas heat.  The simple 3'x3'x3' wire mesh is the most sturdy as well as the easiest to manipulate when you need to get at your pile.  You can see an example here - though I must note that the Master Gardeners mentioned the aerating wire stand in the middle would be more helpful to grow your tomatoes and not in the compost pile!

The most wonderful part about taking this composting class was that we each went home with our very own FREE 3'x3'x3' wire compost bin, "tomato" stand, thermometer, & red worms!  I didn't know about that when I signed up for the class but am sooo glad I decided to go!!

As we are in temporary living, so our the worms!  The smallest recommended container for vermiculture is a 10 gallon bucket.  What size did the Texas Master Gardener use at her home, you may be wondering??  An old refrigerator laid down flat on its back!  The layers in my mini-vermiculture are sphangum moss & lettuce, worms, shredded paper, sphangum moss, paper towel, & rocks.  There needs to be a layer of rocks or other bulky material at the bottom to collect the water that drips down from the composting materials above.  This liquid is called "tea" and is a fantastic, organic fertilizer for your plants.   

Eventually, the worms will mix up the materials above the paper towel into a dark, rich, earthy-smelling compost that can be used in your gardening.  You can see a little bit of that material around the red worm in the photo above.  My goal right now is to keep the worms alive long enough until I can find a larger container to transfer them into so I will have to be careful that they don't get overfed (or it will stink) or under/overwatered (or they will die).  At that point, I will make them a proper home following the recommended guidelines from our class.

Do you have a compost pile?  Do you have composting worms?  Tell me all about it as I am new to composting and would love to hear your stories!

Learn more!  A few PDFs and websites from my class:
Soils & Composting
Backyard Conservation - Composting
Earth-Kind - Composting
Worm Composting
Vermiculture
Happy D Ranch - worm composting

Of course, we have to share the photos of the many little invertebrates that we have seen in our garden this spring.  Unlike last year, when the garden was new, this year we are seeing many different species of caterpillars!  I don't know all of them, but we have seen Black Swallowtail, Monarch, Gulf Coast Frittilary, & a Tersa Sphinx Moth.  We have also seen a few others in our yard and at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, I had the great pleasure of seeing a Spicebush Caterpillar - one of my favorites!  While camping at Brazos Bend State Park, we saw fireflies & dung beetles.  We have also seen great big black fuzzy caterpillars, inchworms that look like twigs, and caterpillars that have horns and eyes!  So many different bugs!

What kinds of critters have you seen?  Have you kept any caterpillars indoors so that you can watch them form their chrysalis and best of all...watch them emerge as a butterfly??  Happy bug watching!!

For help identifying your mystery caterpillars, butterflies, or other bugs, check out these great websites:
Butterflies & Moths of North America
Discover Life 
Gardens With Wings
What's That Bug?
Bug Guide
Insect Identification
eNature

This spring has brought us many beautiful flowers in our butterfly garden and back yard.  I have been taking photos of these flowers for a few months now and have decided to compile them into a slideshow to share with you.  There are even some flowers that may otherwise be considered the oh-so-scandalous weeds!  However, a plant is only a weed if it is growing somewhere where it is not welcome....all flowers are welcome in our yard!

Our butterfly garden was planted last April and has grown and flourished.  We have really enjoyed seeing the many different critters that come to enjoy the garden.  (Post on critters coming soon!)  This spring, as the plants started to take off growing again, I transplanted the purple porter weed and some of the fennel to my back yard where they would have more room to grow and could take up as much space as needed.  To fill in a few gaps, Riley & I sprinkled a butterfly seed mix which has quickly filled up our little garden and surprised us with a huge variety of flowers to enjoy.

If I had to pick favorites, I would say the Jasmine & Gardenia have the most lovely aroma, but the Passionflower and Hibiscus are probably my most favorite to look upon.  What do you have growing in your yard?  What are your family's favorite flowers?