Camp Winning Ways

These are the 5″ x 7″ index cards the campers created to play “Who or What Am I” which was introduced in the previous post:

Weeping Willow Tree

1. Planted beside the lake

2. Long, flexible branches

3. Long, narrow silver green leaves

4. Bushy appearance

5. Weak wood

Submitted by: Anna

Mockingbird

1. Songbird

2. Imitates songs of many birds

3. Slender, gray above and white below

4. Long tail edged in white

5. Found in groves, gardens, yards and thickets

Submitted by: Beth

Mourning Dove

1. Larger than a robin

2. Ground feeder in gardens and farmland

3.  Sound; “ooah-ooo-oo-oo”

4. Eats grain and weed seeds

5. Slim, brown,with a long pointed tail

Submitted by: Doug

Wood Ibis

1. Smaller than a Great Blue Heron

2. Dark, naked head

3. White with large black wing areas

4. Found in marshes and ponds probing for food in shallow water

5. Strange humming notes

Submitted by: Doug

Turkey Vulture

1. Very large soaring bird

2. All black except for gray wing linings

3. Bare reddish head

4. Looking for carrion

5. Soars on unmoving wings for long periods of time

Submitted by: Burt

Cattle Egret

1. 19 -24 inches

2.  White with a yellow bill and light legs

3. Makes a”kroak” sound

4. Found in fields and grasslands near cattle

5. Eats insects

Submitted by: Edward

Anhinga

1. Longer than a duck or cormorant

2. Very slender with an extremely long neck and tail

3. Sits in trees or bushes with its wings outstretched to dry

4. Found in fresh water ponds, streams and lakes

5. Swims with its head and neck above water

Submitted by: Althea

Red-winged Blackbird

1. 7.5 – 9 inches

2. Black with bright red shoulder patches edged with yellow

3. Sound: “o-ka-ree”

4. Aggressive and gregarious

5. Found in marshes and fields

Submitted:  Sara

Fish Crow

1. 14 – 17 inches

2. All black

3. Sound: “car” or “cuh-ha”

4. Stays near water

5. Aggressive and gregarious

Submitted by:  Fred

Scrub Jay

1. 10 – 12 inches

2. Crested with white throat and brownish patch on its gray-blue back

3. Sound: “Kwesh”

4. Tame, lives in colonies

5. Found in sand pines and scrub oaks

Submitted by: Sam

Red-bellied Woodpecker

1. Size of a robin

2. Red cap, barred back, light under parts

3. Likes dead trees

4. Aggressive; usually  in pairs

5. Unmusical rolling “churr”

Submitted by: Janet

Papaya

1.  Tree-like

2. 12 -15 feet

3. Dark green to yellow fruit

4. Planted near the kitchen

5. Fruit flies all around them

Submitted by: Ray

Mango

1. Large tree

2. 40 – 50 feet tall

3. Dark,  shiny tapered leaves

4. Peach-shaped fruit with light green to reddish skin

5. Found in full shade near kitchen

Submitted by:  Will

Cabbage Palm

1. Thatch-like fronds

2. Rough, gray banded tree bark

3. Planted in moist, drained soil along camp driveway

4. Shelter for many small birds

5. Rustle as wind passes through their fronds

Submitted by: Nell

Passion Flower

1. Grows on vines on fence or trellis near garage

2. Some red and some white flowers with purple centers

3. Green leaves year round

4. Pleasant smell

5.  Sword bill hummingbird evolved to sip its nectar

Submitted by: Ellie

Allamanda

1. Dark green leaves

2. Large yellow blossoms

3. Bushes in the sun or light shade

4. Planted outside camp lodge

5. Showy blossoms attract bees

Submitted by: Martin

Confederate Jasmine

1. Twining vines on porch railing

2. Round but pointed leaves

3. White, star-shaped blossoms

4. Strong fragrance

5. Attract butterflies

Submitted by:  Steve

Bougainvillea

1. Bushes 10 – 20 ft. high

2. Pink, orange, purple, rose and white blossoms

3. Always in bloom

4. Blanket of blossoms

5. Planted around the front car circle of camp

Submitted by: Maggie

Golden Orb Spider

1. Spins its web in large open spaces

2. Large with yellowish-orange markings

3. Female may be 8 inches across

4. It’s a weaver

5. Eats flies, beetles and butterflies

Submitted by: Harold

Gopher Tortoise

1. A land animal with a shell

2. Digs a burrow

3. May get to be a foot across and weigh up to 29 pounds

4. A kind of turtle

5. Eggs look like ping pong balls

Submitted by: Rachel

Campers return with their info cards completed. Every camper gets some one else’s card pinned to their back.  They then begin asking other campers questions about what they are. Campers can only respond with one piece of info from their card.  Each player has a pencil to check off the clue that they shared with the asker.

Each participant gets 5 queries.  After each has heard the 5 descriptors, they guess what they are.  If they are correct, they sign the back of their card and watch the others.  Those who are incorrect in their IDs can then ask for an additional clue.  The gane is over when all have been identified.

After the game Camp Gal asks: “What kind of clues were the most helpful for you?

Campers: “Those that gave a really unique feature, sound or location on this property.”

Camp Gal: “Keep that in mind as you move into our next challenge.”

Camp Guy: “Good morning, Campers! Did everyone get a good night’s sleep and have some quiet time before or after breakfast?”

Campers agree among themselves. Finally several volunteer.

Sara: “Well, Camp Guy, it was hard to sleep from about 4:00 a.m. on.  There was something jumping up and down on our cabin roof.”

Dave: “Yeah, I noticed that the attic space above our cabin ceiling seemed to have something moving around up there.”

Will: “Well, our cabin was quiet enough, but when I went to the showers this morning, there were these tiny  green frogs croaking and hopping all over the place.”

Camp Guy: “So why do you think you noticed these sounds this morning?”

Will: “I noticed that the barometer outside the dining room is falling.  It’s warm, muggy, overcast.  We’ll probably get some rain today.”

Camp Guy: “That’s what the weather report said this morning.  There’s a squall line coming in from the Gulf.  We may have more indoor activities than usual today.  As for what the sounds you heard were, those were just our local animals in residence reacting to the changing weather. Sara, the raccoons jump from the trees to the roofs looking for a way to get out of the wind if their treetop nests don’t feel secure.  The sounds in the attic in your cabin, Dave, came from some bats that gather up there.  If the wind picks up, there’s a draft up there so they reposition themselves to stay dry and secure.  Will, the little peeper frogs will disappear from the shower room as soon as the weather passes, too.

How about the rest of you. Did you sleep okay?”

Campers: “Yeah, but this weather is unsettling.”

Camp Guy: “When the weather kicks up and there’s a full moon, there can be some strange happenings around here.”

Campers: “Like what?”

Camp Guy: “Well, this morning on my walk down by the lake and beach, I discovered that a murder had occurred on our property.”

Campers (aghast): “A murder? Who? What? How? When? Where? Why?”

Camp Guy: “As near as I can figure, it was Herman, my kids’ pet duck.  He wasn’t in his pen down by the boat house.  The pen gate was ajar. The cage door was unlatched and half open.  There were some feathers and drag marks on the ground. Sara, you said you heard the sounds on your roof from about 4:00.  How long did that last?”

Sara: “They went on for about an hour.  When it began to get a little light, they stopped.”

Camp Guy: “That was probably tied in with Herman’s murder.  Herman was not a full grown duck yet so my kids insisted we keep him in a latched cage in the chicken wire pen where we used to keep chickens.  I didn’t see any footprints, but I’m thinking that one of the bigger raccoons climbed the pen fence and unlatched the duck’s cage, strangled Herman then dragged him back to his tree.  He couldn’t get his load up the tree trunk so he got it to the roof of your cabin, Sara, and that’s where the duck feast occurred.  I’ll check up there later to see what remains need to be hauled off.”

Sara: “That gives me goosebumps, thinking that there were raccoons eating a duck on my roof!”

Camp Guy: “These things happen when you live in the woods.”

Sara: “How are your kids going to take the news?”

Camp Guy: “They’ll be upset.  We’ll have a “closed casket” funeral for his remains and then talk over a safer way to raise a duck.”

Sara: “Like what?”

Camp Guy: “When it’s really too young to go unprotected, put it in a padlocked cage since raccoons have very nimble fingers, and let it spend its nights in the lake near the raft as soon as it’s able. This way it’s in its natural habitat away from raccoons.”

Sara: “What about gators in the lake?”
Camp Guy: “It’s going to have to use its innate  survival skills anyway so on the water it has a better chance than being cornered in a cage.”

Will: “Well that’s a somber way to start things off today.”

Camp Guy: “Not for long.  We’re going to use our time before the storm to go out and really look at something that fascinates us then you’ll write 5 brief descriptive statements about it. Next, come back here and clearly write the name of the animal, plant or other object on a 5×7 index card along with the 5 descriptors and your name at the bottom. When the cards are all done, each of you will get someone else’s card pinned to your back. You will have to ask questions about what unknown thing is on your back.Each camper you ask can only give you one of the descriptors in response. They’ll check that one off the list with the golf pencil each of you will have.  After you have been told the 5 descriptors, you decide what “thing” you are.”

Camp Gal, joining in: “Hi, everybody! When you go out to pick your object and write your descriptors, think of something that regularly catches your attention as you walk around the grounds.  It can be a plant, animal or inanimate object. Okay?”

Campers: “Okay! How much time do we have?”

Camp Gal: “You have half an hour to fill out your card with the name of the item, 5 descriptors printed clearly and your name at the bottom.  Is that clear, Campers?”

Campers: “Clear enough.”

(This  “Who or What Am I?” activity is concluded in the next post.)

[Continuation of Four Variations of a Simple Shape activity from last post]

Camp Guy: “Another Group?”

Diamond Head Surfers: ” We’ll go!”

Anna: “I wanted to go after Gretta since she spends time finding treasures washed up by the tide, too.  I chose stars.  My first star is a starfish like the ones you can bleach and dry out for interior decorating. The next star is on a pentagon kite I like to fly over the beach near my home. The third star is a cross section slice of a star apple fruit which grows in South Florida. It adds zest and color to fruit salads I make.  My fourth star is the leaded glass light fixture in my front hallway.  I appreciate the craftmanship in it, and I feel blessed by its light in my little Gulfport cottage.”

Camp Guy: “Thanks for sharing your personal stars with us, Anna.”

Fred: “I’m next! I went with ovals. I made one oval into a surfboard; one into a happy cloud; and the other two into zori sandals.”

Camp Guy: “You like to keep things basic, Fred?”

Fred: “I do. The simpler the better.”

Ellie: “I’ll go.  I chose hearts.  My first heart is a valentine reminding me to let people, including myself, know that I love them. The next heart is a petal from a dogwood blossom on the tree behind my childhood home. The third heart is the ace of hearts, the highest point card in my favorite card game. The last heart is my own heart with four chambers, valves and arteries and veins to remind me that the exercise I love to do keeps it pumping.”

Camp Guy: “What a lot of diverse images you all are sharing!”

Steve: “I’m ready now.  I chose squares.  The first one is a die with a lucky six showing.  The next is a sugar cube.  It’s good to have a little sweetness around. The next one is a present. I like to get them and give them.  The last one is a Rubic’s cube to remind me that every time I rearrange it, it’s up to me to set it right again.”

Camp Guy: ” Thank you, Diamond Headers.  More viewpoints to dazzle us!”

Earthrise: “OK, we space guys are ready.”

Camp Guy: “So what are you all thinking when you’re feeling ‘down to earth’?”

Bert: “I’ll start. I chose circles because they remind me of holes. I drew a Black Hole, a hole in the number one, a hole in a sculptured head and an aerial view of a bowl of Cheerios.”

Camp Guy: I can see why your puzzle mates enjoy your company.”

Bert: “I just like being O-riginal!”

Ed: “Bert’s a hard act to follow, but I’ll go.  I drew triangles. I turned my first triangle into a symbol for a tree reminding myself that I want to plant more of them in deforested areas of the planet. The next triangle became a billiard frame to rack up the balls.  It reminds me that I play better when I have a ball level view at the end of my cue.  My third triangle became a piece of pumpkin pie, my personal favorite when fall comes.  My last triangle turned into the conical roof of a round house like I’ve seen in so many African villages where I have distributed free shoes.  I’m not sure where that came from. Maybe I’ll figure it out while I’m here.”

Camp Guy: “You campers are giving us all ‘food for thought’ this evening.”

Ray:  “I’ll go.  I chose rectangles because I like a lot of games with rectangles in them. My first rectangle is a domino.  It can be as simple or as complex as the players want to make it. Next I made a tennis court where you can play singles or doubles. A basketball court came from my third rectangle. Man, I love watching basketball games.  What a close up look at teamwork and individual skills!  The last rectangle turned into a bowling alley where it’s just you and your ball lining up to down those ten pins.  Talk about aligning your trajectory!  It makes me appreciate NASA’s achievements more.”

Camp Guy: “I’ll never see a rectangle the same way again!”

Will: “I’ll close up this session.  I chose circles. My first circle became a series of concentric circles from water dripping into a still pool. This has always been a very relaxing sight for me. The second circle became an eye with an iris and pupil dilated.  Both me and the nocturnal animals around me are adapting our night vision to survive and thrive.  The third circle turned into the yolk of a fried egg which is one of my favorite basic foods.  The last circle turned into the sun in the middle of our solar system providing the light and heat to produce this garden we call Earth.”

Camp Guy: “Thanks, Ray and Will.  Your sharing rounded out a spectacular panorama of images  from our collective experiences.  Was anybody “bored” by this?”

Campers: “No, Camp Guy. What a trip!”

Canp Guy: “Our musings were sometimes amusing; other times confusing, but the reflective activity we just completed has the potential for infusing new awareness into the most basic shapes surrounding us, linking us to new views and perceptions.”

Campers: “What’s next?”

Camp Guy: “Tomorrow we’ll start our ‘Accuracy of Awareness’ activities.  You have personal time before and after breakfast until we meet back here in the Great Room at 8:30.  Dress comfortably.  Tomorrow’s activities will explore ways to ask questions and pose problems, check for accuracy and precision, be specific in thought and language, be aware of your own thinking process, and remain open to continuous learning.”

Campers: “That sounds heavy!”

Camp Guy: “Remember we’re playing so it will only get as ‘heavy’ as you want it to be.  You’ll set the rubrics or assessment guidelines for whatever activities you choose to do. Okay?”

Campers: “OK!”

Camp Guy: “G’night, all!”

Camp Guy: “Well. Campers, you have had time to pick your shapes and create variations of the design. Which group wants to share first?”

Butchart Gardens Group: “We will.  We ended up with some country-living themes running through our designs.”

Beth: “I chose circles.  I made one like the sunshine face, one like the man-in-the-moon, one like the top of a hot-crossed bun, and one like a chocolate chip cookie.

Camper comments: “Cute. Cozy. Yum!”

Sara: “I chose triangles that alternately pointed up or down.  I turned them into a tent, an ice cream cone, a kid’s and a grandma’s face.”

Camper: “A good time outing?”

Sara: “Yup. I think that’s what came to my mind.”

Harold: “I chose horizontal rectangles. I made a toolbox then I thought of stuff in my toolbox so the other rectangles turned into a ruler, a level, and a big bolt.”

Camper: You are a fix-it guy to the core, Harold!”

Harold: “Heck, no! I surprised myself.”

Rachel: “I chose the ovals.  The first one was a cucumber, the next one was an onion, then I decided to think bigger so the third one is my lily pond and the last one is a mirror that reflects my flower garden. The mirror hangs on my patio wall back home.”

Camper: “Well, that’s a variety of focal points!”

Rachel: I feel very pleased with myself and blessed to have these pictures in my head.”

Camp Guy: “I guess so, Rachel.  Thanks, Butchart Gardeners!  You really got us started.  Who’s next?”

Yosemite Falls Group: “We are!”
Camp Guy: “OK.  Who’s first?”

Sam: “Me, the tree house guy.  I chose trapezoids. My first one turned out to be a tent; my next one was like a canoe; the third one is like a plateau seen in the distance from the plain below; and the last one was a metal mess kit.”

Camper: “You’re really an outdoors guy, at heart, aren’t you?”

Sam: “I am. I am.”

Janet: “I’m next! I did a row of stars.  I made my first star into a flag since I was born and raised in Texas, the Lone Star State!  The next one turned into a sheriff’s badge like the ones we used playing cowboys and Injuns as kids.  The last two just got connected to be a pair of movie star sunglasses for a little more ‘glamor’ at camp.”

Camp Guy: “Well, Janet, that’s an original way to give camp life more pizazz!”

Janet: “I thought so!”

Camp Guy: “Next?”

Doug: “I’m ready! I chose ovals.  The first one is a fish. The next one is a fishing lure. The third one is my pillow, and the last one became my big frying pan that I use for cooking up shore dinners.”

Camper: “Spoken like a veteran fisherman!”

Doug: “Hey, I know what I like!”

Maggie: “I chose circles.  The first one is the globe with its land and oceans.  The next one is a pepperoni pizza, my personal favorite.  The third one is a compass so I can always find true north wherever I am.  The fourth one is a token which I would like to have for a unified world monetary system which would make traveling so much easier.”

Camp Guy: “You like to keep things simple, Maggie?”

Maggie: “I do! That’s why this activity appeals to me.”

Camp Guy: “Thanks, Yosemite Falls fans.  Which group goes now?”

Sailboat Regatta: “We’ll go!”

Nell: “I chose diamonds, my best friends! The first one became a big ol’ diamond solitaire ring.  The next two got connected for when I feel like ‘burnin’ the candle at both ends.  The third one is a baseball diamond with me on the pitcher’s mound pitchin’ a ‘no hitter’!”

Camp Guy: “Thanks, Nell.  Is that larger than lfe or what?”

Althea: “Well, I chose triangles.  My first triangle is a mountain because I aspire to new heights.  The second is now an arrow pointing upward.  The third is a three-legged stool I unfold when I need to rest along the way, and the last is a stirrup to remind me to mount up and keep moving.”

Camp Guy: “Althea, you sound like a perpetual motion devotee.”

Althea: “It works for me, Camp Guy!”

Martin: “I chose the circles. I connected two circles as the wheels on my bike.  The next is a stone rolling down a slope to remind me how much I appreciate coasting down them.  The last circle is my camera lens, my third eye which helps me record, review and remember what has passed before my eyes.”

Camp Guy: “In four circles you have shared one of your adventure rides with us!”

Gretta: “Now it’s my turn! I chose hearts. My first heart is a side view of a butterfly in flight. My next heart is a piece of weathered coral I found on a Caribbean beach.  My next heart is a big spinnaker sail, and my fourth heart is a sterling silver pendant I used to wear on a leather thong around my neck.”

Camp Guy: “Thanks for showing us the heart shapes in your thoughts, Gretta.”

[To be continued in the next post]

Camp Guy: “How did you enjoy Souper Supper, Campers?”

Ed: “I’m glad we had a choice of beef stew, chili, or French onion soups in our edible  bun bowls.  Choosing my soup got me more excited about eating everything with my hands.”

Sara: “I liked the way you sliced the raw veggies into slivers, waffles, and chunks and let us gave taco scoopers to choose our dressings.”

Ellie: “Nice variety of wild greens.”

Burt: “Thanks for giving us the tongue depressors option for eating our pudding.”

Nell: “I liked having pudding toppings to choose from.”

Anna: “The warm moist hand towel at the end brought me back to feeling civilized again.”

Will: “It gave personal meaning to the saying “finger-lickin’ good”.

Althea: “I wouldn’t want to eat like that every day, but it was fun and filling.”

Others: “We agree!”

Camp Guy: “Yeah, I always enjoy Souper Supper Night.  It’s something out of the ordinary. Now we’re going to focus on something ordinary that you can make extra-ordinary.  There are strips of poster board here that have been cut horizontally four to an 8 1/2″ x 11″ page.  There are also shapes of circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, diamonds, ovals, stars, hearts, and trapezoids that will fit four to a strip. Your challenge is to choose only one shape and trace it four times with a colored marker across your strip.  Using that shape, finish it in four different ways. Afterward we’ll share them by puzzle groups.

Janet: “I’m not an artist!”

Camp Guy: “Artistic ability has nothing to do with this.  Just look at and relate to the shape four different ways.  Something is never “same old, same old” if you see it from different perspectives.”

Rachel: “Oh, I did this once before when I was reading Julia Cameron’s The Vein of Gold- a Journey to Your Creative Heart. It was  one of her “boredom busters”.

Camp Guy: “Bingo! Julia’s books have helped thousands of people realize that they are a lot more creative than they ever imagined…so, Campers, are you ready to go into creative mode?”

Campers: “Okay!”

[This is your chance, Virtual Campers, to participate in this activity, too.  Our next two posts will hear all the 20 campers reporting out their results.  It would be great fun to add your comments about your four creations from the same shape and what you learned about yourself in the process. Please feel invited to share.]

Camp Gal: “Well, Campers, how was the Florida Incredible Edible buffet?”

Campers:”Surprisingly satisfying. Filling. Tasty. Unique. A taste treat. A revelation! A refreshing surprise. Thanks for the effort you put into it, Camp Gal!”

Camp Gal: “It was my pleasure.  I like to surprise folks with new perceptions of everyday experiences… and that’s what our ‘Question Me an Answer’ activity is all about.  Our answers are 20 edible plants from this morning’s scavenger hunt list.

We’ll start off with the answer “violet” and take the first 3 questions that are volunteered.  It’s not about having the “right” question, just brainstorming, association, and spontaneity. The third question contributor is entitled to pick the next “answer” from the scavenger hunt sheet.  Okay?”

Campers: “Okay”

Camp Gal: “Let’s begin. The answer is ‘Violet’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s a flower named for a color?”

“What has an inedible African cousin?”

“What’s a salad or dessert you can find in your yard?”

Camp Gal: “That’s the idea.  Our next answer is…”

Third Responder: “What is ‘yellow pond lily’. Questions?”

Responding Campers:

“What look like yellow golf balls that landed in a water hazard?”

“What has seeds that can be popped like popcorn?”

“What has a fancy looking seed pod that looks great in dried flower arrangements?”

Camp Gal: “Those were fun. Next answer?”

Camper: “The answer is ’sea grapes’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s a grape that’s found near beaches?”

“What’s a fruit you can pick from your yard plantings?”

“What’s the opposite of a ‘land grape’?”

Third Responder: “The next answer is ‘bass wood’.

Responding Campers:

“What’s the name of a fishy tree?”

“What’s a good whittling wood?”

“What’s pretty shade tree with clusters of small edible nuts?”

Third Responder: “The next answer is ‘prickly pear cactus’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s a plant you wouldn’t want to sit on?”

“What’s a cactus with edible fruit?”

“What’s a cactus you can buy in your grocery’s produce department?”

Third Responder:  “The answer is ‘air potatoes’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s an inedible potato’?”

“What’s an invasive vine that chokes out other plants?”

“What has a big edible root and large heart-shaped leaves?”

Third Responder: “Our next answer is ‘Jerusalem artichoke’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s a Florida plant that’s a long way from home?”

“What’s an ‘ artichoke’ that isn’t an artichoke?”

“What looks like a big bush full of sunflowers?”

Third Responder:  “The answer is ‘elderberries’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s the opposite of ‘younger berries’?”

“What’s a ditch weed that makes delicious jelly, tea, and wine?”

“What are those clusters of little green to dark purple berries  by the lake shore?”

Third Responder: ” The answer is acorns.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s a squirrel’s favorite food?”

“What can be ‘leached’ and ground into meal?”

” What do mighty oaks grow from?”

Third Responder:  “The answer is ‘poke weed’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s another name for ‘ink berry’?”

“What’s a big showy weed that looks like a landscaping plant?”

“What has poison berries but tender, tasty young stalks?”

Third Responder: “The answer is ‘Dahoon holly’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s red and green and tough all over?”

“What has red berries that can be dried and roasted for tea?”

“What makes a holiday wreath with ovate leaves that don’t prick?”

Third Responder: ” The answer is ‘Spanish needle’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s also called ‘monkey lice’?”

“What has lots of barbed ‘hitch hiker’ seeds?”

“What lawn weed has edible white flower petals?”

Third Responder: “The answer is ‘Spanish bayonet’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s another name for ‘yucca’?”

“What had big, bell-shaped , waxy white flower blossoms?”

“What’s a plant that keeps you at sword’s point?”

Third Responder: “The answer is ‘Sumac’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s the source of ‘Indian lemonade’?”

“What has red terminal berries that shouldn’t be washed or boiled.?”

“What has a flavoring coat like apples?”

Third Responder: “The answer is ‘wild garlic’.

Responding Campers:

“What’s a smelly member of the lily family?”

“What makes delicious seasoned butter?”

“What lets you know it’s edible by its smell?”

Third Responder: “The answer is ‘persimmon’.”

Responding Campers:

“What has a small fruit which puckers your lips?”

“What has to be ripe, orange and mushy to be tasty?”

“What can best be collected by shaking the tree?”

Third Responder: “The answer is ‘beauty berry’.”

Responding Campers:

“What is a thirst quenching berry?”

“What’s a landscaping plant that is tasty as jelly and bird food.?”

“What do you plant to make your landscaping prettier?”

Third Responder: “The answer is ‘cat tails’.”

Responding Campers:

“What are the forager’s friends?”

“What can be used as food, a torch, or mattress or life jacket stuffing?”

“What has ‘wet feet’ that can be ground into nutritious flour?”

Third Responder:  The answer is ’sawtooth palmetto’.”

Responding Campers:

“What has a tasty terminal bud?”

“What can be harvested without killing it?”

“What  has large fan-shaped leaves with pointy spikes?”

Third Responder:  “The answer is ‘day lily’.”

Responding Campers:

“What is a showy orange flowered garden plant?”

“What has tubers, buds, and flower petals that can be eaten raw?”

“What garden flower produces a yellow dye?”

Third Responder: “The answer is ‘dandelion’.”

Responding Campers:

“What’s a common weed we find in yards and fields everywhere?”

“What means ‘teeth of the lion’?”

“What’s a plant known for its high vitamin greens?”

Camp Gal: “Terrific, Campers!  It’s obvious that some of you have been browsing through the reference books here in the Great Room library nook.  You may want to pool your group information from this morning’s scavenger hunt plant identification. Our Butchart Gardens Group has offered to compile a field guide pamphlet from the notes and sketches the teams made.  We’ll print copies for whoever write their contact info on the clipboard order sheet. It will be here on the table beside the reference books.

Dress casually for supper at six. You’ve got free time until then,”

Camp Gal: “Welcome to the Florida Incredible Edibles buffet, campers!  While you and Camp Guy were out identifying natural nibbles and foraging  around the campgrounds, I’ve been preparing your lunch lab.

Grab a plate and some silverware and serve yourselves at the buffet table. The  menu is posted on the whiteboard behind the buffet table.”

Florida Incredible Edibles Buffet Menu

Appetizers:

Popped Yellow Pond Lily Seeds

Partridge Berries

Saw Palmetto Buds

Salads:

Amaranth Leaves

Young Shoots of Cattails

Water Hyacinth Leaves

Day Lily Shoots and Tubers

Spanish Needle Flower Petals

Entrees:

Acorn Burgers

Sauteed Jerusalem Artichokes with Garlic and Bay Leaves

Diced Prickly Pear Pads with Scrambled Eggs

Artichoke Pasta with Creamed Wild Onion

Cattails on the Cob

Wild Onions, Scrambled Eggs, and Bacon

Side Dishes:

Simmered Poke Leaves

Air Potato Tubers with Cheese

Cattail Biscuits with choice of

Elderberry. Persimmon or Beauty Berry Jellies

Desserts:

Ripe Sea Grapes

Assorted Candies made from

Prickly Pear Fruit, Sumac, Clover and Violet Blossoms

Beverages:

Chickory Coffee

Indian Sumac Lemonade

Assorted Teas including

Elderberry, Persimmon, Dahoon Holly

(The campers enjoyed their leisurely lunch  prepared from nature’s bounty. They did not know it at the time, but Camp Gal did not have to forage much of the meal.  The local Florida Crackers group held a Harvest Day Festival each fall at the Camp Winning Ways Lodge.  Some of them specialized in making natural jams and jellies, others collected different kinds of acorns, leached them to remove the bitterness, then dried and ground them into flour or “veggie burger” nuggets.  The white oak acorns were the sweetest so needed the least processing. One group member shipped in cases of canned poke weed from the Southwest to educate the public about this nutritious “weed”.  They also gave demonstrations on how to cut out the central saw palmetto stalk which is tastier than the “heart” of the cabbage palm. It can be removed without killing the plant.

Camp Gal could buy prickly pear pads, artichoke pasta, ground chicory coffee, elderberry and persimmon tea leaves at the natural food market in town. She  found a lot of good recipes at http://www.afeteforfood.com. The site recommended  a book: Wild Plants I Have Known … and Eaten” by Russ Cohen, a natural edibles environmentalist from Massachusetts. This proved to be another good resource.

As the campers finished their main course, Camp Guy told them that they would have their beverages and dessert in the Great Room. ” We’re going to relax over dessert and play a funny little game called “Question Me an Answer”.  It’s a brainstorming game that lets you make any “connections” you want.  The former late night  TV host Johnny Carson used to play around with this. Humor is good for our brains, our hearts, our digestion, and our “spirit”.  It’s a little endorphin booster after lunch.”

The well-fed campers reassembled in the Lodge Great Room. We’ll revisit them there in the next post.)

Camp Guy circulated among the five groups of campers who went out to find edible Florida plant specimens.  As he ambled around from group to group, he made these observations:

Some of the groups decided to work together on this project  The Earthrise and Yosemite Falls groups decided to cover higher, sandy areas.  The Diamond Head and Regatta groups checked out the low, wet areas, and the Butchart Gardens gang spread out from the Lodge  and cabin buildings to examine the camp’s central landscaped areas.  Each group appointed a spotter, a sketcher, a specimen collector,   and a note taker.  They seemed to think that this saved time by giving everyone a job to do, but they were all open to each other’s suggestions.

The Butchart Garden group quickly located the clover, dandelions, and Spanish needle growing among the St. Augustine and Bahia grass in different yard and common areas between the camp buildings.  They spotted some sea grapes down by the miniature golf course.  Prickly pear cactus and Spanish bayonet were seen growing in the landscaping underneath the windows on the back wall of the Lodge, cabins, and “Staff only” maintenance sheds.  As they moved away from the public areas to follow paths to the lake and trails, they found beauty berry, day lilies, basswood, Dahoon holly, and Jerusalem artichoke.

The Earthrise and Yosemite Falls groups decided to walk out to the camp entrance which was on the higher, dune side of camp that fronted US 19.  The Earthrise group started at the northwest corner of the property. The Yosemite Falls group started from the southwest corner.  Both groups walked the trails through the scrub undergrowth eastward back to the camp’s main buildings.  They noted saw palmetto, persimmon, prickly pear, Spanish needle, and sea grapes in the driest areas; as well as elderberry and poke as they reached moister areas. They spied wild onions, shining  sumac and partridge berry as they got closer to the central parking areas around the camp buildings.  They noted several large basswoods over the swing and a grove of white oak near where the picnic shelter was located west of the Lodge.  That’s where they brought their specimens to lay out for sketching, note-taking and discussion.

The Butchart Gardens group discovered them there and spread out their collection to share so each could use the others’ notes and move into the other’s area to collect their own samples.

The Diamond Head and Regatta groups had walked to the lake on the lower east side of the camp property.  They started due east of the camp buildings then fanned north and south along the shoreline.  The Regattas got into two canoes and paddled along the lakeshore for a while before walking trails back to the Lodge.  The Diamond Headers also grabbed two canoes to paddle up to the “branch” creek that emptied into the lake.  In the creek they were overwhelmed by the water hyacinth growth. From there they also spotted cat tails and some yellow pond lilies.  Some elderberry bushes grew along the creek as well as some tall poke plants and some white oak trees.

The Regatta group was having so much fun staging canoe races that they mainly noted the cat tails along the shoreline and the water hyacinths.  They did spot a clump of Jerusalem artichokes and some elderberry along the shoreline.

After they returned their canoes around 10:30, the Diamond Headers and Regattas headed back toward the Lodge.  There was a lot of dragonfly activity off to their right so they took a little spur trail through the cat tails and found a meadow sink hole pond full of yellow pond lilies.  They brought one complete specimen back in a 2 gal. plastic bag with some pond water in it to keep the root system moist.  They thought it could be relocated in the gold fish pond in front of the Lodge.

As they headed back to the cabin area, they saw the other campers in the picnic shelter so decided to join them with their specimens.  It was a pleasure to see the self-organizing going on with these groups. They happily shared notes on plant locations and the collection techniques they used.

Camp Gal joined us in the picnic shelter around 11:30.  She commented on the group’s strategic planning to cover the whole camp property in two hours and share their findings.  She suggested that the campers leave their specimens at the picnic tables, go back to their cabins to wash up for lunch, then meet in the dining hall for a special Florida Incredible Edibles lunch buffet.

That sounded good to everyone so they adjourned to their cabins to freshen up.

Camp Winning Ways Florida Guide to Edible and/or Healing Plants

Acorns from White Oak, Quercus alba: leaves with round lobes and no prickles on the end. Acorn meats are creamy, sweet, and fresh each year. Light: Partial shade to full sun.  Moisture: Wet, moist, or dry. Soil Type: Sandy or loam

Basswood, Tilia americana: leaves are heart-shaped with a saw tooth edge.  Small nuts hang in clusters.  A large  shade tree with large dark green leaves and rounded crown. aka: linden or lime tree

Beauty Berry, Callicarpa americana: deciduous shrub with stems 8 – 10 feet tall;  lilac colored flower circle stems at nodes; bright purple fruit cluster around the stems just above the leaves from late summer through winter.  Soil Type: Rich, fertile. Light: Shade.

Cattails, Typha latifolia: leaves have no midvein and last year’s old cattails are still evident. Soil Type:  Mud in shallow water. aka: bullrushes.

Clover, Trifolium repens: low plant in moist meadow lands; white bushy blossoms; a perennial plant with alternate compound leaves found in threes.  The dark green leaves often have a white V on them.  Soil Type:Loam to average in pasture land and lawns.

Dahoon Holly, Ilex cassine: evergreen shrub with red berries that are poisonous if ingested. Light: Light shade. Soil: Moist. Paired leathery ovate compound leaves.

Dandelions, Taraxacum officionale: low plant in moist meadows, sawtooth leaves, yellow bushy blossom, airborn seeds in fall.

Daylily, Hemerocallis fulva: occur as a clump including leaves, the crown, and the roots. The long, often linear lanceolate leaves are grouped into opposite flat fans with leaves arching out to both sides. Offshoots grow from stems.  Soil: moist.  Light: Sun to light shade.  Bloom April to June from bulbs.

Elderberry, Sambucus simpsonii: grown as a bush or tree with compound ovate leaves often with 3 pairs and  terminal saw toothed  leaves on a branch. Large clusters of small white blossoms in an umbrella shape; ripe black and green berries on the same bush. Soil type: Damp.

Jerusalem Artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus: tall plant in the sunflower family; up to 10 feet tall, yellow flower. Tubers can be dug up in fall. Soil type: Moist. Plant in June. aka. sunchokes.

Partridge berry, Mitchella repens: a trailing, evergreen herb with white, fragrant, tubular flowers in pairs. Paired ,ovate leaves; colorful terminal pairs of berries. Soil Type: Sandy.  Light: Direct sunlight.

Persimmons, Diospryros virginiana: tree with pointed, ovate leaf and terminal bud found in dry fields, pinelands, moist woods with small 1/2″ – 1 1/2″ fruit.  Shake the tree when fruit are orange to collect the ripe fruit.

Poke. Phytolacca americana: large, rank perennial that grows 8-9 ft. tall. Found in old fields, cultivated land, roadsides. Leaves are oval to lunar shape, smooth, arranged alternately in red to purple.  Greenish white flowers in summer. In fall dark purple, slightly flattened berries 1/4 “- 1/2 ” in diameter. Edible only in Jan, – March, are the colored stems up to 8″ high. aka: inkberry.

Prickly Pear Cactus, Opuntia spp.: spiny or hairy padlike leaves with red fruit that forms after yellow flowers drop off.  Handle with care. Soil Type: Sandy. Light: Direct sun.

Saw Palmetto, Serenoa repens: fan of long spiky leaves with a terminal bud.  Soil type: Sandy. Light: direct sun.

Sea Grape, Coccoloba uvifera: large shrub 12-20 ft. high, white flowers in spring, purple fruit from June-Aug.. Soil Type: Sandy to average.if well drained. Light: Direct sun to light shade. Salt tolerant

Shining Sumac, Rhus copallina: small tree or large shrub with feather-like compound leaves.  Leaves turn bright red in the fall . Leaf has wings on its stem. Flowers are small, yellow-green in clusters at the end of the branch. Fruit are small 1/8″ red berries. Berries are coated with malic acid which is what gives apples their taste.  Harvest after a dry spell.  Soil Type: Acidic.  Light: full sun to partial shade.

Spanish Bayonet, Yucca aloifolia: evergreen with erect stem with long, pointed leaves and flowering stalk with cascading waxy white blossoms. Soil Type: Sandy. Light: Full sun. aka. yucca.

Spanish Needle, Bidens alba: common ubiquitous weedy plant. It usually does not  have a complete set of white  ray florets, giving the flowers an asymmetrical or incomplete look. Seeds have two pointed teeth which cause them to stick to clothing as “booby lice”. Found throughout the year along roads and in many disturbed areas.

Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes: a free-floating perennial aquatic plant introduced to Florida. Broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves,; may rise above the surface of the water as much as 1 meter in height; long, spongy and bulbous stalks. The feathery, freely hanging roots are purple-black. An erect stalk supports a single spike of 8-15  attractive flowers, mostly lavender to pink with six petals.

Wild Onion, allium canadense: a perennial plant that has an edible bulb covered with a dense skin of brown fibers and tastes like an onion. The plant also has strong, onion-like odor. The narrow, grass-like leaves originate near the base of the stem, which is topped by a dome-like cluster of star-shaped, pink or white flowers. Flattened solid leaves spathe is at the tip of a pith-filled tube which may carry bulbets alone or with flowers or it may have sprouted bulbets with green tails. aka. wild garlic.

Yellow Pond Lily, Nuphar luteum: a native  perennial water lily with oval leaves 9 – 15 ” across notched at the base.  Yellow flowers have fleshy petals and look like golf balls. Leaves curl up out of the water.  Seed pod is yellowish green tinged with red with a row of spurs protruding from the bottom around the stem. aka spatterdock

Camp Gal: Good morning, Campers! From the empty spaces in the refrigerator this morning, it looks like you took me up on the free foraging for snacks last night.”

Campers: “Thanks, Camp Gal! There were some tasty leftovers in there.”

“Yeah, there sure were!”

“Two – four – six – eight, who do we appreciate? Camp Gal! Camp Gal! Camp Gal!”  (Cheers and applause)

“Well, you all are easy to please.  We’re spending today musing in different ways.  Now here’s what’s in store for you this morning  Thigh slapping drum roll, please!”

Camp Gal: “Since you all forage so well in a fridge, your assignment is to now scavenge around the grounds to locate some of Florida’s many edible plants.  You are encouraged to draw upon your past knowledge and use it in new situations to locate the plants and figure out how you or a survival specialist, pioneer, or entrepreneur might take advantage of the plants’ life sustaining properties.”

“You are able to accomplish your search faster in your 5 puzzle groups which reminds me that you haven’t officially met Gretta yet.  Gretta just flew in from Amsterdam yesterday and arrived after dark.  She has agreed to be part of the Sailboat Regatta group.  Come introduce your ‘Idealized Gretta’ to the group.  I know you’ve already met your other team members at their puzzle table after breakfast.”

Gretta: “Thank you, Camp Gal! It’s great finally getting here.  I’m still a little jet lagged, but the good breakfast and some fresh air and exercise should bring me around.  I have a rental river barge in the Netherlands.  I pilot it through the canals taking vacationing families on week-long water tours”

Camp Gal: “You’ll make a great addition to the Sailboat Regatta team, Gretta.  They’ll fill you in on some of the activities you missed over the first few days.”

Campers: “Welcome, Gretta.  You’re going to enjoy this place!”

Gretta: “Thanks, everybody.  You look like you’re having some fun here.”

Camp Gal: “Getting back to this morning’s challenge – by working in your groups, you can pool resources to figure out your own collection system.  Each group gets the same list of plants. These include the plant’s popular and scientific name, some identifying descriptive characteristics, and a map of the property.  When you locate a plant, collect one sample of the leaf, berry, nut or fruit.  Mark on the map where you found it.  There are more items on the list to find then you may be able to locate between 9-11 a.m. The camp map shows you where the water and comfort stations are on the grounds so you can refresh yourselves out in the field. One member of each collecting party should sketch the plant or tree to show what it looks like where it is growing including how the leaves,  flowers, fruits or nuts are clustered.  Each group member should add a comment on any insights or knowledge they have about the plant.  Here are your plant lists and sketchpads.  (Plant list is next post.)  Any questions?”

Camper: “Are any of these poisonous to touch?”

Camp Gal: “No,  but don’t taste something unknown.  Sometime the edible part is not well known.  It might have to be cooked or it might be its  root or tuber.”

Camper: “Is this a competition?”

Camp Gal: “No, this is a specimen locating and identifying expedition with 5 search parties.  We will all benefit from the information and experience you share  when we meet here again at 12:00 for lunch. There is time in your schedule from 11-12 to go back to your cabins to freshen up or to do a little extra exploring on your own.”

“On the table by the bookshelves in the corner of this Great Room there are several resource books on Florida  plants and plant uses that you might find interesting.  These include:

Florida’s Incredible Wild Edibles by Deuerling and Lantz

Month – By – Month Gardening in Florida by Tom Mac Cubbin

Plants that Heal by Milicent Selsam

Stalking the Healthful Herbs by Euell Gibbons

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

A Sand County Almanac and Sketches here and There by Aldo Leopold