And so it was that we stumbled upon some city snails lounging on a city sidewalk.
Inspired, we sought out litter of some sort to use as a temporary container, (a discarded Starbucks coffee cup worked just fine), and walked around the corner to the public library to learn more about these snails.
On our return loop, we spotted a neighbor distributing information about Black Swallow-Wort, a type of invasive plant species that harms native plants and, more significantly, tricks monarch butterflies into thinking it is nurturing milk weed upon which to lay its eggs.
The kids helped remove the Black Swallow-Wort from nearby shrubs and became official members of the city's "Pod Patrol." (Here is a link to the city's website with more information about the "pod patrol.")
I wonder what we will encounter on our afternoon walk in the city...
