Adventures Of Marigold Springs

Hey, everyone! I’ve been so excited (almost bursting to the top with excitement) that the Annual Chromosome 18 conference is coming up so fast so to help me with a little bit of excitement, I wrote this story. Here are some related blog posts: https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/07/06/annual-chromosome-18-conference-2018-part-1/https://lilliandarnell.com/2017/09/13/annual-chromosome-18p-conference-2017/ , and https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/06/15/my-adventure-to-surprise-part-1/ if you want to take a look. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Once many years ago, there was a time when Marigold Springs was called Magnolia Springs. Magnolia Springs had a girl named Marcella (Marie for short) and she wanted to travel to far off places to have daring cliffs and a never-ending basin of poisoned water.

More importantly, Marie longed for daring adventure. While Marie longed for adventure, her family longed to set up a cute little craft maker in the park. Hold on, why not, you ask?

Well, her family were so poor that they scarcely were able to enjoy food and water. Marie was stuck worrying about the money but when she had some time, Marigold would daydream about her adventures.

Marie even shared one of her adventures her mind took her to her mother. “That would a great story, sweetie. Maybe you could write it down.”, said Goldie (also known as Candy and Marie’s mother).

So that is what Marie did. So all was good as it could be. Until one day, there was a knock at the door. Goldie was thinking about something when the knock sounded and she was startled by the sound.

Goldie then said, “I’ll get it”. But secretly, Goldie wondered who it was. So when Goldie opened the door, she got a huge shock. There at the door stood a young woman about Goldie’s age and she asked for Marie.

Once Goldie got over her shock, she said, “Come in, dear. May I ask what your name is and how do you know my daughter?” The young woman stepped inside gratefully and said, “I am the Princess of Longing, Desire & Adventure but you can call me Rose or Princess Rose.”

“I know Marie from her daydreams. In fact, I am the one who gave her those daydreams. She’s also seen me in her daydreams and she even wrote about me”, said Princess Rose.

“Really? I’m flattered because I was the one who told her to write it down. Oh excuse me, where are my manners? I am Goldie, Your Highness. Ok, I’ll call you Princess Rose.”, said Goldie as she curtsies. “Marie, we have a visitor!”, said Goldie.

Marie hurriedly ran downstairs and she gasped when she saw Princess Rose. “You’re real! I can’t believe it.”, said Marie. Princess Rose chuckled politely at Marie’s excitement.

Princess Rose said to Marie, “The reason I came was I heard that you were longing for adventure. Lucky for you, I’m the princess of adventure, desire, and longing.” To the rest of Marigold’s family and Goldie, Rose said, “The reason I came here was I heard that this family longed to have a cute little craft maker in the park. Is that true?”

“Yes, very true.”, said Marie and her family. Princess Rose pulled Marie to the side and said, “How would you be like to be my adventurous explorer? If so, what should I call you for a nickname?”

Marie’s eyes went wide and said, “Yes, yes, yes! And I would like to have Marigold as my nickname, please. ”

Princess Rose said with a giggle, “Alright, Marigold! Let’s go!” Princess Rose gasped and said, “I forgot to tell Goldie something. ” Princess Rose said, “Goldie, here take this money so you and your family can make that cute craft maker of yours.”

Goldie looked at Princess Rose with glee and said, “Thank you! Thank you!” Princess Rose said, “Your welcome. Now, I really must go. Goodbye, all!” So Marigold and Princess Rose set off to explore in adventurous places.

They visited Salt Candy City, Peace Land, Desert World, Fern Land, and more. Many years later, Marigold returned home on her own to Magnolia Springs but to her surprise, the town’s name changed to Marigold Springs after her.

Marigold was very grateful for her hometown’s appreciation for her. She noticed a cute craft maker in the park. Her sister’s daughter was running it now. Marigold eventually settled down temporarily and during that time she got married to her friend, Astrid.

Then they traveled together all over the world. So if you see Marigold or Marie and Astrid, say hello to them and chat with them.

a marigold

beautiful marigold.

That’s the end of the story! I hope you all enjoyed! What’s your favorite part of my story? If it feels right, I would love to hear your answers in the comments.

My Adventure To Surprise Part 12

Hey, everyone! I went to Surprise, AZ for the end of May/beginning of June with my grandparents (also known as The Romano Duo). I would just like to share my adventure with you. By the way, some of the times aren’t accurate. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy!

June 9th, 2018: 

I woke up at 5:30 am (surprisingly) but laid there until 6:30 am. When I got up, I went directly to the restroom. Once I came out, I went into the bedroom to put on my clothes.

After I got dressed, I went to eat breakfast and eat my candy. Then I sat down and relaxed until 9:30 am when I was getting anxious. Around 10:00 am, we stopped so Patty and Frank could have their adult beverage.

Anyway, by 11:00 am we were on our way to Kingman. As usual at 12:15 pm, got some french fries in Burger In-N-Out but fortunately didn’t need to go to the bathroom. We were back on the road and we took in views and I talked to Rebecca through text.

We arrived at Beatty at 4:00 pm. We pulled into the Motel 6 parking lot and we got most of the stuff we needed for the night out of the car. By the way, Robert came too but anyway, we went to Denny’s across the parking lot in the heat.

When we were done, we went to the store that has candy, food, and more. We went through the back door to get to Motel 6 (the hotel we stayed at). Anyway, I finished eating dinner and jellybeans. After, I got ready for bed and stayed up. I fell asleep at 11:30 pm.

Selfie of me before going to bed

Selfie of me in the car

See part 13 (last part) here

Amazing Nature Party: The Surprises

Hey, everyone! This is part 5 of the Amazing Nature Party series. In this part of the series, you’ll read about surprises and the answers to the questions in part 4.

The nature animals and plants cheered with excitement for the nature party that began. The animals sang while the trees danced because they were excited. The special visitor was a unicorn and a special fairy called the Life and Nature Fairy.

The nature things asked, “Why is a unicorn with Life and Nature Fairy here? Is there a reason?” The fairy said, “I’m here because I’ve heard about this unique nature party. I’ve heard about the party from my good friend the animal fairy and I’ve come to help you get some more people to hear about this lovely party.”

“I’m glad you think our party is unique and lovely. We certainly could use more attention”, thought the nature party leader. So the nature fairy set off to find some people, fairies, princesses, fantasy animals, and mermaids.

One by one, the guests began to arrive. What did the guests do when they got there? That’s the end of part 5 of the Amazing Nature Party. I hope you enjoyed!

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Nature

Amazing Nature Party: The Big Day For Nature

Hey, everyone! This is the 3rd in the Amazing Nature Party blog series. You will read about Nature’s point of view.

The nature team prepared for the party. Meanwhile, Nature chatted about the party made just for them. They were all excited. “I’m so excited.” said the eldest bird. “The nature party will be held at 1:00 pm. The time is 12:50 pm right now. Shall we be on our way?” said the wisest old tree.

All the nature things including the trees and bird said, “Yes, we should be on our way. I agree.” So off they went to the nature party. When they arrived, their eyes were wide open with shock and surprise from what they saw.

Can you imagine what they saw? Anyway, that’s the end of part 3 in the Amazing Nature Series. Keep your eye out for part 4 of the Amazing Nature Party. In the meantime, read my other blog posts.

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American Tree Sparrows

Hi there! My mother, Camilla suggested that I write a series of posts about birds on my blog since I’ve been talking about them and learning about them. Please let me know if you have any bird books, CDs, or a website you’d recommend! Here is the part about American Tree Sparrows.

American Tree Sparrows are small, round-headed birds that often fluff out their feathers, making their plump bodies look even chubbier. Like other sparrows, they have fairly small bills and long, thin tails. Their color pattern is a rusty cap and rusty (not black) eyeline on a gray head, a streaked brown back, and a smooth gray to buff breast in both male and female American Tree Sparrows give an overall impression of reddish-brown and gray. A dark smudge in the center of the unstreaked breast is common.

Small flocks of American Tree Sparrows hop about on the ground, scrabbling for grass and weed seeds, calling back and forth with a soft, musical twitter that might make you twitter, sing, or dance. A single American Tree Sparrow may perch in the open top of goldenrod stalks or shrubs, or on low tree branches. Look for small flocks of American Tree Sparrows in the winter in weedy fields with hedgerows or shrubs, along forest edges, or near marshes except for Reno, NV. They readily visit backyards, especially if there’s a seed feeder.

American Tree Sparrows breed in the far north and are hardly seen south of northern Canada in the summer. 4-6, usually 5. Pale bluish or greenish, with brownish spotting often concentrated at larger end. Incubation is by female, 11-13 days; male visits nest often, but does not incubate. Young: Both parents feed nestlings. Young leave nest at age 8-10 days, when flight feathers not yet fully grown.

Parents may lure them away from nest by offering food. Young are able to fly at about 14-15 days after hatching; parents continue to feed them for about 2 more weeks. 1 brood per season, but may attempt to renest if 1st attempt fails. Diet in the winter is almost entirely seeds, from grasses, weeds, and other plants; also a few insects and berries.

In the summer, they eat mostly insects and other small invertebrates, plus a few seeds. Young are fed mostly insects. Pairs form shortly after birds arrive on breeding grounds. Male actively defends territory, chasing away other members of same species.

Nest site is on or near ground, in grass clumps beneath shrubs. Sometimes on hummock in open tundra; rarely up to 4′ above ground in willow or spruce. Nest is an open cup of twigs, grasses, moss, lined with fine grass and with feathers (usually ptarmigan feathers). Female builds nest in about 7 days.

All wintering areas are well to the south of breeding areas. Migrates relatively late in fall and early in spring. Apparently, migrates mainly at night. On average, females winter somewhat farther south than males.

The American Tree Sparrow is a small sparrow with a long notched tail. The adult has a streaked back and wings, with two white wing bars, but is otherwise unstreaked, while the juvenile is streaky overall. Adults have an unstreaked gray-brown breast and belly, with a dark spot in the center. The tail, rump, and nape of the neck are all solid gray.

The upper mandible of the bill is dark and the lower is yellow. The head is mostly gray, with a rufous crown and eye-line. American tree sparrows (Spizella arborea) breed throughout almost all of Alaska, the Yukon and Northwest territories, the very north of Manitoba and Ontario, all of Labrador, and in northern Quebec. Their winter range includes a very small part of southern Canada and all of the United States except for the western most 250 miles, the southern most 450 miles and all of Florida.

American tree sparrows usually breed near the tree line in open scrubby areas with willows, birches, alder thickets or stunted spruce. They may also breed in open tundra with scattered shrubs, often near lakes or bogs. They spend the winter in open forests, gardens, fields, and marshes. Baumgartner followed birds for the first 22 days of development.

Order of hatching was not dependent on the order of laying. Earlier hatched birds took the lead in development. During the nine and one-half days in the nest, the four feather tracts of the birds (dorsal, ventral, alar, caudal) go from completely bare to the back covered, lower belly slightly bare, wings 2/3 grown, and tail still a stub, and the birds grow from 1.62 gm to 16.7 gm, while their length goes from 33 mm to 75 mm during the same period. They lose 1.5 gm the first day out of the egg but have gained 3 gm by day 21 (Baumgartner, 1968).

On the second day after hatching the young were able to stretch for food. On the fourth day their eyes were half open, after the fifth day, wide open. The first sounds were made on the fifth day but were very soft. Fear was acquired between 7.5 and 8 days as demonstrated by their raucous calls when touched by humans.

During the first 12 days of the fledgling period (which lasts until about a month after leaving the nest in (Spizella arborea) the birds showed a steady increase in both tail length (14-47mm) and wing length (46-68mm). At the end of the first 21 days the wings were still slightly shorter and the tails about 2/3 the length of mature birds. A tree sparrow was observed to fly 30 or 40 ft fifteen days after hatching, and a little before one month after hatching, the birds could fly all around their territory. American tree sparrows are monogamous (one male mates with one female).

Males and females form breeding pairs after they arrive at the breeding sites in the spring. Both males and female sing to attract a mate. Females become excited when males come to sing nearby. They call back to the male, making a “wehy” sound.

Males may show off for females by spreading their wings and fluttering them or darting to the ground in front of the female, then flying back up to a perch. American tree sparrows breed between May and September. They raise one brood of chicks each year. The females builds the nest alone.

The nests are built on the ground out of moss, grasses, bark and twigs. They are lined with fine grass and feathers.The female then lays about 5 eggs. She lays one egg each day.

She incubates the eggs for 10 to 14 days and broods the chicks after they hatch. The chicks are altricial (helpless) when they hatch, so they rely on the female to protect them and keep them warm. Both parents feed the chicks until 2 to 3 weeks after the chicks leave the nest (called fledging). The young fledge from the nest about 9 days after hatching.

In late summer, the families join larger flocks. We do not know when young American tree sparrows begin breeding.
American tree sparrows breed once per year. Females incubate the eggs and brood the chicks after they hatch.

Both parents feed the chicks until they are about 22 days old. The oldest known American tree sparrow lived at least 10 years and 9 months. Most American tree sparrows probably live about 2.3 to 3.4 years. American tree sparrows are migratory.

Though they are usually active during the day (called diurnal), they migrate at night. American tree sparrows are territorial during the breeding season. Males sing to claim territories and they defend their territories from others. Females occasionally chase intruders too.

American tree sparrows do not defend winter territories. During the winter, they form large flocks that forage together. Within these flocks, some birds are dominant over other birds. American tree sparrows move by hopping on the ground and on branches, and by flying.

They do not swim or dive, but they do bath frequently. They roost alone trees or shrubs, haystacks, cornfields, and marshes. In the winter, they might take shelter together under the snow. American tree sparrows are omnivorous; they eat many different seeds, berries and insects.

During the winter, American tree sparrows mainly eat grass and weed seeds. During the summer, they mostly eat insects and spiders. American tree sparrows search for food among plants on the ground and the branches and twigs of shrubs and trees. In Massachusetts, they are often seen in flocks, feeding at bird feeders.

American tree sparrows need to drink a lot of water each day. During the winter, they eat snow in order to get enough water. Known predators of American tree sparrows include northern goshawks, sharp-shinned hawks, screech owls, pygmy owls, Cooper’s hawks, American kestrels, weasels, foxes, and red squirrels. When approached by humans, American tree sparrows give a rapid series of “tset” calls.

It is unknown how American tree sparrows respond to other potential predators. American tree sparrows are very important members of the food chain. They eat many weed seeds and insects and spiders, and they are an important food source for their predators.

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Sources I Used:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/mountain-bluebird

https://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/mountainbluebird.htm

https://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/idaho/state-bird/mountain-bluebird

https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/581/overview/Mountain_Bluebird.aspx

https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/infocenter/i7680id.html

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/california_quail/id

https://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/californiaquail.htm

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/california-quail

https://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/search/Display.asp?FlNm=callcali

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Tree_Sparrow/id

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-tree-sparrow

https://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/american_tree_sparrow

https://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Spizella_arborea/

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_Sparrow/id

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/song-sparrow

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