Having grown up in the city, nature pretty much consisted of dogs, cats, squirrels, and pigeons. My folks did buy some property in the country when I was six and that expanded my horizon. We loved exploring the woods and streams nearby. We saw nature, but really didn’t learn much.
When we had children, one of our favorite things to do was to take the brood on hikes. Beyond blue jays, whitetail deer and bunnies I didn’t know about Mother Nature. As we started to learn about the outdoors, 
we learned a lot. One my favorite books on nature is Owls Aren’t Wise & Bats Aren’t Blind
Did you know that next to humans, the beaver is undoubtedly the most proficient of North American inhabitants at manipulating the environment for its own benefit? Or that toads don’t really urinate when you pick them up? How about the fact that polar bears are NOT white.
My copy of Owls Aren’t Wise is full of post-it notes and the dust jacket is tattered from use. Reading this book will help dispel some of the myths about nature. Opossum do not really hang by their tails. That’s enough information. If you want more, buy the book.
