You might’ve noticed we’ve turned the corner towards spring; front yards are filling up with beautiful wild flowers with an assortment of many colors. Most people probably recognize the yellow dandelions, if you look closely, you’ll see all the different colors, including white, blue, purple, and of course yellow. Most of these flowers belong to non-native plants that came to North America from other countries, especially European ones. But some of the wildflowers in our yards are native to North America, flowers such as the Slender Yellow Wood Sorrel. You can recognize it by its five yellow pedals and clover-like leaves. Wood Sorrel is not closely related to clover, they are in different plant families.

Well, summer is almost here, you know what that means, it’s time to head to the beach. When going to the beach, most people think of making sand castles and splashing in the waves. When I think of going to the beach, I think of looking for shark teeth. Sharks! In the Chesapeake Bay? Right where I was splashing in the waves? Don’t worry, the shark teeth that I’m looking for are very old, so old that they have turned into fossils. That’s why the shark teeth that I found are black. When they fell out of the shark’s mouth a long time ago, they were white, just like our teeth, but through the process of fossilization, they have turned into black stones. The sharks they came from are long gone. There are many types of fossilized things to find on the beach, such as stingray teeth, whale teeth, and even crab claws, but most commonly I find shark teeth. My family has over 10,000 shark teeth in our collection! Next time you go to the beach, take some time to look for little black triangles along the water’s edge.