Mr. Tamsky’s 5th Grade Class from John Muir!


On October 11, 2011 Mr. Tamsky’s 5th grade class from John Muir Elementary School did their science lesson in the garden learning about water conservation and seed planting. They talked about ratios of salt water to drinking water, and why clean water is important. They discussed ideas for water conservation and how they can recycle water. Then they gathered hand-fulls of fava beans and planted them in prepared beds throughout the garden. And of course, they had a chance to water them before going back to class.
This is an Orb-Weaving Spider we found in Koshland Garden. The bite of Orb-Weaving Spiders is of low risk (not toxic) to humans. They are a non-aggressive group of spiders. Seldom bite. An adult is about 2/3 to more than 1 inch in body length – has a bulbous abdomen – often colorful – dark to light brown pattern. The common Golden Orb-Weaver Spider has a purplish bulbous abdomen with fine hairs. Often found in summer in garden areas around the home – they spin a large circular web of 6 feet or more, often between buildings and shrubs, to snare flying insects, such as, flies and mosquitoes.