Field trip to the beaver dam

By Toshi Mita

We went on a field trip to Michele’s husband’s work place where he makes honey and grows vegetables and some fruits. And we went to the beaver dam. I saw some honeycombs and the beaver dam for the first time, so I was surprised.

First, I saw the beehive. That was amazing. The bees had a lot of hexagonal beehives and they worked for their children, honey, and their queen. The queen was bigger than the working bees.

This close-up shot of the bees shows some of the honeycomb cells still covered in wax, serving as cocoons for the bee larvae. (Photo © 2008 Toshi Mita)

Kumiko ate little bit of the honey; then she told me, "That was good." She said it was different from the honey in the market. We also saw a field of corn, potato, basil, and strawberries, etc. It looked like my grandfather’s field.

Gustavo, Michele's husband, and his garden. Water is pumped from a spring on the property. (Photo © 2008 Toshi Mita)

Second, we saw the beaver dam. It was so huge. I couldn’t believe that they made the dam. The dam looked like the Panama Canal. Actually I went to Panama this summer, and I visited Daniel’s house. One day I went to the Panama Canal and I saw how it works. I don’t know whether the beaver’s dam works like the Panama Canal, but the beaver chewed some trees to make his dam. I think the beaver is strong.

Walking up the path from the spring that irrigates the garden. (Photo © 2008 Kumiko Takahashi)

So I was interested in their dam, just because it looked like the Panama Canal. According to the Great Plains Nature Center article "Beaver," They make their houses around a pond. If the area has some floating matter, the dam is going to be strong, because some plants take root on the floating matter. Their houses look like an upside-down flower pot. They make them from small trees, grasses and mud ("Beaver").

We check out the dock for swimming in the pond. This is where the beavers swim early in the morning and at sundown. (Photo © 2008 Kumiko Takahashi)

Some ducks and fish live in a reservoir, and if it rains the reservoir works to prevent flooding. I think beavers are smart. But we couldn’t see them. According to my research, the beaver has two sharp front teeth. They chew a lot of trees to make their houses ("Beaver," Wikipedia).

Gordito, Gustavo and Michele's dog, cools off in the pond near the beaver dam. (Photo © 2008 Michele Bourdieu)

I saw the beehive and the beaver dam for the first time. It was a nice experience.

Works Cited

"Beaver." Great Plains Nature Center. 30 September 2008.
<http://www.gpnc.org/beaver.htm>

"Beaver." Wikipedia. 30 September 2008.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver>