These hot September afternoons I’m looking for the shade of the tree, a place to relax and contemplate the change of the seasons.
Today, I’ll read once again this poem by Robert Frost, and think about it. Will you join me?
“I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day;
Have clapped my hands at him from the door
When it seemed as if I could …
It’s in the Air.
What?
Hmmm. I think Fall is coming.
Once again, as the days roll past I begin to anticipate fall.
It’s in the air – it’s in the slant of the light.
The days are slightly cooler in the mornings, and the sun rises later and sets earlier. We begin losing daylight quickly, and it won’t be long before leaves begin to turn in the northern states and
higher altitudes. It will be a few weeks before my …
(reprinted from the 2013 Farmer Almanac)
Imagine coming home with bags of salad greens and mushrooms, sacks of delicious nuts and baskets of berries and not having to pay a cent for them. Many people do just that by foraging, gathering
wild edibles in fields, forests, and lawns.
If you’d like to try this, be certain that you identify each plant before eating it: Many have look-alikes that could prove deadly. Be especially careful with mushrooms and berries. Studying
illustrated field …
I am struck by the truth and wisdom of today’s quotes from Aldo Leopold, who is one of the fathers of Conservation. I hope you will read them closely, and
think about them not just today, but all week.
“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” — Aldo Leopold, A Sand
County Almanac
…
From bats to damselfly’s, today’s post offers a variety of information about all things nature. These are more amazing facts from Chris Hardman’s Ecological Calendar
2013.
BatBridge In Houston, Texas, a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats finds shelter under the Waugh Bridge. During the summer, the colony reaches its peak size of about
300,000.
MaizeSilk The strands of silk that protrude out of a head of corn are the elongated stigmas of the …
I’ve been watching the skies – have you?
Once again, we’ve been exposed to treats in the summer skies. Just over a week ago, it was the annual display we call the Perseids. This meteor shower peaked around August 12 – but put on a show for
several nights prior to and after that date. Hopefully, you were in an area unaffected by cloud cover or light pollution, and were able to see the phenomena.
It so happens that I was having …
I’ve been spending lots of time in New Mexico lately – and it seems my future is destined to include north central New Mexico, a land of constantly changing sky, a mix of
desert and forest, alpine and valley. The breeze blows fresh air from the north, the west, the east, and all that one really knows for certain about the weather is that from sunup to sundown,
it is likely to change.
Another …
Today’s post is full of interesting facts about special coping mechanisms plant and animal species have for living life to the fullest in the warm summer months.Bet
you learn something new!
VenomTransfer. Pipevine swallowtail larvae feed on the poisonous pipevine plant and collect its toxins, retaining the chemicals throughout adulthood for protection against
predators. Other butterflies, like the red-spotted purple butterfly, benefit from mimicking this lethal swallowtail.
PoisonStar. Originally from Eastern Europe and the Middle …
“The day has passed delightfully. Delight itself, however, is a weak term to express the feelings of a naturalist who, for the first time, has wandered by
himself in a Brazilian forest . . . To a person fond of natural history, such a day as this brings with it a deeper pleasure than he can ever hope to experience again.”
— Charles Darwin, Feb. 29, 1832, while exploring the forests of coastal Brazil.
I think I get …
Ouch! Once again, one of them found me, worked its way past the defenses of long pants or gloves to bite into my skin and hang there.
Why do plants have thorns? How can we enjoy the sweet smell of the bright flowers, or the watery nectar of berries and other fruits if it hurts us to get close?
I can’t count how many times thorns have made my life miserable. From scratches from berry plants and rose bushes to thorns from cockle …
Mary Coley Writes 