“To trace the history of a river, or a raindrop, as John Muir would have done, is also to trace the history of the soul, the history of the mind
descending and arising in the body. In both, we constantly seek and stumble on divinity, which, like the cornice feeding the lake and the spring becoming a waterfall, feeds, spills, falls and
feeds itself over and over again.”
 — Gretel Erhlich, “River History”
…

 More focus on habitat today. Specifically, some of the habitat needs of birds.

 It’s interesting that every creature out there, plant AND animal, has very specific habitat needs. Unlike humans, animals and plants can’t live everywhere.Different
species have different requirements for the types of food they eat, and the temperatures their bodies can withstand. They can’t buy food, or a coat, or a swimsuit. And most
animals can’t just up and move if they don’t like where they are, or if there is not enough food or water.

One of the many reasons animals …

Don’t you know that the animal kingdom is ever bit as glad to see Spring begin as we are?! And we are sooo glad for the rain we are receiving this
week. Oklahoma is almost on track for regular amounts of moisture received!
 
First, two tips for all you astronomers out there, from Chris Hardman’s Ecological Calendar:
(1) When we look into the sky on spring nights, we are looking away from the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Consequently, …

“April is the cruelest month.” — T.S. Eliot, “The Waste Land”

Can’t figure this out. Why is it the cruelest month? There is the saying that April roars in like a lion and out like a lamb. I guess maybe these two thoughts are connected, as
April is a month when the weather typically turns stormy; one hour the sky is clear and the sun warm, the next, an icy breeze blows from the north, chilling to the bone.

April is like a …

Welcome Spring.
I’m feeling it now, are you?

I believe there is an inherent need in all of us to feel connected to the natural world around us. When we are not connected, the world is a fearful place. We become frightened to go outside,
frightened to experience weather events, frightened to be anywhere but indoors where we can control (for the most part) the climate.

But it’s easy to forget that a huge majority of the people in …

Much of the northern United States, and even my home state of Oklahoma, are in the deep freeze! This feels like Limbo Land. We all thought spring was surely here – and I ALMOST put the plants I’ve been overwintering back outside a week ago. If I had, they would be frozen by now, as overnight temps have dipped into the twenties for several nights in a row.
When will it end?

Today marks the final post for winter 2012-13. We’ll say hello to spring on Wednesday the Vernal Equinox.

Connecting with Nature can be difficult. Maybe you had a bad – or scary – experience with nature as a child.
It could have been a bad weather event – maybe a tornado or hail storm.
It could have been a bad experience with an animal – a dog bite, or a horse that didn’t want to be ridden.
It could have been a nature adventure – camping or hiking – that went bad, and turned into a disaster.

A beautiful day here in Oklahoma, but I hear from the weatherman than things are not so great for Chicago and the eastern seaboard and northeastern US are in for it later today. It may still be winter now, but don’t despair — spring is coming.

I can’t help but believe Spring is here. With the beginning of March, this year, as last year, winter seems to have been banished. I was reminded today that Daylight Savings Time begins next Sunday – surely one indicator we are sliding into a different season.