Category Archives: nature

Jul23

up in the canopy and so lucky.

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it was a very lucky day

to wake up and look out my window

to see the high clouds had cleared

revealing the top of the volcano at last

then a hike up and into the tree canopy of the arenal rainforest

 amidst many highly specialized flora and fauna that very rarely live in other places.

 it’s estimated that no less than 1/3 of all tropical species are found in a rainforest canopy.

it was such a lovely way to end the day

to see these skies when returning in the early evening

after a day spent up high in the canopy

a very lucky day indeed.

“the forest is for me a temple-

a cathedral of tree canopies and dancing light.”

-dr. jane goodall

Jul21

going through.

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a welcoming walk through the rainforest

in the sarapiqui region


beauty everywhere

bravery on the hanging bridge

over the roiling river

finding a lock of love

magnifico.

“the clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.”

-john muir

Jul2

blind date.

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exploring saginaw forest

 

—

“july is a blind date with summer.”

*-hal borland

 

*Harold “Hal” Glen Borland was an American writer, journalist and naturalist. In addition to writing many non-fiction and fiction books about the outdoors, he was a staff writer and editorialist for The New York Times

1900 – 1978

 

 

—

summer 2023, ann arbor, michigan, usa

 

May10

spring chickens.

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the kinder, who are spring chickens, check out the other spring chickens

and the other spring chickens check out the kinder. 

—

“the sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken!”

-bob dylan

Apr27

wild mushrooms.

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mushrooms are one of my absolute favorite foods

and it’s soon time for the elusive morels to appear

luckily i have this handy chart to help.

no time to write more

i’m off to find a sasquatch den.

—

“on the subject of wild mushrooms, it is easy to tell who is an expert and who is not:

the expert is the one who is still alive.”

-donal henahan

Apr16

no mow.

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(landscaper waiting patiently)

—

the city has introduced an initiative

asking residents

to let their lawns and parks

grow to one foot tall before mowing

to benefit the struggling pollinator population

the landscapers are standing down.

 

—

“the grass is always greener once you don’t have to mow a lawn anymore.”

r.k. milholland

Apr7

rabbit shadows.

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“the other day when i was walking through the woods,

i saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree”

-steven wright

 

—

art credit: vicky sawyer

Mar23

nests.

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robin’s nests created by the kinder using natural materials 

clay, twigs, pinecones, clippings

any robin would be happy to raise her babies in one of these beautiful homes

 

—

“wildness we might consider as the root of the authentic spontaneities of any being. it is that wellspring of creativity whence comes the instinctive activities that enable all living beings to obtain their food, to find shelter, to bring forth their young; to sing and dance and fly through the air and swim through the depths of the sea. this is the same inner tendency that evokes the insight of the poet, the skill of the artist, and the power of the shaman.”-  thomas berry

 

Mar21

listen, earth sings.

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May be an image of flower, nature and body of water
 Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France
 “Spring has returned again.
The Earth is like a child
that knows poems by heart;
so many poems, so many verses,
patient toil winning her prizes at last.
Strict, the old teacher.
We loved the whiteness in the old
gentleman’s beard,
its bright snow.
Now when we ask what the green,
what the blue is,
Earth knows the answer,
has learned it.
She knows.
Earth, you’re on holiday,
lucky one: play now!
Play with us children!
We’ll try to catch you.
Glad, joyous Earth!
The gladdest must win.
Every lesson the old teacher
taught her,
all that is printed in roots
and laborious stems:
now she sings it!
Listen, Earth sings.”
– Rainer Maria Rilke
—
“The inspiration for this sonnet came from
a visit to Ronda, in southern Spain, in the
winter of 1912-13. Rilke had overheard a
group of schoolchildren singing in the Convent
of Santo Domingo, accompanied only by a
triangle and tambourine. He didn’t know what
their song meant, but the light-hearted
animation of their singing is reflected in the
cadences of the second and third stanzas.”
—
on international poetry day
Mar18

stuck.

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one foot in a boot

one foot out

stuck tight in the mud

give a happy shout.

—

a rite of passage and sure sign of spring

on outdoor adventure day.

—

“it isn’t that deep, they said.”

-author unknown