Enter your search here:
Due to our site update, photos on older posts may not display correctly. Sorry for any inconvenience.
-
Warbler Watching
The real jewel of my disease-ridden woodlot is the prothonotary warbler … The flash of his gold-and-blue plumage amid the dank decay of the June woods is in itself proof that dead trees are transmuted into living animals, and vice versa. ~Aldo Leopold This final post on our recent swamp trip is about one of… Read more
Written by
-
Bird Spot
Simply wait, be quiet, still. The world will freely offer itself to you. ~Franz Kafka Yesterday’s post mentioned the excellent birding we experienced on our recent paddle trip on the Roanoke River. When we arrived at our second camping platform, Three Sisters, the late day light was gorgeous and the sky was filled with all… Read more
Written by
-
Social Distancing – Swamp Style
Yes, though you may think me perverse, if it were proposed to me to dwell in the neighborhood of the most beautiful garden that ever human art contrived, or else of a Dismal Swamp, I should certainly decide for the swamp. ~Henry David Thoreau I will admit to feeling a little guilty about this, but… Read more
Written by
-
Keepin’ On, Goin’ On
No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. ~Maya Angelou There has been a lot of talk these past few weeks of the value of connecting with nature, especially during these stressful times where everything “normal” seems unattainable. There is definitely solace in… Read more
Written by
-
Naming Nature Part 2
Here is the answer to yesterday’s quiz along with things to note as you make your observations. The snake is a Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata). It is a small snake with adults ranging up to about 12 inches in length. They are fairly common, but somewhat secretive, in wooded areas and edges of old fields.… Read more
Written by
-
Naming Nature
I wonder what it would be like to go into a forest where nothing had name. How would we act in a forest if there were no names for anything smaller than an ecosystem? How could we walk, if there were no way to talk about anything larger than a cell? ~Kathleen Dean Moore When… Read more
Written by
-
Jack… or Jill… in the Pulpit?
The Lord chose to reveal his power and his love through two human faces: the face of his divine Son made man and the face of a creature, a woman, Mary. Women make their contribution to the Church in a way that is properly theirs, by making present the tender strength of Mary, the Mother…… Read more
Written by
-
Blue-gray Silk Snatcher
Its nest is composed of the frailest materials, and is light and small in proportion to the size of the bird. ~John James Audubon on the nest of what he called the Blue-grey Fly-catcher A friend and co-worker of Melissa says the wispy call of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) sounds like a faint “Steve”.… Read more
Written by
-
Plant Parts Part 3: Wild Columbine
Ephemeral Delicate, perfumed phlox;A mist of columbine, clinging to earth;Phoebe’s gravelly voice,Titmouse — tender, sweet;A dogwood cloud hover aboveVibrant, fresh leaves. FleetingFalling flowers, already spent;A garden, no longer my own. A spring, a garden, will come again;At home in the hope, the beauty. Bittersweetand fast-fading. Always returning! Mike has shared some of my poetry on… Read more
Written by
Roads End Naturalist 