An Ever Changing Miracle

Looking at the forest floor in early October it’s hard to imagine that in the same place just a few months earlier spring beauties and trilliums enchanted. With the exception of the tapping of a distant woodpecker and the call of a much closer Carolina Wren, it’s quiet. The banter of spring birds is not heard. Initially asked if you were in the same…

A Record Day

Yesterday, the 26th of September, on a long walk through residential neighborhoods near our central Ohio home and then along a city park bordering our local reservoir we saw more Monarch butterflies than we’ve ever seen in one day. If we had kept counting the final tally would have been over 30 with four seen on just one small cluster of asters. At a…

A Michigan Meditation

An epiphany occurred a few years ago when I realized I was never going to to see it all no matter how far and wide my travels took me so perhaps a more satisfying approach would be to strive for more intimacy and dig a little deeper in familiar places closer to home. With that in mind for the past ten plus years we’ve…

Uncommon Beauty

I didn’t even have a serious “bird camera” with me while hiking in Florida a few months back when a very common Sandhill Crane captured my heart, posing as if waiting for Audubon. When we least expect it, nature enchants. Thanks for stopping by

Early September Walk

On any given day we wonder what will be seen as we set off to explore a local park. In this case it was Prairie Oaks Metro Park a few morning ago. Wondering now in the past tense, we were not disappointed. Other things seen eluded the camera’s lens but that’s okay because the above images are more than enough to hint at the…

Just One Thing

It occurs to me that I often end up trivializing nature by always seeking the next bird, butterfly, or landscape. Perhaps a better goal would be, that when in nature or whatever the endeavor, to seek to truly appreciate one thing. Perhaps a first step is to walk a little slower. Thanks for stopping by.

Early Summer Meditation

Below are things that caught my eye during walks in central Ohio parks over the past few days. It is quieter now with the spring migration seeming like a distant memory. Many birds are going about the business of nesting and trying not to draw too much attention to themselves while insects are now more likely to draw one’s attention. In the woods walk…

Tiny and Seldom Seen

Early spring wildflowers in late March and early April continue to enchant us. In some wooded areas flowers almost cover the the forest floor. Spring is not new experience in our lives but every year with it comes a renewed sense of wonder. Recently, during a hike at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park a bonus was seeing a very small butterfly and it was…

The Earliest Central Ohio Wildflowers

Skunk Cabbage which can emerge through the snow in early March is followed closely by the arrival of Snow Trillium. In recent years we’ve missed the Skunk cabbage as we are busy exploring nature future south. More about that in future posts. Just a week or so after the Snow Trillium, a few other wildflowers, emerging through the dullness of last year’s fallen leaves,…

. . . With A Little help From Our Friends,

Yesterday, at a park near our home on a rather nondescript winter day, we ushered out 2020 with a little help from our friends. These friends have been reliable companions through a difficult year, but on the year’s last day, or perhaps because it was the year’s last day, their importance hit home more forcefully. There is no need to reflect on the love…