Nature vs. Nuture

I am an early riser.

I like to check my blogs

to learn of things in nature,

like spiders, snakes, and frogs.

But this morning it was different.

I went to Loft Creations,

and here my lesson for the day,

was helping other nations.

 

Click HERE
to visit a silent auction
comprised of beautiful, hand made and hand crafted items.
I'm so overwhelmed by the generosity shown here,
I am struggling with words to describe just
what is happening at this site.
You have to see for yourself.

Wordless Wednesday

Cloudberry

(Rubus chamaemorus)

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Sense of Wonder

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”   Rachel Carson

I was recently gifted with the most wonderful book.  My childhood friend, knowing my combined passion for nature and children, selflessly saw to it that I had a copy.  I am forever thankful.

If I have my way, this book, entitled: The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson, will be under every Christmas tree next year in the homes of all those families in my life who share their existence with young children.

Rachel Carson, a noted environmentalist, revealing the world through her interactions with her young nephew, writes,  "A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood."

This book encourages the reader to keep the window open to nature and humanity  in a magical and mystical manner and to foster a child's natural curiosity and imagination from a very young age, while rediscovering their own. Her insight and wisdom is a gift to all, young and old. Her recollections are delightful and inspiring, and quite frankly, reveal how simple, yet enjoyable it can be to spend just a fraction of your time engaged in meaningful activity, away from the electronics and pace of this new age. 

"This book, filled with its sage and poetic insight, and illustrated with luscious photographs of the natural world is a first step toward rediscovering that amazing sense of wonder within.", states one reader.

It is worth your every effort to check it out, either by clicking on the Amazon button to the right, or visiting your local library for a preview before you purchase it.  If you are not a nature buff, or spend little time out of doors, you'll be asking yourself, "Is that all it takes?"

Shadow Shot Sunday

(Another awesome photo by Little Sister.)

 

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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

In March of last year, I went on a birding trip to Reid State Park along the Maine coastline.  While basking  in the warm sunshine after devouring our picnic lunch, watching a raft of mergansers negotiate the waves while feeding, this little fellow (I know, it's not a bird!) decided to join us for a tasty treat. 

Undaunted by our nearby presence, he continued to munch down on his little pine cone,

 

 and munch and munch and munch,

 

Until he had finally stripped it clean.

 

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Ant Farming

Woke this morning to temperatures of  -10F.

The blue jays line the trees,

all puffed up against the winter's cold.

This is the Year of the Blue Jay!

Record numbers are being recorded here in the Northeast US.

***

Although it is only mid-January, I'm already weary of the biting cold, and my thoughts have turned to spring.

Little sister keeps assuring me that spring is just around the corner!

I wait with anticipation for our daily jaunts through the forest in search of my favorite flowers of all,

the spring ephemerals!

One of the phenomenoms surrounding these alluring

harbingers of spring

that intrigues me the most

is a symbiotic relationship called myrmecochory,

or "Ant Farming".

Ants are attracted to the seeds of certain species of spring bloomers because the seeds bear small protruberances called elaiosomes.  These elaiosomes contain fatty food, attractive oils, and possibly sugars, and are considered to be a tasty treat if you are an ant.  The ants carry the seeds into their nests, sometimes as far away as 70-75 yards, where they dine on this gourmet meal.  But the seed shells are too hard to penetrate, and are cast off in an unused tunnel.  Here, protected amid the nutrients in the soil, the seeds will germinate.

Among the species of spring ephemerals that encourage ants to collect their seeds are:

violets (Viola sp.)

 

Wood Anenome (Anenome cinquifolia)

Hepatica (Anenome Americana)

 

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) 

Ground beetles and crickets also disperse trout lily seeds. 

 

Purple Trillium (Trillium erectum)

 

Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum)

as well as Bloodroot (Sanguuinaria canadensis),

and Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum).

(Photos compliments of Little Sister, the "Holly" in KaHolly, my mentor.)

"Just what makes that little old ant, think he can move a rubber tree plant.........." 

Watery Wednesday

Birding at Two Lights State Park

Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Harlequin Ducks

(Histrionicus histrionicus)

The biting cold was worth the picture!

Zoomed to the max with my little Canon, I'm quite pleased with the results!

Maybe there's hope for me, yet!

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/