The Nature of Things

Shasta daisies have been in bloom in my garden this week and I've been enjoying them while they last. They don't last long, but while they do, their hearts of shining gold and rays of shining whiteness are a joy to behold. They gladden my own heart with their beauty. This little poem by a poet I'd never heard of expresses that joy. Daisy Time by Marjorie Pickthall See, the grass is full of stars, Fallen in their brightness; Hearts they have of shining gold, Rays of shining whiteness. Buttercups have honeyed hearts, Bees they love the clover, But I love the daisies' dance All the meadow over. Blow, O blow, you happy winds, Singing summer's praises, Up the field and down the field A-dancing with the daisies.

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment :  This little guy is the well-named White-browed Tit-Spinetail . It is only found in threatened Polylepis forests in the Andes of southern Peru. Its numbers are decreasing as its habitat is under attack. It is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week .  *~*~*~ Of all the outrageous acts of our current administration in Washington, there are few that appall me more than the destruction of the Rose Garden . Apparently it is to be paved over. *~*~*~* The battle over a mine to be built next door to the Okefenokee Swamp has ended in a victory for the conservationists who opposed it. *~*~*~* But in a defeat for conservationists, the administration is planning to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule that prevented roadbuilding and logging on roughly 58 million acres of federal forest and wildlands. *~*~*~* A runestone found in a Canadian forest in 2015 may be the oldest such artifact yet found in North America. *~*~*~*...

Yes, yes, I know I've used this one here before. It's a personal favorite of mine:  "I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention..."  When the next summer comes, assuming I'm still here, I'll probably use it again.            Tell me, what is it you plan to do            With your one wild and precious life? Enjoy! The Summer Day by Mary Oliver Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean-- the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-- who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel i...

  A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment : Gray Catbirds are among my favorites of the birds that visit my yard throughout the year. Here are ten interesting facts about these lovely critters. *~*~*~* The pangolin is often referred to as the most trafficked animal in the world, traded for its scales and meat. Pangolins are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species And now they  may be protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as well. That is currently being proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. *~*~*~* Bird conservation is an important part of the federal budget. It is essential that those federal programs continue . *~*~*~* Banks are the biggest funders of fossil fuel expansion and under the current administration which is a friend of fossil fuel they are retreating from their climate commitments . *~*~*~* This administration's Environmental Protection Agency seems determined to forego the protection pa...

The American poet Edgar Albert Guest lived from 1881 until 1959. In this poem, he describes the month of June in his experience. See if it sounds like the Junes you have known.   June by Edgar Albert Guest June is here, the month of roses, month of brides and month of bees, Weaving garlands for our lassies, whispering love songs in the trees, Painting scenes of gorgeous splendor, canvases no man could brush, Changing scenes from early morning till the sunset's crimson flush. June is here, the month of blossoms, month of roses white and red, Wet with dew and perfume-laden, nodding wheresoe'er we tread; Come the bees to gather honey, all the lazy afternoon; Flowers and lassies, men and meadows, love alike the month of June. Month of love and month of sunshine, month of happiness and song, Month that cheers the sad wayfarer as he plods the road along; Spreading out a velvet carpet, green and yellow, for his feet, And affording for his rest hours many a cool and sweet retreat.

  A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment : Isn't he cute? He is a Black-crested Titmouse and he is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week . His range includes central and western Texas, Oklahoma, and northeastern Mexico. He is a cousin to the Tufted Titmouse , a resident of my yard, one that I frequently encounter, sometimes in company with Carolina Chickadees , whenever I am outside. The Black-crested often hybridizes with the Tufted when their ranges overlap. *~*~*~* Earth's temperature is soaring and that is a threat to our food supply as food crops must quickly adapt to those higher temperatures in order to photosynthesize. *~*~*~* Hurricane season started two weeks ago but so far the Gulf and the South Atlantic are quiet. *~*~*~* Monarch butterflies in the western states are beginning to reach their summer breeding grounds and so hope for their continued survival is kindled. *~*~*~* Ocean acidification passed a critical tipping poin...