Posted by wilde on January 30th, 2008 — Posted in Animal, Mineral, Vegetable
Today’s weather could be described as topsy-turvy. Starting out with light rain the snow was disappearing slowly until the sun came out later in the day. We don’t have much snow left now, but what remains is changing over from hard ice to a slushy mess.
High winds had the trees really swaying, especially early on today. I’m still surprised how much the trees sway without any leaves on them. I would have thought the surface area of just the woody parts would not be able to catch the wind so well. Their swaying in the wind can sound quite loud! I never knew trees could be so animated until I lived among them.
Up here on the ridge the temperatures at ground level must have been near freezing, especially in the shady areas. On the north side of the house, which is in constant shade, we might have crusty snow all winter long until a thaw occurs.
The wind and the cold together made for some pretty cold wind chill temperatures, so when I let the dog outside to do his business he wanted back inside real fast.
Can we go in now, pretty please?
It was then that I spotted these wild flowers growing on the deck. Of course it takes a little imagination, but I think Rorschach would be proud. What do you see in these icy images?
Shepard’s Purse.
Dragon’s Fern.
Lone Coconut.
Mossy Lichens.
Fleeting Spagnum.
It took barely an hour for my little icy formations to disappear into nothingness. Be on the lookout for more surprises from Mother Nature!
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Posted by wilde on August 12th, 2007 — Posted in Animal, Mineral
Quite a few years ago I had the pleasure of observing a fantastic display of meteors. As I came in late one night in August I saw one, then two shooting stars. I waited and looked for more and was totally shocked when I saw them.
Cranking my head up to see the night sky for more than a minute or three was not too comfortable, so I climbed up on my vehicle and reclined back on the windshield. A perfect viewing position! Ever since that meteor show I have looked forward to the 10-11-12 of August to see the Perseids again.
I couldn’t say how many times the viewing conditions were less than ideal. Either clouds obstructed the view, or moonlight filled the nighttime sky with too much light, or I couldn’t get to a dark enough area away from the light pollution of the city to see much of anything.
This week promised to change my meteoric luck. Three days ago we saw two shooting stars as a prelude to last night’s performance. Two days prior we lucked out and had rain, so the chance of more clouds in this season of drought was hopefully slim. And on top of that the 12th of August was slated for a New Moon!
Our house in the country is surrounded by mature oak trees but they don’t ruin the view of the starlit sky overhead. After midnight we assembled ourselves on the back deck with blankets and sat down facing Cassiopeia – the lazy W constellation – in the northeastern sky.
After our eyes adjusted to the darkness the light display began. First, we saw the Milky Way stretch across the sky and many, many brighter stars everywhere. Then we saw a streak of light zip across the sky. Wow! We kept watching and more of the Perseid meteors showered the deep night sky with trails of white, yellow and amber streaks.
The brightest meteors sped across a long path overhead. Others were short, faint streaks that left you questioning whether you had seen a meteor or not. We convinced each other that we did!
The oohs and aahs we let out paid tribute to Mother Nature’s wonderfully natural fireworks display. Laying back on the picnic table we got the whole sky in view and every few minutes exclaimed “yeah!” or “beauty!” upon seeing another one.
It’s not so much the little flashes of light across the night sky that draws me to meteor watching, it’s the whole experience that I enjoy. The sights and the sounds and the peace.
If you are still and listen to the night, you can learn a lot about your surroundings. Last night we were serenaded by hundreds of cicadas high in the trees. Their monotonous “zzeeep-zzzeep” only quieted when the dog barked back. Their sound was not as loud of a droning sound as the 17-year locusts we had a couple years ago, but they were still quite loud.
The dog barked to his neighbors in the north and southwest. I wondered what they had to say to each other. After the dogs quieted down we wondered if we heard some coyotes a little further to the north. Their calls seemed like they were yapping or yowling to each other, not like the barking and coon hound howling we heard earlier.
The most impressive sounds came from the foxes all around us. We counted five different voices at one time, but I suspect there were more foxes near to us than that. In the middle of the night their haunting calls sound like a wailing child. Once the dog started barking the eerie fox cries fell silent. Since I’ve only seen wild foxes in a field here and there, or running along a road or crossing one, I never contemplated that they might actually live in the forests.
In between seeing the shooting stars we listened to the sounds of the night and had a fabulously wilde time enjoying nature. Maybe next year you’ll join us!
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Posted by wilde on May 10th, 2007 — Posted in Mineral, Vegetable
Returning last week from a holiday spent in North Carolina, we couldn’t help but notice that the trees are mostly in full leaf now. Departing a week earlier we saw the oaks just coming out of their winter buds and a few other tree’s leaves still bundled up tight, like the elms and mimosas.
The dandelions that were left blooming are now dusting their fluffy seeds wherever the wind will carry them. Probably more fodder for next year’s early spring ham and dandelion dinners that are popular around here in central Pennsylvania.
Driving south through Maryland we relished the sight of red bud trees in full bloom. On the return trip north the same trees were full of greenery and barely showed the beautiful purple-violet blooms from the prior week.
In eastern North Carolina the azaleas and dogwoods already finished blooming before we got there, thanks to a cold snap, while our PA azaleas have just enlarged their flower buds so that the color is showing, yet the blossoms are not quite open. Dogwood blossoms are out in their full glory.
Traveling 500 miles one-way is a long trip no matter who is driving or whatever the route. We celebrated our safe journey by visiting with dear friends, tasting some really fantastic grouper and triggerfish, and finding a car load of marine fossils that date back at least a million years.
If you’d like to find your own fossils and have an opportunity to be in eastern North Carolina, stop by the Aurora Fossil Museum where you can see a nearly complete ancient whale, lots of shark’s teeth, and many more fossils from this locality. On May 26, 2007 the annual fossil festival over takes the town with a parade, a pageant, fossil collecting, music, food, and even an auction. Visit the museum’s website to see the auction items, including a marvelous Carcharocles megalodon tooth that is being raffled!
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