A Spectacular Singer!

Brown Thrasher

The other day I was sitting peacefully by the creek, absorbing the sights and sounds. Birds twittered in the branches around me while the creek babbled at my feet. A sparrow landed on the muddy bank across the creek from me and began searching for bugs. A woodpecker hammered away on one of the dead trees nearby. All of a sudden I heard some rustling in the leaves behind me. My first thought was squirrel since we have quite a few in the area. I slowly turned around, but could not see any squirrels. The rustling continued, so I scanned the leaf covered ground for the source of the disturbance. Finally, I noticed some movement. There, nicely camouflaged in the brown leaves, was a bird, the Brown Thrasher. With his beak he was tossing leaves left and right as he searched for food.

Brown Thrashers are known to be one of the best and most spectacular singers with the largest collection of songs of all North American birds. They have around 3,000 distinct songs in their repertoire. It is also a shy bird that prefers to stay in dense thickets, so spotting it can sometimes be difficult. They love to feed on insects, berries and nuts; however, they also eat lizards, snails, small snakes, and tree frogs. They will build their nests in low bushes, stumps, vines or on the ground and will aggressively protect their nests by using their bills to hit their predators (that can sometimes include humans and dogs).

Click HERE to hear some of the Thrasher's songs and browse more information about the bird. 

Lessons from the Sun

"If we gaze even a moment upon the sun in its meridian glory, when we turn away our eyes, the image of the sun will appear in everything upon which we look. Thus it is when we behold Jesus; everything we look upon reflects His image, the Sun of Righteousness." TM 388-9

"But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." Pr 4:18

"As the sunbeams penetrate to the remotest corners of the earth, so does the light of the Sun of Righteousness shine upon every soul." DA 464

"As the sun goes forth on its errand of love, dispelling the shades of night and awakening the world to life, so the followers of Christ are to go forth on their mission, diffusing the light of heaven upon those who are in darkness of error and sin." Mount of Blessing 39

"Christ's true followers will walk in the light as He is in the light and therefore they will not travel in an uncertain way, stumbling because they walk in darkness. The Great Teacher is impressing upon His hearers the blessing which they may be to the world, represented as the sun rising in the east, dispelling the mist and the shadows of darkness.... The sun, gilding, tinting, and then glorifying the heavens with its blaze of light is a symbol of the Christian life." TDG 92

"Many illustrations from nature are used by the Bible writers, and as we observe the things of the natural world, we shall be enabled, under the guiding of the Holy Spirit, more fully to understand the lessons of God's word. It is thus that nature becomes a key to the treasure house of the word." Ed 120

Other object lessons from the book "Education"
Daily updates on space weather

Seeing versus Looking

Sometimes I walk through the woods or along my creek and I feel like I'm looking at everything, but I've come to realize that I'm not necessarily seeing. In order to really see I often have to stop and stand still for a minute or two. When I try to really see, I have to admit, my eyes and brain get a little overwhelmed. Where at first I saw only trees, rocks, and a flowing stream, I started seeing chipmunk burrows hidden by leaves, raccoon scat near a tree, animal trails criss-crossing through the underbrush, woodpecker holes, squirrel claw marks up a tree, a small strand of fur caught on the end of a branch, tiny water snails, and more. There's SO much to see, it's dizzying!

Today I spent some time trying to see. However, despite my concentrated effort, I still almost missed what was right in front of me. I was walking along and absentmindedly brushed a hanging rose vine out of my way. But then I stopped and decided to look at it more closely. Carefully holding the branch so I could get a closer look without the breeze blowing it into my face, I noticed it had delicate green leaves bordered with crimson starting to come out. The combination of colors was quite beautiful. Proud of myself for having truly seen, I let go of the branch and was about to keep walking when something caught my eye. Once again I pulled the branch closer and to my surprise, only a few inches away from the beautiful leaves... the ones I had so carefully looked at... I saw a whole family of aphids. How could I have missed seeing them?

I'm learning that one of the tricks to really seeing is not necessarily to focus in just on one or two small details; it is to constantly vary your vision by shifting your focus. If I am engrossed by one thing, I will end up missing something else. However, if I maintain a broader vision, I will miss the small things. This is why I say my brain gets a little overwhelmed. Nevertheless, I find if rewarding every time.

Here are just a few tips to help you "see" nature:

•  Realize that seeing takes time - be patient
• Slow down and if possible stop (it may help to sit down)
• Pay attention (movement, colors, shapes, patterns, outlines...)
• Vary your vision - look up, down, side-to-side, up close and wide angle
• Keep a nature journal and draw some of the things you find
• And of course, practice!

I focused today only on sight, but nature observation includes listening, touching, smelling, and occasionally tasting. Imagine if I started observing using all my other senses as well!

"On the face of it, the easiest of all activities should be seeing what we see. In reality, it's the hardest." ~ Charles Movall

"The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." ~ Marcel Proust

It's a wonder that we don't wonder more

On my walk through the woods yesterday, I decided to collect some of the nuts and seed pods I found along the way and then come home and identify them. After a bit of detective work, I not only identified the nuts, but was blown away by how useful each tree could be. 

 

Shagbark Hickory 

Native Americans – The nuts provided a staple in their diets and were used in many ways. They found the hardwood excellent for making bows, and they used the nuts and trees for medicines, dyes and soap. Many tribes also used various hickories medicinally as pain relievers, parasite removers, cold remedies, skin problem aids, laxatives, and liver aids.

Other uses – The wood of the tree is used for tool handles, wheel spokes, carts, golf club shafts, and walking sticks. It is also used for fire wood and the Hickory flavor it adds to smoked meats. It is a great tree in areas with high winds because of the tap roots that go down deep in the earth, making the trees very wind resistant. 

additional information about the tree (with pictures) 

Black Walnut 

Native Americans - Native Americans used black walnut medicinally to treat skin disorders and as a psychological aid. The bark of black walnut was used by many native groups, including the Cherokee, in tea as a laxative and chewing for toothaches. Caution: Bark should be used cautiously in medicine, because it is poisonous.  The Chippewa and the Cherokee used the bark to make brown and black dyes. Black walnut was also used by the Cherokee, Comanche, and Iroquois to treat athlete’s foot, hemorrhoids, and as an insecticide.

Other uses - The early settlers found that its rich-brown heartwood was exceptionally resistant to decay and put it to use as fence posts, poles, shingles, and sills. The nuts are a food source for humans, squirrels, mice, and other wildlife. Modern herbalists use black walnut hulls and leaves primarily as an agent that rids the body of parasites.

Handling a black walnut fruit will have the effect of staining your hands if you fail to prepare and wear gloves. The husks of the walnut are round and light green before they ripen, at which time they turn a yellow-green and leak a brown dye that is difficult at best to remove from the hands. Inside this husk is a hard two-halved shell that is so strong that pulverized pieces of it can scour clean jet engine parts. The husk contains the prized walnut that cooks use in various recipes.

Additional information about the tree (with pictures)

Black Oak
Native Americans – Native Americans used black oak to treat a wide variety of ailments including indigestion, chills, fevers, respiratory problems, sore eyes, and more. Native Americans would ground acorns to make flour.

Other uses – Numerous wildlife species eat black oak acorns: squirrels, mice, voles, raccoon, deer, turkeys, and other birds, however they are often buried for later so that the tannins become less strong. Historically, the inner bark was important for its tannin and as a source of yellow dye. The wood from the black oak tree is used to make furniture as well as lumber for basic construction jobs. Oak trees are the preferred habitats of owls and squirrels.

Acorns play an important role in forest ecology. Acorns contain bitter tannins, the amount varying with the species. Tannins can be removed by soaking chopped acorns in several changes of water, until water no longer turns brown. Being rich in fat, acorn flour can spoil or get moldy easily and must be carefully stored

-          White oak acorns - Produces a heavy crop typically every 3rd year but a crop every other year.    Sweetest of all acorns due to a very low tannic acid level. 
-          Black oak acorns - Produces a crop typically every 2nd year. Medium to high tannic acid levels - typically a good spring food after thaw.

Additional information about the tree (with pictures)

Sweetgum –

Native Americans –  In addition to using the sap as chewing gum, Native Americans and settlers used the sap to treat a wide variety of ailments in both humans and domestic animals. Native Americans used the roots and bark to treat skin disorders, diarrhea, fevers and other ailments. Native Americans used a decoction of leaves or roots as a wash to treat injuries.

Other uses - Aside from oak, Sweetgum is the most commercially grown hardwood tree in the United States. It is used for lumber, to curb erosion and for landscaping design. Its seeds are eaten by chipmunks, a variety of songbirds, and wild turkey, among other animals. This tree is well-loved by the yellow-bellied sapsucker bird, as is evident by the rows of square holes in the tree bark. The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant, bitter chewing gum. The wood is hard and durable and is used for furniture, barrels, wooden bowls, cabinets, and interior finishing.

Additional information about the tree (with pictures) 

"The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

He Chose the Lowly things... (1 Cor. 1:28)

Remnants of snow from yesterday

 Today was an absolutely beautiful day. The sun kissed the earth and melted the last remnants of ice from yesterday’s bitter cold. It still amazes me how we can go from snow to 54 degree weather in a matter of 12 hours. With the relative warmth and sun, it was a perfect day to get out and put my hands in the dirt. I spent some time weeding and preparing the garden beds. The soil was soft and easy to work with. I pulled up the winter crop of broccoli that had stopped producing, and as I removed the roots, I found 4 or 5 healthy looking earthworms around each plant. After carefully untangling them from the roots, I placed them gently back into the dark, moist soil.  

Worm facts:

1.      Worm worked compost or worm casts are the most nutrient rich natural compost known.

2.      When earthworms tunnel through the ground they bring air into the soil. This allows plant roots to grow more easily.

3.      Worms cannot hear or see.

4.      Even without eyes, a worm can still sense light and will move away from it. It also has touch-sensitive organs to feel vibrations in the ground.

5.      Earthworms do not have lungs and instead use their skin to breath.

6.      A worm is a “hermaphrodite” since  it has both male and female reproductive organs; however, they still need to mate with another worm in order to produce offspring.

7.      Worms can have between 1-5 pairs  of hearts depending on the type of worm.

8.      Earthworms can survive for several weeks under water providing there    is sufficient oxygen in the water to support them. They surface after heavy rains as a response to  high relative humidity because they can move around safely without drying out.

In 1881 Charles Darwin wrote:-
"The plow is one of the most ancient and most valuable of man's inventions; but long before he existed, the land was in fact regularly plowed and still continues to be thus plowed by earthworms. It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures."

It’s amazing how a creature so little, so unobtrusive and so under-appreciated can have such a large and positive impact on its environment. Day after day it slowly changes dead and decaying matter into nutrient rich compost. It seems like there could be a lesson there for us!