My nature walks this week yielded sightings of some of my favorite butterflies. It was hard not to be enchanted by their gracefulness and delicate beauty.
“Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing.” — Dolly Parton
Butterfly Beauties
nature
Queen Anne’s Lace
Each year I look forward to the season of the stately and charming Queen Anne’s Lace. The delicate lace-like flowers, which grow wild along our country road, beautify the landscape, attract pollinators and provide habitat for a variety of insects. Ants, attracted by the flower’s nectar, are beneficial since they help protect them from aphids.
“Not a weed but a seed that has blossomed into a flower indeed.” ~Deborah Parise
Preening the Plumage
During the spring breeding season, the molted feathers of the Great Egret are replaced with bright white plumage and long ornamental feathers which are vital for attracting mates. Daily preening is crucial for maintaining feather condition, as well as providing insulation and waterproofing.
“Good grooming is integral, and impeccable style is a must …” ~Daymond John
Woodland Mammals
While driving the roads around the wildlife refuge, we are always on the lookout for woodland mammals which venture out into the open to forage and move about.
“It is remarkable how many creatures live wild and free though secret in the woods.” ~Henry David Thoreau
A Young Barred Owl
While driving down a familiar side street in our town, I noticed something out-of place, and looked again to see what it was. There, on a small branch on the ground, calmly sat an immature Barred Owl. What a nice, unexpected surprise.
“Nature is full for us of seeming inconsistencies and glad surprises.” ~Margaret Barber
Spring Around the Levee
The fields surrounding the levee were filled with chattering birds …
and adorned with vibrant spring wildflowers.
“Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke
A Variety of Birds
It’s always interesting to see what birds we can spot as we drive around the lake and the Mississippi levee. Here are some of our most recent finds.
You’ll get mixed up,
of course, as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up with
many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great
tact and remember that
Life’s A Great Balancing Act.
~Dr. Seuss
Feasting on Sumac Berries
In February we spotted an American robin foraging on the vibrant red berries of sumac shrubs which were growing in a colony along the roadside. The fruit of the sumac lasts throughout the winter and provides sustenance to our feathered friends that spend the winter here.
… Growing at field edges and in waste
places, most of us don’t notice the ruby glow.
Bluebirds, robins, and squirrels
know better, plucking at the jeweled lights
to keep their own fires burning.
~David K. Leff
Spring Beauty
Warmer weather has finally arrived. The landscape is becoming greener and new colorful blooms are appearing each day. It’s a smorgasbord of spring beauty and blessings.
The Spring came suddenly,
bursting upon the world as a
child bursts into a room with a
laugh and a shout and
hands full of flowers.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Pondering Change
Recently, we experienced heavy rain followed shortly thereafter by a deep freeze. The ditches alongside our highway, which had been filled to the brim with water, quickly froze over.
As the temperatures warmed and the water receded, a frozen layer of ice remained at the high-water mark, clinging tightly to one side of the ditch while extending out over the lowering water level. For a time, the unsupported ice hung there frozen. Eventually it either cracked and collapsed under its own weight or slowly melted and joined the flowing water beneath it.
Seeing the ice suspended over the ditch made me think of the changes we face in life. We often grow accustomed to the way things are or to the way they have seemingly always been. As time inevitably moves forward and change comes, we can choose to remain frozen and unyielding, resisting new ideas and growth.
However, we can also choose to adapt, embracing the opportunity to move forward. Time never stands still, but change isn’t always a bad thing. It’s possible to cherish and honor the old while embracing the new.
Unfortunately, I failed to get photos of the ice on our busy highway. However, I noticed that a similar thing also occurred at the lake. As the water level dropped, it pulled away from the ice formations and left them suspended above it. Here are a few of those photos.
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~Socrates
“Change with the seasons of life. Don’t try to stretch a season into a lifetime.” ~Unknown
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” ~Alan Watts
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16
walking on a country road 