tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55072678996889651552024-03-13T10:23:14.185-04:00My Temple of NatureCarolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.comBlogger403125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-32154058670828208852020-09-19T10:43:00.000-04:002020-09-19T10:43:05.722-04:00The Kingfisher
The Kingfisher
Sitting past the reeds
upon a willow tree
the kingfisher surveys
his watery larder
With keen polaroid eyes
a victim he spies
and measuring distance
he makes his next move
A flicker in thought
his blue metallic wings
now do go into action
such a beautiful thing
Down from the branches
wings folded back
he darts into the stream
by the banks waters edge
The minnow that was Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-70951071984274420192019-03-29T17:13:00.001-04:002019-03-29T17:13:34.004-04:00Light-footed Crabs Named SallyBy John Steinbeck:
Many people have spoken at length of the Sally
Lightfoots. In fact, everyone who has seen them has been delighted with
them. The very name they are called by reflects the delight of the name.
These little crabs, with brilliant cloisonné
carapaces, walk on their tiptoes, They have remarkable eyes and an
extremely fast reaction time. In spite of the fact that they Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-63209112005401525762016-10-09T14:01:00.001-04:002020-06-21T20:15:50.488-04:00LifeLife
by Carolyn Clarke
You're swimming in it.
You're surrounded by it.
It is within you.
It is without you.
It is literally in the air that engulfs you, every whiff of pine forest, every jasmine blossom, every romantic Indian spice.
Flood your lungs, drown in it.
Image from Wikipedia
It is in every nerve ending, every cell, every thought, every smell.
Be still, listen to your heartCarolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-30166058693535655092016-08-27T15:12:00.000-04:002016-08-27T15:12:06.623-04:00The Squirrel and The WoodchuckThe other morning after I had put out fresh water for all the critters along with some treats for the squirrels and the woodchucks, I was petting my next-door neighbor's cat, Tigger, when I saw the woodchuck coming around the corner of the shed. To my surprise, the woodchuck would stop and look and then just kept on coming. My arm was moving the entire time because I was still pettingCarolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-15705753697845635642016-07-29T19:38:00.000-04:002016-07-29T19:38:38.246-04:00Morning Romance
Morning Romance
by LaurieAnn Kearns
In a still, bright dawn,a dragonfly arriving,on the buddleia alighting,in the shining sun dazzling,blue-green colours reflecting.Thrilling!
Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-27895643813155827462016-06-29T18:23:00.000-04:002016-06-29T18:23:28.537-04:00Morning VisitorThis morning when I came into the living room and put up the blinds, I saw kitty Tabby on the porch. Tabby is a feral neighborhood cat that has been around for years and I always feed him when I see he's outside.
I happened to glance over to the water dish I keep out for the critters and to my surprise, this is what I saw.
I quickly grabbed the camera and took a few more photos.&Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-42237744310420904762016-05-15T12:26:00.000-04:002016-05-15T12:26:02.039-04:00Unidentifiable FemalesDon't worry, I'm talking about birds, not humans! Twice in the last couple of weeks I've seen a bird by the feeder that I wasn't able to identify - until I saw the male bird and then was able to put two and two together. Two great examples of sexual dimorphism (the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species). The first instance was Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-79754902714680873032016-04-27T16:40:00.001-04:002016-04-27T16:40:34.672-04:00The Greening of the Trees
"The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.
Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too.
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.
Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In full grown thickness every May.
Last year is Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-16992106378421908702014-11-29T21:54:00.001-05:002014-11-29T21:54:46.577-05:00Primate Pronouncements IIDorothy Cheney and Robert Seyfarth are well known for their vocalization and behavior studies of vervet monkeys, as well as their more recent studies of baboons. Vervet monkeys have different alarm calls depending on the predator. Robert Seyfarth explains.
Here are a couple examples of their calls.
Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-24296169874055197752014-10-19T20:50:00.004-04:002014-10-19T20:50:46.434-04:00Primate PronouncementsYou've probably seen primates in zoos or on television or even online, but do you know what they sound like? And if you've heard them, do you know why they are vocalizing? Here are some examples of primate vocalizations along with what it is they are 'saying'.
Orangutans - "Male orangutans exhibit a curious and little-understood case of “bimaturism,” also referred to as “arrested Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-28993612113739620722014-10-06T12:19:00.002-04:002014-10-06T12:19:19.653-04:00Flashy FoliageWe're starting to get some color in the trees. One big tree in the neighborhood started changing color back in August - but due to the dry weather and not temperature - and has lost a lot of leaves already..
The one big tree in the mobile home park has lost some leaves already too. Here is a photo taken in September when it was just starting to turn.
Here's another photo Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-76316707763625136792014-09-28T22:38:00.000-04:002014-09-28T22:38:55.584-04:00Murder on Manton StreetThe story you are about to see is true; only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Saturday, September 27th, it was warm in Rhode Island. It was 2:00 pm when I went outside to get the mail. I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. I witnessed the cat Marty, aka Romeo, throwing something up in the air. It was a chipmunk.
The suspect.
The Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-27600752924062963422014-09-14T12:01:00.000-04:002014-09-14T12:01:40.710-04:00Generous GeeseSeptember, the end of summer, cooler temperatures and the beginning of fall. Can't believe it's here already. Have been hearing lots of geese flying overhead lately - saw a pretty big flock just this morning. I found this interesting video about them and thought I would share it. Enjoy!
I wrote another post about geese about this time a few years ago. You can Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-38916533440733296412014-09-09T14:30:00.000-04:002014-09-09T14:30:55.795-04:00More of the SameSorry but it's another butterfly bush post. The last few weeks I have been visited by THREE butterflies that are uncommon here in Rhode Island. You already saw the Red-Spotted Purple. Was also visited by a Spicebush Swallowtail.
and the Monarch-mimic, the Viceroy. Do you know the difference? Which is which??
The bottom two photos are the Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-45184355727141046362014-09-05T18:10:00.001-04:002014-09-05T18:10:17.895-04:00The Demise of the Ugly MushroomActually I'm not sure if what grew at my curb was a mushroom or a toadstool. It seemed like it just suddenly appeared and I never noticed a small version of it growing. but then that is the meaning of the phrase, 'it mushroomed'. I was surprised it grew at all since it's been so dry around here. My mushroom started out looking like a white bald man's head with veins and blood Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-37733579096472140352014-08-30T06:00:00.000-04:002014-09-09T14:53:46.499-04:00Another Newbie!The butterfly bush is starting to wind down, having more dead blossoms on it now than blooming flowers. The number of butterflies and bees have decreased, even the number of skippers that show up. However, I had one other new visitor to the yard the other day and had a grand time taking photos and identifying it as a Red-Spotted Purple. Just gorgeous! The light wasn't Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-58836797483296468812014-08-27T14:28:00.000-04:002014-08-27T14:28:08.552-04:00Small Brown SnakeThe other day on my way to the store I was walking to
my car when I noticed a small snake sunning itself on my sidewalk. I watched it for a few minutes; it was
testing the air with its tongue - typical snake behavior. I leaned over and just stroked it gently. It slithered into the bushes and lily of the
valley area of my garden. It was not
even a foot long – very cuteCarolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-91835694181105397262014-08-24T22:46:00.000-04:002014-08-24T22:46:08.541-04:00Fortuitous FritillaryI happened glance out the window the other day only to see a new butterfly to my butterfly bush! I ran out with my camera and got a few shots.
I know it's a Fritillary of some type and first identified it as a Meadow Fritillary, but now I think it might be a Great Spangled Fritillary. I saw one also on a butterfly bush at Skylands Botanical Gardens when visiting friends Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-22421779640539805362014-08-17T14:08:00.002-04:002014-08-18T21:38:56.469-04:00Meticulous MomI spent 10 or 15 minutes watching the Steel Blue Cricket Hunter the other afternoon. I had seen it several times scurrying around hunting for crickets. It stings the cricket, paralyzing it, then carries it to a hole or burrow and then lays one egg on top of the still living cricket. It takes only one day for the egg to hatch and the larva then eats the cricket. In a Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-349645758462576252014-08-08T23:38:00.000-04:002014-08-08T23:38:42.672-04:00Butterfly Bush Update '14There haven't been nearly as many butterflies around my butterfly bush this year as in years past. I haven't seen a single Monarch butterfly. There have been a few Painted Ladies, but again not as many as last year. There have been quite a few skippers though, too many to try to identify.
But one regular has been the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - the female, unlike Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-9095043768869299732014-08-03T22:31:00.001-04:002014-08-04T10:58:27.010-04:00And Then There Were ThreeWe lost another one of our stray/feral kitties today. Here's the whole gang sharing dinner just a few weeks ago - from left to right Van Gogh, Romeo, Spot and Tabby.
But lately Van Gogh hasn't been looking too good - losing weight, sometimes not eating and just being generally listless. This afternoon when I went out to feed everybody I found Van Gogh lying out under my tree, covered Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-9131913395537172982014-07-29T06:00:00.000-04:002014-07-30T09:03:00.708-04:00Tiny TarsiersEver see the movie 'Gremlins'? Here's a clip.
Things are not all cuteness and light as the movie develops. Tarsiers are some of the smallest primates in the world and are only found on islands in Southeast Asia. Maybe tarsiers were the inspiration for Gizmo and his buddies, until they show their evil side anyway. Or maybe not. In this photo, can you see a Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-88259141340165067682014-07-24T20:44:00.000-04:002014-07-24T20:44:28.606-04:00Cats and BoxesWhat is it with cats and boxes anyway?? Take my cat Dolly for example. She loves to scratch on cardboard boxes, among other things. And of all the choices there are of places to sleep, guess what she chooses? There are several kitties 'cubes' and beds in the living room. And she does use them sometimes.
And there is the couch and chest with a cozy quilt on top.
Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-82397913079586620212014-07-16T09:32:00.003-04:002014-07-16T09:32:48.499-04:00Plentiful PeacocksMost people are familiar with the peacock even if you've only seen photos and not had a chance to meet one up close and personal. Who could ever see one and not be mesmerized by that gorgeous tail. As with some birds, the male is the most noticeable.
The female is much more demure.
The species is actually called the peafowl - peacock specifically refers to the male, andCarolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507267899688965155.post-78922921437698168022014-07-10T17:15:00.003-04:002014-07-10T17:15:49.731-04:00First of the SeasonI pruned my butterfly bushes a little late this spring and they've only been blooming about a week now. The word must have finally gotten out because I had the first butterfly sighting of the season - a beautiful Eastern Tiger swallowtail!
Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05353445840241022358noreply@blogger.com0