Nature Is My Elixir

Botanical behemoths are dying

2012-01-27T13:54:00.003-05:00

Photograph: Charles Mauzy/Corbis

The biggest trees in the world, known as the true ecological kings of the jungle, are dying off rapidly as roads, farms and settlements fragment forests, and they come under prolonged attack from severe droughts and new pests and diseases. Read more here.

View a slideshow of these trees here.

The shapes of trees III

2012-01-09T06:59:00.007-05:00

As I wrote earlier, deciduous trees reveal their beautiful, fine bone structure in winter and the natural shape of their habit. Note the classic oval shape of this tree.

The shapes of trees II

2012-01-08T06:00:00.002-05:00

Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)

The natural weeping habit of this willow is revealed in winter. Even bare, it retains its ethereal appearance. Weeping willows are one of the first trees to leaf out in spring and one of the last to drop their leaves in fall.

These trees grow very fast, up to 10 feet per year, until reaching a height of up to 50 feet. Because of this rapid growth, they have a relatively short lifespan ― 20 to 30 years.

This willow does best on a large property where it can spread out and grow into the majestic tree that it is. And because willows love to have "wet feet," a site near a pond, stream bank or in a low-lying wet area is ideal. Click on the photo for a closer view.

The shapes of trees

2012-01-01T19:08:00.006-05:00

These trees have a classic vase shape

It is the beginning of a brand new year and instead of making resolutions, I choose to be more aware of the beauty that surrounds me.

The shapes of bare trees in winter are extraordinary. These two, adorned with blue sky and a few wispy clouds, are lovely in every way. Once undressed, deciduous trees reveal their fine bone structure and the natural shape of their habit: vase; oval; round; pyramid; column, horizontal, and weeping.

More to come on the shapes of trees.

Steven Spielberg on Horses

2011-12-18T10:27:00.006-05:00

War Horse by David Appleby/Dreamworks Pictures

Steven Spielberg by Kevin Lynch

The sun is in Sagittarius, and like me, many born during this time (November 22 ― December 21) love nature and animals. We also have a special affinity for horses.

The great film director Steven Spielberg, born this day in 1946, lives with horses and has been talking about them in recent interviews to promote his new film War Horse. He says, "I wasn’t necessarily attracted to War Horse because of the drama of World War I. I was attracted because of the pathos of that boy being separated from that horse for so long."

Below is an excerpt from a story about Spielberg by Mark Feeney in today's Boston Globe:

"My 14-year-old daughter rides. My wife rides dressage. We have 10 horses on our property, in stalls. I don’t ride, but I commune a bit. Thanks to my wife and my youngest daughter they’ve introduced me to an equine world I’ve kind of fallen in love with. So it was a natural impulse for me to be attracted to that story."

For the horse lover on your list

2011-12-17T10:46:00.014-05:00

Dorothy Brooke with rescued horses in Cairo

War Horse, a new film by Steven Spielberg opening in the U.S. on Christmas Day, has renewed interest in the Brooke Trust, dedicated to the welfare of working horses, mules and donkeys. How did the Brooke get started? Read on:

When Dorothy Brooke arrived in Cairo in 1930 as a young bride with her husband, cavalry officer Brigadier Geoffrey Brooke, she was shocked to find the city's streets full of skeletal former farm horses from England. It is thought that 20,000 horses belonging to the British, Australian and US forces were sold into a life of hard labor in Egypt alone. Brooke sent a passionate letter to the Morning Post, setting out her plans to help their plight.

"Out here, in Egypt, there are still many hundreds of old army horses sold of necessity at the cessation of the war," she wrote. "They are all over 20 years of age by now, and to say that the majority of them have fallen on hard times is to express it very mildly."

She ended her public appeal with a call for funds to be sent out to Egypt so she could buy back some of the horses and treat them. The public were so moved they sent her the equivalent of £20,000 in today's money. By 1934, the Memorial Hospital had been founded and Brooke had rescued 5,000 ex-war horses in Egypt.

"These old horses were, many of them, born and bred in the green fields of England – how many years since they have seen a field, heard a stream of water or a kind word in English?" Happiness comes like a dream of the past to these old horses when we buy them," she wrote in her diary in 1932.

"They cock their ears at an English voice, they even whinny with the old familiar smell of bran mash. Some few, who still possess the physical energy, roll in ecstasy when they find themselves on a soft straw bed."

Make an animal lover in your life happy this Holiday Season. Save gas, avoid the crowds and shop in your pajamas ― visit the online shop at the Brooke Trust or at American Friends of the Brooke.

A warm December

2011-12-11T15:53:00.008-05:00

The Brook Path

Today was one of the coldest days we've had so far this season, and it feels like winter is setting in at last. Then again, look how green the grass is, and tomorrow the temperatures here in Massachusetts will climb into the 50s. This fall's weather reminds me of another warm pattern we experienced in 1998, now recognized as an early indicator of the climate changes we are experiencing now. Still, walking along the Brook Path today was lovely with no real wind to speak of, lots of blue sky and warm sun on my skin. I expect the ground will be covered with snow the next time I walk here.

About Carriage Horses

2011-12-08T10:41:00.030-05:00

Photo: Carriage Horses NYC

I will be writing several posts about horses this December as the sun is now in Sagittarius, and like me, many born during this time (November 22 ― December 21) have a special affinity for horses.

Elizabeth Forel, President of the Coalition for New York City Animals, cares deeply about carriage horses and I do, too. I can never stand to see carriage horses in any city I visit. To me, it has always been clear that they are enslaved and suffering. Forel writes:

They have no voice and no choice. They are New York City carriage horses. Sweet, docile animals, they work nine hours a day, seven days a week, between the shafts of their carriage, in dangerous traffic. After a long day’s work, they return to a cramped stable. Dirty and sweaty, many of them are not cleaned up for the night. And in the morning, they begin another dreary day.

While working, they have no access to a pasture where they can run, buck and roll. It is particularly sad to see them pulling carriages through the park encumbered by equipment and blinders, barely able to get a glimpse of the grass that is denied to them.

Now, more and much needed attention is being given to the plight of carriage horses. On December 7th both The New York Times (note the main photo) and The New York Daily News ran important stories about the city's carriage horses, which I hope will outrage enough people to end the trade once and for all.

In the NY Daily News Forel writes, "The carriage trade is banned in cities ranging from London and Toronto to New Delhi and Beijing. New York City needs to follow."

Maxfield Parrish sky

2011-12-02T15:05:00.009-05:00

The sunset at this time of year always reminds me of a Maxfield Parrish painting.

MAXFIELD PARRISH (1870-1966) was a unique figure in American art, not belonging to any school, part traditionalist, part inventor, sometime illustrator of gnomes and dragons, other times finding inspiration in the oak trees of his New Hampshire environs.

A meticulous craftsman, Parrish's idiosyncratic painting method involved applying numerous layers of thin, transparent oil, alternating with varnish over stretched paper, yielding a combination of great luminosity and extraordinary detail. In his hands, this method gives the effect of a glimpse through a window....except that the scene viewed is from the fairy tale world. Source: illustration-house.com

Click here to peruse some excellent books about the artist.

An ocean paradise on earth

2011-12-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

Starfish in a bed of sea grass in the waters of Raja Ampat Photo: Romeo Gacad

I have never done any scuba diving, only snorkeling, but I’m ready to begin if it means seeing the underwater world at Raja Ampat, which means Four Kings, in eastern Indonesia's Papua province. These palm-fringed islands have been described as "a living Eden and the last paradise on Earth," and have some of the richest and most biodiverse marine life with nearly 1,400 varieties of fish and 603 species of coral.

According to Smart Travel Asia: "For serious marine diversity it doesn’t get much better than Raja Ampat. Over 1,500 coral-studded islands lazily pepper the Equator and the azure waters are home to a fabulous variety of colourful soft corals, and reef fish can be observed and large schools of fish populate the region, such as sharks, manta and mobula rays, dolphins, whales and turtles."

Like so many natural wonders, this still pristine paradise is facing serious threats. View some incredible photos and read more here.

Go out and play

2011-11-25T12:29:00.004-05:00

I don't normally tend to think of myself as political, though my stances on the environment and the treatment of animals, both domestic and wild, is beginning to point me in that direction. And I do support the Occupy Wall Street protest movement because I do not believe that"growth" and the pursuit of profit is the remedy for what ails this economy. I believe our focus should be on creating jobs that help us save our planet, the only home we've got. We can also create more jobs by finding ways to reinvent our current manufacturing processes to make them cleaner and greener.

Today, while the frenzied masses line up to shop, shop, shop, why don't you go out and play, play, play? Head for the woods, romp in your yard, walk your dog, sit on a park bench ― enjoy being, not buying.

Buying, as we know from past experience after 9-11, is only a temporary fix. We need to find other ways to revitalize the U.S. and global economy. When so many people are out of work and with more layoffs to come, what can people be thinking? Spending on "stuff" when stashing away savings is more important than ever is absolutely absurd.

If you must spend today, spend time in a way that enriches you and others. Tomorrow, consider donating money (or time) to a cause you believe in. Wouldn't it be wonderful if one day, Black Friday could be replaced with Thanks for Giving Day?

Click here to learn more.

The truth about turkeys

2011-11-23T05:33:00.001-05:00

(photo courtesy of pbs.org)

For years I've been writing about how much I love wild turkeys, and when I watched a NATURE episode called "My Life as a Turkey," I felt like I had found my twin in writer and naturalist Joe Hutto ― he feels the same way I do! This exceptional film recreates his amazing and emotional adventure raising 16 wild turkey babies or poults. However, in recreating the experience Hutto had with the birds, I do wish that the producers had refrained from recreating a scene of a poult being swallowed by a rat snake. That was hard to watch.

Hutto does wild turkeys a great service by showing how intelligent, creative, sensitive and resilient they are. He understands what wonderful and soulful companions they can be. I continue to feel blessed to live with a flock of wild turkeys and I share Hutto's reverence, respect and admiration for these wonderful birds.

I hope that those who see "My Life as a Turkey" will be enlightened and moved to think differently about wild turkeys. I also hope the film will give people pause to think about domesticated turkeys that are raised for food. The great majority lead miserable lives, forced to endure needless and unimaginable suffering on factory farms. As I watched the adorable poults in "My Life as a Turkey," I could not help but think of the millions of domestic poults that begin their innocent lives mutilated and abused.

Why haven't you heard more about this? Because factory farms are deliberately operated out of public sight. The farmers who engage in this "agribusiness" are secretive because they have so much to hide. Their focus is on profits, not on providing humane and respectful care for sentient creatures. The truth is that the majority of Thanksgiving turkeys that end up on your dinner table live and die in inhumane warehouses not fit for any living being.

Turkeys are not the only animals "produced" on factory farms. Chickens, pigs, cows, ducks and geese are also "mass produced" on factory farms and never see the outside world, never feel the sun or touch grass. The practices employed in raising them are cruel; their lives are brutal and short. Factory farmed animals are heavily dosed with antibiotics (because they are kept in such overcrowded conditions and disease spreads quickly) and fed diets laden with unhealthy additives.

As we look forward to this Thanksgiving holiday, please do what you can to increase awareness of these practices so we can end the suffering of turkeys and other farm animals. Refuse to support these practices by purchasing only humanely raised and organic foods. Or, go vegetarian. Inform yourself by reading about, and if you can, supporting organizations that respect animals and are working tirelessly to stop factory farming and end this unnecessary suffering. To learn more, visit Farm Sanctuary and Mercy for Animals.

He called himself an animal lover

2011-10-20T16:45:00.022-04:00

Thompson with his Percheron horses in 2008. (Tony Dejak/AP) Investigators walk around a barn as carcasses lay on the ground at the Thompson Animal Farm. (Chris Crook/AP)

Marital problems, a tax lien on his property, time spent in prison ―we may never know exactly why Terry Thompson went into meltdown mode and set 56 wild animals free just before killing himself at his exotic animal farm in Zanesville, Ohio on Tuesday, October 18th. But we do know this ― he didn't just take himself out ― he sentenced most of them to a violent death as well. Local and state authorities hunted down and shot and killed 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions as well as wolves, grizzly bears, and other animals that Thompson had acquired for his "collection" of exotic animals. Read the entire story here.

Animal experts said that the hours leading up to the deaths of these wild animals were filled with terror and panic as they wandered loose with no understanding of what had happened to them. They had likely also suffered as part of Thompson's collection, which he began assembling in 1977. Over the years, numerous complaints from neighbors and animal lovers were made against Thompson, and in 2005 he was convicted of animal cruelty.

The only good that can come from this tragedy is the enaction of strong legislation to ban private ownership of wild animals for most ordinary citizens. Only those actively engaged in conservation efforts and in collaboration with animal advocacy groups should be allowed to become stewards of these magnificent and powerful animals. I totally agree with what Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, has to say about this issue. To read his blog click here.

Project Seahorse

2011-10-13T17:17:00.009-04:00

Lined Seahorse photo courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium Zebra Snout Seahorse photo courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Chinese cannot get enough of these magical creatures for their herbal medicine trade, aquarium hobbyists try and often fail to keep them alive and well in tanks, and now Kim Kardashian says she wants one for Christmas. How sad that these magical fish, in such grave peril, have become just another trinket to collect and possess by a rich and famous young woman who could actually do so much to help save them.

Decades ago, like many children, I was enchanted and transfixed by the sight of seahorses in Florida where my family spent many winters. Back then we did not know that seahorses, like so many other animals, could disappear forever. It's up to all of us to do what we can to preserve what still remains, so that's why I hope you will watch a TV special called "Seahorses: Wanted Dead Or Alive," airing on NAT GEO TV this month.

"With a horse's head, a monkey's tail and sex-swap parenting, seahorses are one of the ocean's strangest and most charismatic inhabitants. In this one hour special, wildlife filmmaker Natali Tesche-Ricciardi sets out to investigate something that most people don't realize - seahorse populations are in crisis. Natali finds that seahorses live in shallow, coastal seas and so are among the first to suffer from coastal development and pollution. They are often caught as fishing bycatch and are sold as tourist souvenirs. They are wanted alive for the aquarium trade and dead for a much larger industry - traditional Chinese medicine.

Millions of seahorses are traded each year and can reach a value higher than silver. Fortunately all is not lost. With the help of an international organization, Project Seahorse, traders and fishermen are changing their ways to help wild seahorse populations. It's a global adventure that takes Natali from marine reserves in Spain, to the traditional medicine shops of Hong Kong, to experience both seahorse heaven and seahorse hell.

You may be interested to know that seahorses all belong to the the genus, Hippocampus , which is derived from the Greek words ‘hippos' (meaning horse) and ‘campus' (meaning sea monster).

What whales are telling us

2011-10-06T16:36:00.004-04:00

Photo: Bdmlr/PA

Philip Hoare, writing for The Guardian, reports on a slew of whale deaths that have mystified scientists around British shores. Here is an excerpt:

"Cetaceans spend all their lives in an environment which is alien to us. Ironically, however, whale strandings can be remarkably helpful. These deaths provide us with invaluable clues to the living animals about which we know so little. A fin whale stranded in Denmark last year, for instance, was thought to be about 15-20 years old, a juvenile. The results of its necropsy, released this summer show that it was blind, arthritic, and 140 years old – thereby doubling, at a stroke, the known longevity of these animals."

To read the entire story, click here.

Watching and waiting

2011-09-22T14:07:00.022-04:00

While I work my fingers to the bone raking leaves, transplanting perennials, weeding and doing other yard chores, Baby watches and waits for any sign of the chipmunks that live in this burrow (and many others on the property). She’s logged hours and hours on watch ― one Saturday she spent the entire day at her post. In any contest judging “most focused,” she would dominate all the competition and go on to win the prize.

Alas, it’s all for naught. When she does finally succeed in catching any of the chipmunks that live here, she feels compelled to bring them straight to me and I, in turn, feel compelled to set them free, which, of course, starts the process all over again.

Occasionally, I’ll find a headless chipmunk on the doormat and a triumphant looking Baby sitting proudly beside it. There has been a surge in the chipmunk population this year, and they do make their way into the house, so I resign myself to the few hapless and headless and let Baby be Baby. As always, click on the photos for a better view.

Where tears fell

2011-09-11T08:57:00.015-04:00

White Wood Asters are late summer and fall food for wildlife

According to legend the Greek goddess Asterea began to cry when she looked down upon the earth and saw no flowers. Asters bloomed where her tears fell. Asters were chosen to decorate the graves of French soldiers to symbolize the wish that things had turned out differently. And so today, when we remember the thousands of people we lost on September 11, 2001, the wild wood aster seems a fitting tribute.

This native plant (Aster divaricatus) is a late blooming, shade tolerant wildflower and in New England some even last until the killing frosts of November. Few people know that they provide a late nectar source for butterflies and other insects and if you allow the seed heads to remain through the fall and winter, wild aster seed serves as food for sparrows, goldfinches, chipmunks and wild turkeys.

There are over 120 species of the genus aster found in the United States. Asters are primarily known for their fall flowering, especially in fields. But wild asters can also be found in swamps, bogs and woods. Some of these species can be a wonderful addition to native meadows planted to replace lawns. The large double-flowered asters seen in catalogs and garden centers belong to a different genus native to Asia.

Asters are the birth flower for September. The star-like flowers are said to be "stars fetched from the night skies and planted on the fields of day."

A song that seems right for this somber day is Peter Murphy's Cuts You Up. Click here to listen.

The Mill Brook

2011-09-02T21:10:00.006-04:00

The Mill Brook in Concord

Arising in Lincoln, the Mill Brook flows for three miles and disappears into the Concord River. I love the way it shimmers with eel-grass, water starwort and common pondweed (click on the photo for a close-up view). And even though the calendar says September, standing over the brook and gazing at the wetland meadows that surround it makes me feel like summer will never end.

When hurricane winds blow...

2011-08-30T07:36:00.007-04:00

Where do wild turkeys go?

I'm happy to report that these wild turkeys came through Hurricane Irene without a scratch, but they sure looked hungry. Interestingly, they disappeared about two days before Irene struck, perhaps sensing the falling barometric pressure. Most likely, they hunkered down away from low lying areas. The Mute Swans and their cygnets are just fine, too (see August 9 and 23 postings).

Cause and Effect

2011-08-27T11:11:00.011-04:00

Hurricane Irene may make 2011 a record disaster year (image: NOAA)

According to preliminary estimates, hurricane Irene may make 2011 a record breaking year for billion-dollar natural disasters. It's too early to say what Irene's total impact will be, but it's likely that her effects will be widespread and the damage along the entire eastern seaboard will be considerable.

Whether we're breaking billion-dollar records or experiencing all-time highs in natural disasters, one thing is clear ― climate change is real.

Climate change is here.

What mankind does is the cause and subsequent weather events are the effect. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make the connection. I'm just wondering how bad it has to get before we finally stop what we're doing and focus on the undoing. If money is the best incentive, okay. All that matters now is taking swift action to reverse our course ASAP.

Sum and Substance

2011-08-26T10:48:00.004-04:00

This hosta is known for its stupendous size

Two 'Sum and Substance' hostas are the stars of my front hosta border, which I planted where lawn used to be. It took a few years for them to reach their full size, but it was worth the wait! If you're looking for a magnificent hosta that will light up a shady area in your garden, 'Sum and Substance' will meet ― and exceed ― your expectations. Click on the photo for a close-up view.

More on downsizing lawns

2011-08-25T21:16:00.011-04:00

Remove some lawn and plant a perennial border in its place

Let wild violets spread to form a groundcover

In posts from August 21st and 22nd I wrote about my efforts to reduce the size of my lawn, but I only mentioned my back lawn. There was lawn in the front of the house as well and it curved around and into the back yard, 5,000 square feet in all.

I began the downsizing project in front, where the lawn size was smallest, because starting small is the best way to tackle this project. First, I removed a wide strip of sod and planted a bed of hostas and ferns in its place. I planted mature hostas that grew quickly to create the feeling that the border had always been there.

Wild violets had invaded a good portion of the lawn (and butterflies love wild violets), so I gave them free reign. Still, I kept mowing throughout the growing season and fertilizing in the fall. This year I stopped mowing and let the violets do what they will. Soon enough I had a thick mat of green groundcover, mostly violets but with some weeds growing in between. I've trimmed the mat with sharp hand shears twice this summer and I'm pretty happy with the results. The violets will crowd out any remaining weeds in time.

As you can see in these photos, I have very little lawn left. Moss is growing in some places, and since I love moss, I'm thrilled to see it spreading. The rest of what's left of the lawn will give way to violets, and as I write this post, a few wild asters are coming up in between the violets. The point is, I no longer have a front lawn and I like it. Seems the songbirds and wild turkeys like it as well because I often see them foraging there. Insects and worms seek out this shady patch of green and the soil stays moist longer there.

I only wish I had done this sooner.

Butorides virescens

2011-08-24T06:00:00.003-04:00

Green Heron in a swampy section of the Charles RiverImmature Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

I only had seconds to take a photo of this Green Heron; it was very shy and took off as soon as it saw me. Plus, I travel light and don't have the proper camera lenses, though I ought to. The second photo shows the bird's striking plumage and eye. Green Herons breed in swampy thickets and marshes like this one. To learn more click here.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's description of its behavior is exactly what I witnessed: "Forages in swamps, along creeks and streams, in marshes, ponds, lake edges, and pastures. Stands still next to water and grabs small fish with explosive dart of head and neck."

I discovered a very informative video about a baby Green Heron rescued on Cape Cod this summer. You can drag the button forward and skip the intro news, or just listen for a minute until the segment appears. You'll learn that when you choose to have tree work done can literally make a life or death difference for these and other birds. The same applies to the burning of brush. Please take a moment to watch this video.

As always, click on these photos for close up views.

Swans and cygnets feeding

2011-08-23T06:00:00.004-04:00

Both parents look after their young
Cygnets stay with their parents for approximately six months

I wrote about this family of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), on August 9th, but on Sunday morning I saw them again and this time the whole family was together. I had a better view of the cygnets; there are four, not six. Watching the family feed was interesting and the cygnets have become quite skilled. Dad (the cob) keeps to the rear of the group to protect his family. At this stage, the cygnets are safe from predators such as crows, herons, turtles and large perch, but not from foxes and mink, which will also take adult swans. Click on the photos for a better view.

Heck no, I won't mow

2011-08-22T06:00:00.003-04:00

This project only took an afternoon and the turkeys helped

After years of vowing that I would someday reduce the size of my lawn, I finally took the plunge. As I explained in my post on August 21st, starting small was key, but once I got started I couldn't stop. Maybe the espresso coffee I had added to my enthusiasm. In any event, after removing the sod I again added peat and edged the second bed. I'll be planting a sedum cultivar that spreads quickly and forms a very attractive groundcover in part of this bed. More on that and my plans to add clover to the existing lawn in a future post.

This is a work in progress and I'm planning to refine the border on the left, but overall, I'm pleased. It was easier than I thought and I like the new design.

For a long time I justified maintaining a large lawn because I leave most of my acre wild. But now, I can still enjoy some lawn and do even more to help wildlife by making room for additional native plants that provide food, cover and nesting materials. I can even imagine putting in a small pond.

Obviously, I think downsizing your lawn is an all around good thing. But if you still need convincing, note the following benefits:

●Save time ― less mowing and mowing less often

●Save money ― on water and fertilizer

●Expand your “birdscape” ― birds love worms and worms abound in these garden beds

●Drought proof your garden ― most native plants do well with less watering

●Gain space for more native plants

●Last but by no means least ― reduce your carbon footprint!

Downsize your lawn

2011-08-21T06:00:00.008-04:00

Start small by extending a garden bed

For years, I spent too much time and money taking care of approximately 5,000 square feet of lawn: mowing; watering; fertilizing; weeding; raking; and aerating. I stopped using chemicals long before anyone else I know and was quickly labeled as some kind of a nut. I use nothing but organic fertilizer and I let clover run wild, but I'm still enslaved. What about you?

This month I began “sculpting” the back lawn, cutting an undulating border with a sharp edger, removing strips of sod, and then adding peat to the soil. I set my groundcover plants out just before a soaking rain, which is ideal for helping them get established. Rain is due tonight, so this afternoon I'll finish planting the rest of the Ajuga or Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans), and space them closer than recommended to achieve a thick mat of green and bronze growth sooner.

If getting rid of some or all of your lawn is looming large on your to do list, take heart. Starting small is the key to success. I'll have more to say on the process and other benefits of downsizing your lawn in the next post.

Further, faster, higher

2011-08-20T15:15:00.005-04:00

Atlas moths (Attacus atlas)
Photo: woodleywonderworks.com

New research by scientists in the Department of Biology at the University of York in England shows that species have responded to climate change up to three times faster than previously appreciated. These results are published in the latest issue of the leading scientific journal Science.

Project leader Chris Thomas, Professor of Conservation Biology at York, said: "These changes are equivalent to animals and plants shifting away from the Equator at around 20 cm per hour, for every hour of the day, for every day of the year. This has been going on for the last 40 years and is set to continue for at least the rest of this century."

Birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, spiders, other invertebrates, and plants featured in the evidence. For example, Atlas moths have moved 67 metres uphill on Mount Kinabalu in Borneo.

Read more at Further, Faster, Higher: Wildlife Responds Increasingly Rapidly to Climate Change.

Grow your own birdfood

2011-08-19T06:00:00.008-04:00

Pokeweed (Phytolacca Americana) Birds relish these berries

Behold the lowly pokeweed, one of the best "bird food" plants you can welcome into your garden. I say "welcome" because pokeweed pops up here and there in and around gardens and most people yank it out. As it grows, small pink-white flowers appear in summer on erect racemes, followed by thick spikes of fleshy, purple-black berries. Click on the photos above for a closer view. Once established, I think pokeweed is an attractive shrub.

Please note that the berries are toxic to humans but safe for birds and they do love them. Pokeberries attract many songbirds, including woodpeckers, waxwings, cardinals, bluebirds, and morning doves. They can persist into winter so it's important to leave the plants standing. They're also an important source of nourishment for migrating birds.

Other fascinating facts about pokeweed:

The Declaration of Independence was reportedly written in Pokeberry Ink made from the crushed dark purple berries, hence another name for the plant, Inkberry.

Poke is also known as: American Nightshade; Crowberry; Pigeon Berry; and Pokeroot. Although the leaves are poisonous, some people eat poke salad, which is made from the young poke leaves before the toxins develop. And if you've never heard the song, Poke Salad Annie, by Tony Jo White, click here to listen.

The recipe for Poke Salad calls for the cook to gather tender shoots of poke, considered a delicacy when only 3 or 4 inches tall, They can be cooked like asparagus but heed this warning from The North Carolina Cookbook: When preparing poke weed for consumption the first time, allow an experienced person to teach you what parts are safe to use and how to prepare it. If the wrong parts are eaten and pokeweed is not prepared properly, it can be poisonous to consume! It is important to use only the thick, succulent new growth (3 to 4 inches at the growing tips). The rest of the plant contains so much Vitamin A that it may be poisonous unless it is boiled in water 3 times (the water must be discarded 3 times to leech out the excess Vitamin A.)

I don't know about you, but after reading that, I think I'll leave poke to the birds.

Gray Whale laid to rest

2011-08-18T06:00:00.005-04:00

Beached female gray whale Swimming with her calf (Photos: Associated Press)

This is such a sad story and what I find most moving is the connection that the Yurok Indians have with whales, their abiding respect for them and for the natural world. Gray whales can live up to 80 years and their long memories are key to their survival. This 45-foot female gray whale took refuge with its calf in Northern California's Klamath River nearly two months ago. The calf swam back out to sea on July 23, but the mother remained. "It's very sad," said Thomas O'Rourke, chairman of the Yurok Tribe, whose reservation lines the banks of the river south of Crescent City, California. The whale died around 4 a.m. as it was observed by a number of scientists.

O'Rourke visited the dead whale and said a prayer for its new journey. He believes it might have been showing its calf a place it had known in its youth."This is the farthest up river I have ever seen a whale," he said. "They come into the mouth regularly, the bottom end of the estuary. I believe there is a message there, and we are still yet to understand." The whale was expected to be buried later on the gravel riverbank during a private ceremony held by the Yurok Tribe among tall willows near the spot where it beached.

Read the story and view photos here.

Dirty Girl

2011-08-17T07:01:00.007-04:00

The Baby loves to get dirty

Who knew that my efforts to reduce the size of our lawn would provide The Baby with the perfect opportunity to do what she loves best, roll in dirt? She also likes to roll around in wild turkey dust "bowls" after they've taken their dust baths.

She seemed particularly pleased with the layer of peat I put down to improve the soil for planting groundcover and native plants.

More on ways to tackle reducing the size of your lawn in a future post.

Fox trot

2011-08-16T20:54:00.009-04:00

Photo courtesy of www.wild-life-rehab.com

I heard a series of haunting calls as dusk fell tonight. The cats heard them too and leapt to the windows, on full alert. We stood quiet and studied the open garden and woods beyond for several minutes but saw nothing. Then, on my way downstairs, I spied a fox kit trotting past a back window. He seemed joyful and excited, probably because he and his family can finally hunt again after two days and nights of heavy rain. Now, even in mid August, often a dry month, everything is lush and green, and lots of critters on the fox menu are just as eager to be out and about tonight.

Corn is high

2011-08-14T19:44:00.008-04:00

A corn field in Dover, Massachusetts

The corn is high now and last night's full moon was called the Green Corn Moon by American Indians. It was also called the Full Sturgeon Moon by fishing tribes, since sturgeon were most readily caught in August.

According to National Geographic, "Once abundant in North America's Great Lakes and upper Mississippi River, lake sturgeon populations have plummeted. These freshwater monsters, the continent's largest fish, are extremely long-lived. Scientists determined that a six-and-a-half-foot (two-meter) specimen caught in Canada in 1953 was 152 years old."

New England has been blessed with wonderful weather this summer; not too many hot days and enough rain in between to keep things lush and green. I am well aware that severe and historic drought has stricken many other areas of the country. Some are comparing it to the Dust Bowl weather event that occurred in the 1930s. Then and now this kind of drought has caused terrible suffering for every living being.

The drastic climate change events we are experiencing in 2011 will only get worse if we don't act now. It seems that mankind is in deep denial. What will it take to spur global action? As we prepare for a Presidential election here in the U.S., I would like to think that candidates will place high importance on our environmental stewardship responsibilities, but I fear that jobs and economic recovery will block any real progress.

Our economic recovery is imperative, but as Al Gore pointed out in "An Inconvenient Truth," deciding between bars of gold and turning around our climate change future is a decision too many people hesitate to make. Yes, gold is very tempting, but if we can't live on our own planet what good is it?

Sadly, at present all eyes are on gold. The great irony is that while gold may provide "shelter from the storm" in uncertain financial times like these, it has no power to protect us from environmental storms.

Swimming in certainty

2011-08-13T10:17:00.006-04:00

Crystalline water at Walden Pond

If there's one thing I'm certain of it's this: I love ponds! My favorite summertime ritual is to get out of bed, head straight for a pond and dive right in.

Funny, after I've been pond swimming my hair always feels so soft and smells so fresh. Later in the day I find I don't need the deoderant I forgot to put on or feel the need to shower. Course, you have to pick a clean pond in the first place.

Like most kids, I loved going to bed as dirty as possible. Taking a bath was an option I'd happily skip if I had my way. On the rare occasion that I can begin my day baptized by pond water, I go to bed unwashed, the rapture of nature's elixir still with me.

These are the days.

Walden Morning

2011-08-12T15:32:00.006-04:00

Summer morning at Walden Pond

Walden and I go back a long way. There was a time when I used to swim here every day, right into October. Life was much less complicated then.

It felt that way again this morning when I went in for a swim around 8am, then lingered in a quiet little cove for a couple of hours. Young mallards swam by, chipmunks darted along the bank and when a dragonfly fell into the shallows right in front of me, I was glad to rescue it and watch it revive and dart away. It would have been doomed had I not been there. Once in the water it was helpless. Those light, lacy wings were totally immersed and small fish were heading toward it, intent on nibbling at them.

But I was there. It was an amazing morning and I will be posting more photos.

Back where I belong

2011-08-11T15:04:00.005-04:00

Bicycling along the Charles River

For the first time in more years than I care to count I went for a long bike ride in the country, covering nearly 30 miles on what turned out to be a perfect high summer day. An old injury had me convinced that my biking days might be over.

Though it was a regular workday (for everyone else) I was lucky to enjoy a quiet ride, with spectacular scenery, a nice breeze and no humidity. There was nothing between me and the scent of Summer Sweet in bloom and the sound of crickets chirping except for a few gear shifts.

I spent most of my childhood on a bicycle! A need for freedom and a deep desire to spend as much time as possible outdoors was as important then as it is now.

The feelings of exhilaration and total happiness are the same. It's good to know that some things don't change.

Summer, Part Two

2011-08-10T18:02:00.009-04:00

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

By the time August rolls around, way too many people are saying summer is almost over. They're so wrong. We're just beginning late summer, a glorious time that lasts into most of September. After that, in New England, we look forward to Indian Summer.

American Goldfinches are prime players in what I like to call, "Summer, Part Two." These late breeders often wait until July to build their nests and lay between two to seven eggs. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "American Goldfinches are the only finch that molts its body feathers twice a year, once in late winter and again in late summer. Frequent molting is both time-consuming and physiologically taxing for the birds. Some scientists suggest this may be the reason goldfinches breed so late in the season — rarely beginning in earnest until mid-July. Another possibility is that the birds wait to nest until thistle, milkweed and other plants have produced fibrous seeds, which goldfinches not only eat but also use to build their nests."

I feed goldfinches year round and I'm vigilant about keeping seed available. Thistle seed is what they love and using a thistle sock seems to work best, even in winter. It’s easy for them to cling to and they love feeding upside down. But, if you really want to attract goldfinches to your yard, be advised that feeding thistle is not enough. You need to provide a reliable source of water, good cover, plants and habitat for nesting.

Cornell says goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely vegetable diet and only inadvertently swallowing an occasional insect. A variety of seeds is best, so plant perennials that provide seed, such as anise hyssop, asters and sunflowers. And when your perennials and annuals go to seed in the fall, resist the urge to cut them down to the ground. Leave the stems and seed heads standing — they provide a good source of nourishment for goldfinches and other birds into winter. Also, birds love to forage in the garden, scratching and looking for seeds, so tidier, in this case, is NOT better.

Enjoy!

Swan and cygnets

2011-08-09T16:31:00.009-04:00

Mute swan with her cygnets

I came across this Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) and her cygnets today, preening on a raised mound of land in the Charles River near a small heron rookery. It was difficult to make out how many cygnets were in the group, but I'd venture to say there were six. These cygnets are gray or "Royal" and start off with gray down and grow in gray-brown and white feathers, giving them a mottled look.

Male and female Mute Swans choose the nest site together and use any material within about 40 feet to make the nest. The female (or pen) lays between 1 to 12 eggs, the average being 6. The eggs are laid every other day and only when the last egg has been laid does incubation start. The incubation period lasts about 35 days and the pen only comes off the nest for very short periods to drink and stretch her legs. The male (or cob) takes over after a recognition head lifting ceremony. The cob will defend the nest against foxes, dogs and other predators.

Cygnets normally take to the water 24 hours after the last cygnet has hatched, usually in May. The parents do not feed them, but the pen will 'foot paddle' to bring food to the surface for cygnets to eat and pull out reeds which the young would otherwise be unable to reach. One parent will always be on guard and they often travel in line with one parent at the back, the other in front. The pen will carry the young on her back. The swan family is very close and if a cygnet is lost, the parents will often look for it up to a week. Natural predators are pike, foxes, mink and cold, wet weather. Unfortunately man poses further hazards.

Nature has been clever with the swan's moulting period when they cannot fly. The moult takes about 6 weeks and for non-breeding birds takes place about July time. A pair with cygnets moult at different times, first the pen and then the cob in August to September so that one of them can always defend the young.
Source: Fairford Swan Aid

Swan lovers everywhere will be interested in The Swan Sanctuary and Simply Superb Swans.

Set them free

2011-08-07T16:33:00.020-04:00

Buddhists liberate lobsters off the coast of Massachusetts.

Read the story here.
Photos by Brian Snyder/Reuters

When you love animals but live in a world where the majority are objectified and treated with cruelty, you have a distinctly different point of view. For example, I do my best to avoid lobster tanks in supermarkets because seeing the creatures bound and imprisoned, languishing until they are butchered or boiled alive really upsets me ― unless I can do something about it. On several occasions, I have purchased crabs and lobsters and driven up to coastal Maine with friends to set them free. Knowing they could be trapped and shipped back again, we always chose the most remote areas to help increase the odds in their favor. But, like these Buddhist monks and the animal lovers that accompanied them, the exhilaration of setting them free (even if only for a few weeks or months), and the desire to spare their suffering always made the effort worthwhile.

Thanks to these folks, 534 lobsters were liberated (on a whale watching boat at dusk). Were they astonished and grateful to find themselves unfettered and back in their natural element again? You bet. Lobsters are sentient creatures that can live 100 years and, like us, carry their young for nine months. To learn more about lobsters, click here.

One of the participants involved in this event said it all when she said, "Their happiness is as important as your happiness, their suffering is as important as your suffering."

Three cheers for everyone who helped carry out this compassionate mission. You don't have to be Buddhist or vegetarian to save animals from unnecessary suffering; you only have to care.

Time going by

2011-08-05T20:48:00.006-04:00

”I've been aware of the time going by.
They say in the end, it's the wink of an eye."

~Jackson Browne
from The Pretender

Elderberries for Birds

2011-08-04T20:40:00.012-04:00

Elderberries ripening (Sambucus canadensis)

and ripe ― this variety is 'Adams'

For years I was obsessed with elderberries and I can't say why. I'm fond of all berries and brambles as well as birch trees, geese, mosses and ferns; the list goes on and on. They hold a magnetic attraction for me. Then again, flora and fauna are the inspiration for Nature Is My Elixir.

Anyway, back to elderberries. Seeing them growing wild, heavy with purple berries glistening in the late summer sun, was always exciting and watching the birds descend on the bushes even more so. Cedar Waxwings are one of my favorite birds and they absolutely love elderberries.

Two years ago I finally ordered three elderberry plants from a nursery that specializes in plants for birds. One variety bears red fruit in June and the other two produce the purple fruits you see in the photo above (click on both photos for a better view). The thing is, the birds eat most of the berries while they're still green! This is the first summer I've had a chance to see so many purple berries still on the plants. The nurseryman said it would take two years for the plants to bear a good crop.

There was a time when I had visions of making elderberry wine, inspired in part by the song Elton John sings. But growing bird food has become much more compelling and over the years, I have steadily been replacing non-native, purely ornamental plants with natives that provide food and cover for birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, wild turkeys and all kinds of wildlife.

As a gardener with an artistic sensibility and many years of experience I am surprised at the significant shift in my approach ― and very pleased. Fragrance matters and always will but what means the most to me now is restoring ecological balance. In "going native" I'm doing just that and creating a haven for the wildlife I love.

Blue Whales of August

2011-08-03T20:56:00.013-04:00

The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

A pod of 15 Blue Whales, a mother and her calf among them, gathered to feed off the coast of California on August 1st. Sightings of blue whales are very rare. Click here to see video from ABC News. Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. These magnificent marine mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet (30 meters) long and upwards of 200 tons (181 metric tons). Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant.

Their hearts, as much as an automobile. They are among Earth's longest-lived animals. Scientists have discovered that by counting the layers of a deceased whale's waxlike earplugs, they can get a close estimate of the animal's age. The oldest blue whale found using this method was determined to be around 110 years old. Average lifespan is estimated at around 80 to 90 years.

As pollution degrades our world oceans and destroys more and more marine habitat, try and imagine what these leviathans face as they journey around the globe. Just imagine what they have seen across the years! In 1931, only 80 years ago, their habitat was pristine compared with what it is today. We can do better and we must. Get involved with Oceana, an organization dedicated to protecting the world's oceans.

DID YOU KNOW? Many of our daily decisions — some we might not even think about — impact the health of oceans. Everyday products with petroleum (e.g., chewing gum and aspirin) can be a source of ocean pollution. The seafood we choose to eat also has a big impact on oceans. For every pound of shrimp caught ten pounds of other marine life are killed and thrown away! There are many ways to help the ocean. You CAN become a conscious consumer. For example, buy only fish-free pet food and only seafood that is harvested sustainably. It's easier than you think and you will make a difference.

Shark Massacre in the GNP

2011-07-24T21:34:00.007-04:00

Dead sharks found on illegal fishing vessel in GNP

John Bruno, Associate Professor at UNC Chapel Hill, marine ecologist and author of a fantastic blog called SeaMonster, wrote about the discovery of a shark massacre on July 20th. "A rundown small ship from Manta, on the central coast of Ecuador, was apprehended by the Galapagos National Park and the Ecuadorian Navy. According to the GNP, 357 sharks were found on the ship: 286 bigeye thresher, 22 blue sharks, 40 Galapagos sharks, 6 hammerhead sharks, 2 tiger sharks, and 1 mako shark." In an update today he writes about his team's efforts to quantify the illegal catch (there were actually 380 sharks):

"Yesterday I led a team of 8 scientists and students from UNC, USFQ and the Galapagos Science Center to quantify the illegal catch. We worked along side a great team from the Galapagos National Park and were assisted by the Ecuadorian Coast Guard.

We identified (there were 7 shark species), sexed, and measured every individual (there turned out to be 380 sharks). We also took samples for genetic and demographic analysis (very little is known about the biology of some of these species). It took 10 hours and was grueling and very dangerous work. (There were lots of knives, hooks, and other sharp objects around, the sharks are very heavy and the deck of the ship was extremely slippery.)

Beyond that, it was one of the most depressing and intense days of my life. It felt like we were unearthing and documenting a mass grave in a war zone. We are all physically and emotionally toast today, so I thought I should start describing it all with a slide show (note, this is graphic and disturbing). I will post a lot more detail soon, including information on the broader context of shark fishing here and elsewhere."

Visit the SeaMonster blog to view photos that convey the magnitude of this crime against marine life.

Meanwhile, here in Massachusetts, another Monster Shark Tournament was held yesterday off Martha's Vineyard. Standout catches were a 365-pound thresher shark and a 538-pound thresher shark, hoisted up to be displayed like macabre trophies for all to see. Sadly, this too, is a massacre, and the fact that it is legally sanctioned only makes it more horrifying.

I wholeheartedly agree with the Humane Society of the United States, which opposes the event because of the shark killing it promotes. Sharon Young, HSUS marine issues field director said, "There's a constant litany of conservation issues with sharks. We desperately need conservation measures for large sharks."

And we need them NOW.

Rainbow toad rediscovered

2011-07-17T09:19:00.006-04:00

Photograph by Indraneil Das

The first ever photographs of a rediscovered "rainbow toad," last seen over four decades ago, have been released by scientists exploring the mountains of Borneo. In recent years, the Washington-based Conservation International placed the Bornean rainbow toad, also known as the Sambas stream toad, on a world "top 10 most wanted lost frogs list" and voiced fears it might be extinct.

Read the entire article from The Guardian here.

Two years on

2011-06-01T07:30:00.013-04:00

and still...I miss him.

Going on hiatus to enjoy the summer season.

Consider doing the same. Too many people are suffering from nature deficit disorder because they are constantly plugged into a computer instead of outside interacting with nature and animals.

We Have Lost Our Way

2011-05-28T21:13:00.021-04:00

Weeping Willow beside an Ocean State Job Lot store On the other side of the fence is a forgotten Eden

I've been coming to this discount store for years and I've never given much thought to the weeping willow tree that grows just beyond the parking lot fence. But I've always noticed it and how out of place it looks ― in every season.

Tonight, something seemed different. Perhaps it was the full splendor of the tree in all of its green glory that underscored the incongruity of it growing there. Or, perhaps I am different. And the same. I've always seen what so many others miss. I decided to take some photos of the willow before I went in to shop.

As I walked out of the store I had a wider view of the tree and the chain link fence that separates it from the parking lot. The fence is completely covered with a thick mat of green vines. For the first time, I felt the need to walk over to the fence and peer in. There, hidden from the world it seemed, lay a forgotten paradise. I saw and heard a fast flowing tributary of the Neponset River running through a green arch so lush with trees that it is nearly dark inside. The "other" world fell away and I became part of this hidden one, alive with songbirds of every kind that seemed to know as little of me as I had known of them.

After a few minutes, I felt a great sadness well up. Who had allowed this sprawling strip mall to be built right up to the very edge of this precious place? Still, the willow had grown regal there on the banks of the rushing river. It was a sign of something more that I had missed for far too long. I realized that this tree has been calling to me for a long time, but I wasn't ready to listen. Tonight, I listened to the willow and I wept.

I thought about the exhaust fumes from the relentless cycles of shipping and receiving and shoppers coming and going seven days a week. I knew that once, this hidden jewel had been part of a vast tract of marsh and meadow land, impossible to fence off. Now the willow, growing on the edge of what is still intact, appears to be the problem when in fact, it is the solution. Driving home along Route 1 at dusk I spied two does grazing in the green grassy perimeter along Plainfield Brook, which runs near the highway. Once this wetland stretched for miles and miles. Now those miles have a name that is a metaphor for the oil consumption that is changing our planet forever: The Automile.

In my lifetime it seems to me that the natural world is fast becoming the ultimate outsider ― marginalized and misunderstood though still undiscovered by many. As humanity presses in and pushes nature aside, it grieves me to realize how much we have lost our way.

Runnin' with the pack

2011-05-19T15:07:00.004-04:00

I've been too busy to blog these days, looking after these girls and having a wonderful time. Whether Rough or Smooth Coated, Collies are a joy to be with; they're sweet, fun loving and smart. Click on the photo to see how much fun they're having.

Tips of tender green

2011-05-09T06:00:00.004-04:00

Tips of tender green,
leaf, or blade, or sheath;
Telling of the hidden life
that breaks forth underneath…

~Christina Rossetti

For a boy

2011-05-06T06:00:00.015-04:00

My Rachmaninoff in the summer of his life

I love May, but I feel an old longing as it begins, for May is the month that my beloved Maine Coon boy was born. Remembering him today evokes a sense of gratitude for being in the right place at the right time all those years ago. Abandoned by his breeder and suffering from a severe respiratory infection, he was rescued and taken to a foster home. Terrified and still too little to be on his own, he tried to comfort himself by curling up inside a wicker wastebasket.

I wanted him the moment I saw him, took him home, then rushed him to the vet. The next morning I went to see him and was asked if I would try to get him to eat. "If he doesn't eat, he won't last much longer," said the vet. I held a spoonful of food up for him to try and promised I would never, ever leave him. He looked up at me and then began to eat. He ate one plate of food and then a second helping.

The little boy kitten who had almost given up lived on ― for 18 years ― and gloried in being outdoors in every season. His spirit still lingers in the woods, gardens and mossy corners of this property. A tender soul, he was meant to be born in the tender month of May.

Tender times of May: Foliage

2011-05-04T07:14:00.008-04:00

In May, the lush growth of new foliage is tender to the touch and bursting with vivid green color.

Tender times of May: Willows

2011-05-02T06:00:00.005-04:00

Weeping willow (Salix babylonica)

In early spring willow wands awaken and begin to color, at first taking on a yellow hue with just a tinge of green. By May, the wands have turned a bright, kelly green and seem almost to vibrate with life.

These quintessential ambassadors of springtime soothe the senses and romance the spirit. Theirs is a tenderness that resonates with gentleness, sympathy and grace. Though willows are often associated with death and grief, they possess a very potent life force.

The tender times of May

2011-05-01T09:55:00.005-04:00

Weeping Cherry (Prunus pendula)

It's May, the time for the tender and the new. Weeks' old calves are walking beside their mothers and experiencing the lushness of meadow grass for the first time, and the ethereal and ephemeral blossoms of trees such as this Weeping Cherry, with its graceful habit, have transformed the landscape into a fairy land.

Tender, green leaves emerging on the trees just beyond this Weeping Cherry signal that we are moving into mid spring now, when everything seems to be growing and glowing.

I am saddened to report...

2011-04-28T16:37:00.005-04:00

Nightingale by: Dietmar Nill/Nature Picture Library

that "some of Britain's most cherished spring visitors are disappearing in their thousands. Ornithologists say species such as the cuckoo, nightingale and turtle dove are undergoing catastrophic drops in numbers, although experts are puzzled about the exact reasons for these declines." Read more at guardian.co.uk.

"APRIL is the cruellest month..." ~T.S. Eliot (1888–1965) from The Waste Land, 1922

Rare Right Whale Event

2011-04-25T00:00:00.002-04:00

North Atlantic Right Whale

By now you've probably heard about the record number of Right Whales feeding off the coast of Cape Cod. There are only 473 of these magnificent whales left on the planet! Around 200 of them have gathered to feed on an abundant supply of zooplankton.

Thank goodness for their proximity to land because already a marine rescue team from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies freed an endangered North Atlantic right whale that was tangled in rope yesterday in Cape Cod Bay, sparing the 30-ton mammal from potentially life-threatening complications. Below is the rest of the story by writer Taylor M. Miles from The Boston Globe:

Researchers from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies found the whale with a rope caught in its mouth that probably came from a fishing boat, officials said. The Marine Animal Entanglement Response Team worked on freeing the whale for several hours and loosed the rope by making a single cut and using large buoys.

Scott Landry, the response team’s director, said it appeared the “big, black and rotund’’ whale, which was about 35 to 40 feet long, had bitten down on the rope. The rope was so long it wrapped together behind the whale forming a loop, he said.

“The outcome of that could have been a very long and painful death,’’ Landry said.

The rescue team has seen worse entanglements, but if left unattended a whale can die after months of suffering, he said.

While the rope was only half an inch thick, it can slowly cut into the whale’s mouth. In this whale’s case, there were visible raw wounds and scars from cuts that had healed, Landry said.
The right whales come to the area to feed on plankton each spring, but Landry said there are an exceptionally high number of them close to the shore this year.

The whale is one of 473 right whales left in the population. The right whale is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, and is listed as “critically endangered,’’ according to a news release from researchers. The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, a coastal and marine ecosystem preservation nonprofit group, has encountered about 50 percent of the population off the coast of Cape Cod this year. The North Atlantic right whales inhabit the ocean area around the northeast United States and Canada.

The factors contributing to the death rate of right whales include entanglements with commercial fishing gear, as well as “human-caused mortalities’’ and “vessel strikes,’’ according to the coastal studies center. The law prohibits anyone from coming within 500 yards of a right whale.

Turkey Nests

2011-04-24T09:45:00.009-04:00

Photo: Science Blogs

Photo: birdcinema.com

This post concludes my series on Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris): Turkey nests have been found in a variety of habitats. Sites are selected for their undergrowth characteristics. Nests are often found at the base of trees or against fallen logs. Hens will often select a nest site near a trail or open area. This allows for access to the nest and the trail or open area may be used for a feeding area during incubation. The nests are a shallow depression formed mostly by scratching, squatting, and laying eggs.
Most hens lay one egg a day, and have a clutch of 10 to 12 eggs. Laying hens cover the eggs with leaves or other material, while incubating hens leave the eggs exposed.

Hens that are incubating may occasionally roost in trees for the night, even after incubating continuously for several days. Most incubating hens leave the nest every day to feed, but occasionally they may skip a day. When a hen leaves the nest, she leaves the nest uncovered and goes directly to water, drink, defecate, and then feed. Time off the nest varies from day to day and weather can be a factor. On hot days hens seem to feed longer and in a more leisurely manner than on cold days.

Turkeys have an incubation period of about 26 days. Hatching begins with pipping. Pipping is when the poult uses its egg tooth (hard, sharp spike on the upper beak) to break the shell. The pipping poults rotate in the egg to make a complete break around the large end of the egg. Hatching takes about 24 hours. Once the poult frees itself from the egg it is ready to follow the hen within 12-24 hours.

Source: Department of Wildlife Management

Birds do it

2011-04-23T08:31:00.014-04:00

The hen sits to let the Tom approach her

One more post before I conclude my series on Eastern Wild Turkeys: There are between 18,000 and 20,000 Wild Turkeys in Massachusetts and their mating ritual is a long, drawn out affair. Toms follow the smaller and browner hens for weeks, displaying their colorful feathers and wattles, and competing with one another for courtship rights. While the hens appear indifferent a good deal of the time, they're definitely taking notice as the Toms, strut, gobble (click here to listen) and dance. Hens demand a long courtship period and Toms show tremendous patience, trailing them from dawn to dusk.

Mating itself requires the hen to bear the full weight of the Tom. While she can weigh as much as 12 pounds, he can tip the scales at close to 30. The endurance test for her comes when he stands on her back and stomps before mating. This is the dance he has been practicing during his struts and displays.

Hens emerge unscathed and continue mating until they decide it's time to build their nests. Then, mating season is over.

Earth Day needs to be every day

2011-04-22T07:21:00.005-04:00

Otherwise we're going to turn our planet into a place that can only support one type of life form.

My series on Wild Turkeys will conclude in the next post.

Toms strut their stuff

2011-04-21T14:02:00.021-04:00

A Tom struts his stuff to attract hens and intimidate other males

Toms strut and make nice while the hen bides her time

Continuing a series on Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris): Toms (males) begin their courtship of hens in March and April, when the flock is still together from the winter. When a Tom is excited, the wattles and the bare skin of his head and neck all become engorged with blood. The colors on his head depend on his mood ― blue and white when he feels amorous and red when he's ready to fight. A Tom spreads his tail feathers like a fan when he's strutting or displaying. He'll also puff up his chest feathers and drag the tips of his wings on the ground.

Some interesting identifying features of male turkeys are below (click on photos for better views of coloration, wattlesm beard and caruncles):

Wattles: folds of red skin under the chin

Caruncles: fleshy and wart-like growths on the head and neck, which turn bright red in mating season

Snood: flappy, fingerlike piece of skin that dangles over the beak, with the same coloring as caruncles

Spur: bony spike on the rear of each leg, which can be quite sharp and is used for fighting

Beard: black feathers that resemble long coarse hairs. Beards grow from the chest and become longer with age

Some of the Toms displaying here must be a decade old or more; their beards are impressively long!

Lawn care with turkeys

2011-04-17T15:11:00.012-04:00

Wild turkeys passing through

This is the third post in a series on Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris):

I love living with these birds and I really appreciate the way they naturally fertilize my lawns and gardens. Their droppings dry quickly and all it takes is a bit of rain to incorporate the nutrients into the soil.

Thanks to wild turkeys, my spring fertilizing is already done!

Peepers and Squill

2011-04-11T21:07:00.008-04:00

Squill (Scilla siberica)

Blooming Squill and the magical sounds of peepers are distracting me, hence this break from my series on Wild Turkeys, which I will continue in the next post.

The Winter of 2011 will not soon be forgotten. Snow, snow, snow, tree damage everywhere one looked and hardship for wildlife that seemed never-ending. But when I hear the peepers calling and see the cerulean blue petals of the first spring Squill, I am mad with forgetting, and it is a wonderful madness, indeed. The British author Ellis Peters, aka Edith Mary Pargeter, was right when she wrote:

Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment.

Turkeys love their dust baths

2011-04-10T21:42:00.012-04:00

Taking a dust bath in the warm spring sun

Click on the photos for a close up view

This is the second post in a series on Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris):

After a long, hard winter taking dust baths is both a simple pleasure that turkeys dearly love and a necessary part of good grooming. It's fascinating to watch them makes these body-sized, bowl-shaped depressions in loose soil, and I often find feathers or clumps of down nearby.

According to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife: "Wild turkeys and other birds must maintain their plumage to keep the feathers from being saturated with dry flakes of skin, excess preening oil, and other debris. Many birds take water baths to accomplish this purpose, either by dipping into water or by erecting their feathers during a drizzle. However, birds that live in areas where standing water is unavailable take 'dust baths' as a substitute. They create wallows by scraping the ground and then throw the fine dusty soil over their bodies. The dust is worked into the plumage and then shaken out along with the skin debris and excess oil absorbed by the dust. Dusting may help the birds rid themselves of bird lice and other external parasites. "

I live with a bunch of turkeys

2011-04-07T17:07:00.015-04:00

A hen considers the attentions of two Toms in full display

This post begins a series on Wild Turkeys with whom I have the privilege of sharing my property. I so enjoy their company and the wonderful distraction they offer with all that's gone wrong in the world, especially the havoc we are wreaking on our environment: the massive amount of radioactive water that has poured into the Pacific Ocean; the damage to marine life still to be fully realized from the BP Oil spill, which happened almost a year ago; and the plight of little brown bats, whose demise is all but being ignored even though the natural pest-control services these insect-eating creatures provide save the U.S. agriculture sector as much as $57 billion a year.

This is mating season for wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) and in between the gobble-gobbles and incredibly beautiful displays of iridescent plumage, there are dust and sun baths, viscious fighting among immature Toms and fancy dances performed by outlandishly colorful mature Toms flush with the passion of the season.

This land is theirs, too and their presence helps usher in another miraculous spring.

Honor the memory of an exceptional animal lover

2011-03-30T07:38:00.017-04:00

Elizabeth Taylor was a natural beauty

and her eyes reflected the light in her heart

Elizabeth Taylor died one week ago today but her legend will live on. Her loveliness radiated kindness and deep empathy. In addition to her lifelong love of animals, she understood and reached out to those who were in pain or despair. Perhaps Kahlil Gibran said it best when he wrote, "Beauty is a light in the heart."

When she died last Wednesday of congestive heart failure Elizabeth was surrounded by her four children at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks.

She was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in a service that began with poetry readings by actor Colin Farrell and Taylor's family members. The casket was draped in gardenias, violets, and lilies of the valley before its interment in the cemetery's Great Mausoleum beneath a marble sculpture of an angel inspired by the work of Italian artist Michelangelo.

Honor the memory of this exceptional animal lover by donating to your local animal shelter, or better yet, adopt a homeless cat, dog, rabbit or other companion animal.

Elizabeth loved animals

2011-03-26T14:04:00.007-04:00

Elizabeth Taylor loved cats

and dogs, here with Lassie in Lassie Come Home

We animal lovers are often misunderstood. Those who don't feel as we do believe we have difficulty forming deep connections with people. Not at all. In fact, I think we love more profoundly than most. Elizabeth Taylor demonstrated this ability to love both animals and people deeply, and despite numerous failed marriages kept on loving until her death on March 23rd. I don't think it was just a coincidence that she died the day after the 53rd anniversary of Mike Todd's death. Todd, one of the great loves of her life, died in a plane crash on March 22, 1958.

My own love of animals began in early childhood. I just always felt connected, comfortable and at ease around them and I always will.

As a humanitarian and an animal lover, Elizabeth Taylor brought both worlds together and set an example for many. When she said, “I sometimes think I prefer animals to people,” she made it all right for the rest of us who feel the same.

More on Elizabeth Taylor's love for animals in the next post.

I watch the Fox Network

2011-03-21T20:08:00.011-04:00

A red fox (Vulpes, vulpes) surveys

his territory on the first day of Spring

It's Season Two on the Fox Network ― I am privileged to be able to watch a pair of red foxes again this year. I first glimpsed them in early January. They are so intelligent and magnificent to look upon. The vixen has given birth by now and the male is busy hunting to feed himself and his mate while she cares for their kits.

Red foxes mate from January through March. The female will make one or more dens right after mating. The extra dens are used if the original den is disturbed. A little less than two months after mating, the female gives birth to a litter of between one and ten kits. Last year there were six kits and happily, they all thrived.

This photo was taken at some distance but you can see the characteristic long, bushy tail tipped in white, pointed black ears and black legs and feet.

Some mornings, around 5am, the cats will leap from the bed and rush to a large picture window downstairs. They know the fox is up and about. I think they enjoy watching the Fox Network as much as I do.

Close encounter with the moon

2011-03-20T06:56:00.002-04:00

The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand.

~Frederic Lawrence Knowles

Watching last night's "Supermoon" rise in the sky, I have to agree with NASA that "the visual illusion is most prominent at sunset, when low-hanging full moons tend to look larger anyway."

Scientists called this a super perigee moon. Perigee is the point where the moon makes its closest pass to Earth during its oval-shaped orbit. When it happens during a full moon, the moon seems up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than normal, according to NASA.

The last full moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993. The full moon of March 19 occurred less than one hour away from perigee -- a near-perfect coincidence that happens only (every) 18 years or so.

The March full moon is also known as the Crow Moon. The moon won’t come this close again until November 14, 2016.

Tsunami killed thousands of seabirds at Midway

2011-03-18T13:20:00.014-04:00

Laysan albatross chick that washed ashore is seen at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge near the Hawaiian Islands.

(AP Photo/US Fish and Wildlife Service, Pete Leary)

In this Febuary 2011 photo provided by the US Geological Survey, a Laysan albatross, roughly 60-years-old, named Wisdom is seen with a chick at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge near Hawaii.

The fate of animals is always an under-reported story in any disaster, especially when the situation is as terrible and catastrophic as it is in Japan.

The suffering of all affected ― the people, their companion animals, wildlife in the country and in the path of the tsunami ― is immense. Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless with the magnitude of this natural disaster still to be fully comprehended. Now, there is the fear of nuclear reactor core meltdown, which some very brave workers are sacrificing their lives to prevent. One thing is certain, Japan will need our help for many years to come.

HONOLULU – Thousands of seabirds were killed when the tsunami generated by last week's massive earthquake off Japan flooded Midway, a remote atoll northwest of the main Hawaiian islands, a federal wildlife official said Tuesday.

At least 1,000 adult and adolescent Laysan albatross were killed, along with thousands of chicks. Many drowned or were buried under debris as waves reaching 5 feet high rolled over the low-lying atoll about four hours after the magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck. Click here to read more.

Prayers for Japan

2011-03-13T12:52:00.009-04:00

Some of the many apocalyptic images from Japan

Photographs by Reuters, AFP/Getty Images

Three days after a devastating earthquake unleashed a tsunami in which at least 10,000 people are feared dead, Japan faces a deepening nuclear crisis and the prospect of another very powerful quake.

Relief organizations and governments around the world are responding to help people, and now several groups are stepping in to assist the thousands of animals that have been impacted as well, but unfortunately, animals have to wait longer for help to arrive.

Since animals (wildlife, birds, farm animals) have no one to speak for them, I find their plight equally compelling. There are many organizations and agencies whose mission is to help animals in disaster areas. If you'd like to help, two that I recommend supporting are:

World Vets is an international veterinary aid organization that provides “free veterinary aid, resources and support during times of disaster all over the world”. Their non-profit efforts spans 25 countries and 6 continents, and handles both veterinary issues and human health issues caused by animal-related infectious diseases. World Vets is already working to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami, and desperately needs donations.

The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation is a non-profit, FEMA-certified agency that searches for survivors in the wreckage of catastrophic events such as the one is Japan. NDSDF has already deployed six Canine Disaster Search Teams to respond to the current crisis; each task force is made up of approximately 72 members (including both humans and Urban Search and Rescue dogs) and some 75 tons of rescue equipment.

Say a prayer for the people and animals of Japan. Be grateful for all that you have and for the safety of those you love.

March Skies

2011-03-12T13:42:00.007-05:00

The natural world is stirring back to life and those of us who are awake and aware feel it. The light is changing. The sky has that gusty March wind look as the clouds travel fast along a wide swathe of blue, and even the trees, bare as they may be, seem to be vibrating with life. The natural urge to begin again never ceases to astonish me.

Canada Geese are back with their mates, staking out nesting grounds. I saw a pair today on an open meadow-like parcel of land, graced with a mature weeping willow tree ― ideal habitat for setting up a nursery.

But in March, the urge to migrate and find a mate can have deadly consequences. Roadkill is always a sorrowful sight and even more so this early in the season. Today I saw two opossums and one yearling groundhog dead in the road. It seems so unfair that they should be struck down after surviving such a brutal winter.

Still, there is solace to be found in the changing beauty of March skies and the fact that we are almost on what I like to call "the other side." Daylight Savings Time begins tonight.

Champion for Tigers Dies

2011-03-10T11:21:00.011-05:00

Fateh Singh Rathore (Photo: Getty Images)

The situation is desperate for tigers and environmental groups estimate that the tiger population worldwide has declined to 3,000 today from 100,000 in 1900.

Now, the man who fought for four decades to save these majestic cats from extinction has lost the good fight. Fateh Singh Rathore, known among environmentalists as the Tiger Guru for his understanding of the cat, died of cancer on March 1 at 73 on his farm outside the 116-square-mile tiger preserve that he did so much to create.

Just last month the World Wildlife Fund presented Rathore with a lifetime achievement award. The president of its India chapter, Divyabhanusinh Chavda, said that largely because of Rathore, “Ranthambhore National Park in northwest India, became the place which brought the tiger to the consciousness of people the world over.”

Fateh Singh Rathore was born in a village in Rajasthan in 1938, the eldest of 10 children of Sagat and Inder Singh Rathore. After working as a store clerk and selling coal, Mr. Rathore was offered a job as a park ranger by an uncle who had become deputy minister of forests in Rajasthan. He found his calling after completing training at the Wildlife Institute of India in 1969.

He also became a photographer, his pictures of tigers appearing in the book “Tigers: The Secret Life” (1990), with text by Valmik Thapar. They show tigers lounging at the gate of the fort, standing on the parapet of a crumbling mosque and striding among the roots of a giant banyan tree.

“Both the author and his photographer-teacher profoundly want the tiger to survive,” John Seidensticker, a curator of mammals at the National Zoological Park, wrote in a 1990 review in The New York Times Book Review. “But the lingering sense running through the book is that its position is desperate.”

Happiness

2011-03-06T15:08:00.002-05:00

Happiness...

not in another place

but this place,

not for another hour

but this hour.

~Walt Whitman

File Under "duh"

2011-03-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA), shows a winter storm from space as it moves across the the U.S. on February 2, 2011.

Extreme winter weather linked to climate change

By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent

Read the story here.

The mainstream press is reporting what many of us already know. How anyone can still believe that global warming is a sham continues to amaze me.

I am reminded of the opening scenes of the 1978 movie, Superman, in which Jor-el (played by Marlon Brando) is unable to convince the ruling council of Krypton that their world will destroy itself soon.

No one believed him either.

Something is killing baby dolphins

2011-02-27T09:17:00.008-05:00

Photo courtesy of whales.org.au

A tide of dead infant dolphins has washed ashore along a 100-mile stretch of the Alabama and Mississippi coastlines in the past two weeks. Marine mammal experts believe the Gulf oil spill may be to blame and fear it will only get worse.

Moby Solangi, Director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, and his team say there's a chance this could be an anomaly. "But in my 30 years of studying dolphins I have never seen anything like this. This is highly unusual."

Solangi called the high number of deaths significant, especially in light of the BP oil spill throughout the spring and summer last year when millions of barrels of crude oil containing toxins and carcinogens spewed into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil worked its way into the Mississippi and Chandeleur sounds and other bays and shallow waters where dolphins breed and give birth.

Dolphins breed in the spring and carry their young for 11 to 12 months. When a dolphin is born, its mother has the job of making sure it gets to the surface for its first breath of air. If the baby is dead, the mother still tries. Over and over, sometimes for hours. She stays with the baby, not realizing fully that it is dead. She will hit it with her tail, grasp it, pull it and nudge it gently, hoping to get it to breathe.

"The more desperate the animal gets when the calf is not breathing, the more intense her behavior becomes," Solangi said. "I've watched it."

"She goes into a frenzy trying to get the baby to respond and then stays with her dead infant, sometimes for hours before she lets it go. That's why some of the dead dolphin infants identified in the last two weeks have trauma to their bodies. They didn't die by being hit," he said.

Watch the NBC News story here.

Year of the Turtle

2011-02-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Wood turtle photo courtesy of WoodTurtle.com

Though turtles have been on the planet for about 220 million years, scientists now report that almost half of all turtle species is threatened. Turtle scientists are working to understand how global warming may affect turtle reproduction. To bring attention to this and other issues affecting turtles, researchers and other supporters have designated 2011 as the Year of the Turtle.

Turtles (which include tortoises) are central to the food web. Sea turtles graze on the sea grass found on the ocean floor, helping to keep it short and healthy. Healthy sea grass in turn is an important breeding ground for many species of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. The same processes hold for freshwater and land turtles. For example, turtles contribute to the health of marshes and wetlands, being important prey for a suite of predators.

A few quick facts about turtles:

-About 50 percent of freshwater turtle species are threatened worldwide, more than any other animal group.

-About 20 percent of all turtle species worldwide are found in North America.

-Primary threats to turtles are habitat loss and exploitation.

-Climate change patterns, altered temperatures, affected wetlands and stream flow all are key factors that affect turtle habitats.

-Urban and suburban development causes turtles to be victims to fast-moving cars, farm machinery; turtles can also be unintentionally caught in fishing nets.

Click here to learn more.

As above, so below

2011-02-13T18:05:00.012-05:00

Wild turkeys in their treetop roost
A hen in flight A pregnant vixen rests

while her mate goes off to hunt

This has been one of the most severe winters on record. Even so, the flock of wild turkeys is managing well, and this red fox pair are finding squirrels and mice to eat.

I am constantly astonished by the beauty of red foxes. Though I haven't been able to capture a photo of this mated pair together for fear of disturbing them, I have observed them side by side, and it's clear that they are devoted to one another. Adult red foxes usually live alone except during the mating season in January and February and when raising young. They usually mate for life.

As I've observed the foxes hunting for squirrels, I can almost hear them thinking ― that's how intelligent they are. They have only a passing interest in the turkeys, probably because this particular flock is very healthy and always alert. There seems to be some understanding between the two species.

So, if they can live together, why can't we?

Animals are not disposable

2011-02-10T13:55:00.012-05:00

Photo by Darryl Dyck for The Canadian Press

The “execution-style” mass cull of 100 sled dogs owned by Whistler-based Outdoor Adventures has sparked outrage far and wide.

The dogs were perfectly healthy and a veterinarian refused to put them down, so an employee from Whistler-based Howling Dog Tours shot them one at a time, execution style, while the other dogs watched in horrified panic.

According to the Vancouver Sun, the unnamed employee who killed the dogs came forward to report the April 2010 massacre after suffering from panic attacks and nightmares, hallmarks of post-traumatic stress disorder. He says he was ordered to kill the animals, part of his job description, because dog sled rides were no longer in high demand following the end of last year’s Winter Olympic Games. The employee says the grisly task was extremely difficult; he had developed strong bonds of trust and affection with the animals and had even named many of them himself. During the actual killings, many of the dogs panicked and attacked him. He ended up covered in blood as he buried the 100 slaughtered animals in a mass grave. But he couldn’t bury the memory of what he'd done.

Marcie Moriarty, who heads the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) cruelty investigations division, says she feels little or no sympathy for the shooter, as emotionally unraveled as he may be. “I’ve no doubt he has suffered post traumatic stress but there’s a thing called choice,” she told the Sun. “I absolutely would not have done this and he could have said no. This is a Criminal Code offense … I don’t feel sorry for this guy for one minute.”

Moriarty also said the horrific slaughter will shine a light on the darker side of the dog sledding industry. “There is a problem with the sled dog industry in general. People see these 20 sled dogs, an idyllic setting with snow in the background and think how great. But what they don’t see is the 200 dogs tethered and sleeping out back, chained to a barrel.” Click here to read the whole story.

And then, repeat after me:

Animals are not disposable.

Animals are not disposable!

A World Away ― Koi Pond

2011-02-05T20:40:00.007-05:00

Watching these Koi fish happily swimming in their greenhouse pond helps transport me A World Away from winter and the miseries it has brought, e.g., ice dams (I have two leaking water into my house), roof collapses, and other snow-related miseries. And, let's not forget the impact that seven major storms are having on wildlife. My series of posts about leaving winter behind (begun on January 28th) concludes with these fish, also known as "living jewels" or "swimming flowers." Yes, to both.

In Japan, Koi are symbols of perseverance in adversity and are associated with strength of purpose. These qualities will help us get through the rest of winter. And remember ― it can always be worse.

A World Away – Silly Marguerite

2011-02-03T06:12:00.004-05:00

Snowy out there, nice and sunny in here.

What? Another storm is coming this weekend?

OK, I’m composed again. About that storm…Bring it on.

A World Away, (see first posting on January 28th), continues with more of Marguerite. She always cheers me up.

All this snow and ice is getting to everyone, including Marguerite, or maybe she was just in a silly mood when I snapped these photos.

Either way, the camera loves her – and so do I!

Click on the photos for close up views.

A World Away ― Let it snow

2011-02-02T09:14:00.011-05:00

Let it snow, it’s nice and warm inside the greenhouse

As another monster storm clobbers us for the second consecutive day, I'm wishing I could be A World Away more than ever, hence my name for this series, which I began on January 28th. But spending time with Marguerite always lifts my spirits. Although she is reserved with those she doesn't know, this girl is loaded with personality. Once she feels comfortable, her happy-go-lucky, spunky side emerges.

Over the years, I have taken a zillion photos of Marguerite ― she loves to pose! She is an elegant cat, but during this session she really hammed it up.

In the next post Marguerite gets silly.

A World Away ― Marguerite

2011-02-01T17:49:00.006-05:00

A World Away is a series of posts (beginning on January 28th) about my visits to an Eden-like greenhouse to find a bit of relief in this very harsh winter. This post features Miss Marguerite, the cat in residence.

Marguerite was a stray when she wandered into the greenhouse more than 10 years ago and immediately made herself at home. She continues to thrive, and one of her favorite places to hang out is beside the stairs where the sun streams through in mid-morning.

A World Away ― Pelargonium

2011-01-31T06:00:00.005-05:00

This fragrant variety is called 'Old Fashioned Rose"

A World Away, a series, which begins on January 28th, continues with this scented-leaf Pelargonium (geranium), native to South Africa. It thrives in the greenhouse and loves to be outdoors in the summer garden. Lightly rubbing the deeply-cut, lacy leaves releases a delicious rose scent and takes me a world away from winter.

The late, great Adelma Grenier Simmons, founder of the now defunct Caprilands Herb Farm in Coventry, Connecticut, loved Scented Geraniums. She purchased a deserted farm in 1929 and began raising goats. But after a summer drought when everything died but the herbs, she believed she'd been "spoken to," hence Caprilands, which is Latin for goat lands, was born.

I was lucky to meet her in 1991 when she was still in good health and her wit was sharp. The following excerpt is from one of her many books, Breath of the Past: The Little Book of Scented Geraniums:

In the early days of the 17th century, Dutch and English sailing ships brought these sweet smelling geraniums home after their long voyages to the South African Cape. By 1870 they had gained such popularity that over 150 varieties were listed in growers catalogs. The name Pelargonium was derived from the resemblance of the seed case of the blossom to a stork's bill. Pelargonium is the Latin name for stork.

A World Away ― Camellias

2011-01-30T12:32:00.014-05:00

This pink camellia (C. japonica) has classic and exquisite form

These striped camellias remind me of 'Rosa Mundi,'

a Gallica rose famous for its dashes of red stripes.

This post is part of a series I'm calling A World Away (it begins on January 28th). The sight of these camellias in full bloom is one of the best ways I know to banish the winter blues.

Nearly 200 years ago the fashion among the privileged class in Boston was growing camellias in glasshouses to provide rare winter bloom. The sight of them blooming this winter is a tonic for the soul.

Camellias are native to southeastern Asia, belong to the small plant family, Theaceae or tea family, and there are three distinct groups. Much remains to be discovered about this genus, which occurs over a wide area that is mountainous and rugged, and where little botanical work has been done. New species are still being discovered.

To learn more, visit the American Camellia Society.

A World Away will continue...

A World Away ― Orchids

2011-01-29T17:31:00.018-05:00

These purple and white orchids have an ethereal appearance

and these beauties have a sweet, gardenia like fragrance.

But neither these orchids nor any of the other flowers in the greenhouse can surpass the alluring beauty of Marguerite, the cat in residence.

See what I mean as this series called, A World Away, continues...

A World Away

2011-01-28T17:17:00.005-05:00

When I walk into the greenhouse and close the door behind me, I leave winter behind and enter another world.

If you're feeling winter weary, come along with me in a series of posts I'm calling A World Away.

50+ in 30

2011-01-27T16:10:00.017-05:00

Too many snow scenes like this one

Beset, overwhelmed, major case of cabin fever ― all describe how we humans are feeling after more than 50 inches of snow have fallen in the last 30 days.

Now, think of the wildlife. Winter is always a struggle for them (unless you happen to be a wolverine), but this much snow on the ground makes it nearly impossible for wildlife to forage or travel any distance to find food.

The flock of wild turkeys is doing what comes naturally in a severe weather event like this ― staying put and relying on sheltered roosting sites, fresh water, birdseed and evergreens. They're very resourceful, finding insects hidden inside window mullions and along bare patches where the house foundation meets gravel and earth. But it's rough going.

Wait it out, that's all we can do.

Cold Turkey

2011-01-23T18:24:00.012-05:00

Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris)

soak up the sun on a bitter cold January afternoon

(click on the photo for a close up view)

They may be tough, but these turkeys could use a break during what has become an especially hard winter. We've had six storms with record snowfalls since the year began and in this part of Massachusetts the snow banks are waist high. Tonight, temperatures are falling well below zero, and arctic winds that have been howling since sunset will make it feel even colder.

However, I'm betting that this flock, 17 strong, will survive. Five mature Toms, six Hens and six young birds, born last spring, seem like a good combination. The Toms and Hens are experienced and know how to find food even in deep snow. I've observed them pecking for insects inside patches of treebark, eating hemlock pinecone seeds, which are still abundant, and they're experts at finding rose hips and other fruits that still linger on many trees and shrubs.

These turkeys will eat some birdseed but seem to regard it as just a supplement. Still, this winter every bit helps, like fresh, clean water in the heated birdbath and stands of tall trees to roost in at night. It's impressive to watch the flock fly up to their roosts. Just as the sun lowers in the sky they become restless and begin flapping their wings and scuttling up and down the road. Then, one by one, they fly skyward on some cue, perceptible to them alone. The young birds perform a kind of runway ritual in order to get the altitude required to fly to the highest tree branches. The Toms do a quick hop dance, but the Hens are the most graceful and usually the first to fly. The last bird up is a Tom; he waits until everyone gets safely to bed before going up himself.

Red foxes are out and about these nights. They returned two weeks ago to establish their dens and rendezvous with their mates. During a morning snowstorm last week, a red fox slept on a mound of snow just beyond a hemlock grove where the flock of turkeys had taken cover and were preening. His red coat stood out garishly against the white ground, and his massive tail looked like a warm muff curled around his head. The turkeys were not nervous as long as he was within sight.

Some people talk about "the dead of winter," but when you observe wildlife you understand how wrong that notion is. In my corner of the world winter is very much alive. Wild turkeys strut and call as the day warms up and red foxes are claiming their dens to mate. A new life cycle is already beginning and Spring will arrive in only six more weeks.

Looking up into the trees at night and seeing the dark shapes of sleeping turkeys against a starlit sky is enormously comforting and brings me a great deal of joy. Even the coldest night skies can be magical and beautiful. During last week's Full Wolf Moon, I could have sworn that the stars actually glittered as I watched the sky turn a silvery blue.

When I come and go on these winter nights, I find myself wondering what wild turkeys think about in their treetop roosts beneath the stars. And even after I enter my warm, bright home, I wish somehow I could be a part of their world as much as they have become a part of mine.

Moonchild

2011-01-22T14:39:00.012-05:00

A swaddled Moonshadow is ready for her eye ointment

Moonshadow has a minor eye infection and just getting the medication into her eye is a real challenge because she puts up such a fuss.

So, when her Mom asked if I would come by and help, I was happy to oblige because I like tending to animals, and because it seemed like some eerie karmic mission, which I wanted to accept.

My beloved Maine Coon cat Rachmaninoff developed an eye infection when he was just a kitten, but the breeder chose not to treat him because he was born with a heart murmur, which meant that he would not fetch her a good price. And so, she dumped him, but fortunately, he fell into the hands of some incredibly dedicated people who cherish this breed and all animals.

Weeks later, Fate brought him to me and the first thing I did was take him to a veterinary ophthalmologist. Sadly, the infected eye was permanently damaged by then, but Rock's vision in his good eye was perfect and he went on to live a normal and happy life. The veterinary ophthalmologist called the breeder's negligence "withholding medication for a treatable condition."

Thereafter, for the 18 years that I was lucky to have my Rock, he needed eye ointment in his good eye every day to make sure it stayed that way. (And it did!) Putting his ointment in became just another routine, like brushing your teeth. The fact that Rock was always an amazingly cooperative patient made it super easy.

Putting medicine in Moonie's eye reminded of the days when my Rock was still with me. Though it's now going on two years since he died, I continue to miss him very much.

"It's a two-person job," Moonie's Mom told me. But I knew that once I swaddled her (I wrapped her in two large bath sheets) she would calm down and allow me to get exactly the right amount of ointment into her eye. As soon as I did, I let her go, saying, "Have a nice day." The less you make of these treatment sessions, the better. Afterward, she didn't seem to hold it against me.

At last, this Moonchild is on the mend!

The Secret Lives of Eels

2011-01-09T08:51:00.000-05:00

Photograph by David Doubilet

(click on the photo for a better view)

I have a massive backlog of reading material and last night I tried to catch up, beginning with the September 2010 issue of National Geographic Magazine (yes, the original print edition is still in publication and better than ever), and I was thrilled to come across Eels, Mystery Travelers, by James Prosek, an excerpt from his recently published book, Eels: An Exploration, from New Zealand to the Sargasso, of the World's Most Amazing and Mysterious Fish.

Eels have long held a fascination for me for reasons I can't quite explain. I have been known to purchase adult eels at bait shops only to set them free (they spend their adult lives in fresh water) because it pains me so to see these wild, wide-roaming fish confined. I know that the eels I release may end up as captives again, but whatever freedom I can give them seems worthwhile.

Overfishing and a never-ending demand for eels in Asia is putting enormous pressure on these fish. Eels are also taken from our own waters (Maine is the most active eel fishery) and shipped to markets in Japan and China. I believe that under most circumstances, removing a creature from its wild habitat is wrong anyway. But then to ship eels, as if they were merely merchandise and not living beings, thousands of miles away to be "consumed" by people who regard them only as food and do not value their important role in marine ecology, well, I find that downright disturbing. I know it's happening every day but that doesn't make it right.

Eels, like other fish and animals have become "products" of a consumer mentality that demonstrates how disconnected we are from the origins of our food. The decline of eels is another example of how mankind takes more than he needs again and again to satisfy his insatiable desire for profit. I am sorry to see these magical and ancient creatures caught up in our industrial wheel. They face enough obstacles in their efforts to perpetuate their own kind.

There is still so much we don't understand about the life cycle of eels. In many ways, like Prosek, I hope we never do; that is part of their mystique and it may ensure their survival. However, protecting them is becoming critical and such knowledge can be used to preserve the species.

I have met some Maori people on my own travels in New Zealand, and so I was not suprised to learn that they revere eels. "On Earth, the movements of eels make the rivers flow. The eel is integral to everything," say some Maori.

Without the amazing work of underwater photographer David Doubilet, this story would not be as compelling as it is. Click here to read more about him and his incredible images. Below is an excerpt from National Geographic:

"…The migrations millions of adult eels make from rivers across oceans must be among the greatest unseen journeys of any creature on the planet, spanning thousands of miles. Along the way they face a long list of dangers: hydroelectric dams, river diversions, pollution, disease, predation (by striped bass, beluga whales, and cormorants, among others), and increasingly, fishing by humans. Now, with climate change, another potential disaster looms: shifts in ocean currents that may confound eels during their migrations. Regrettably, although sublime in the eyes of some, the eel is not likely to be the poster child for a conservation movement anytime soon."

New Year, New Life

2011-01-02T10:13:00.008-05:00

Mother Jade (left) embracing daughter Moonshadow

Who would have guessed that the year 2011 would bring such good fortune to this pair of Siamese cats? I met Jade (Chocolate Point, 14) and her daughter Moonshadow (Blue Point, 9) in October, just days after their mother had passed away, and immediately began a campaign to find them a new home.

I felt certain that an absolutely wonderful home was already waiting for them and had a strong sense that the people who would dearly want Jade and Moonie had recently lost a cat of their own.

I turned to my amazing network of animal friends who did their utmost to help me get the word out. But it was slow going and the wait became disheartening. Then, one day I received a message from a family who wrote to tell me that they had recently lost a beloved Siamese and that his mate was disconsolate. Would they be able to meet Jade and Moonie? And would I like to meet their lonely and grieving boy to get a sense of whether all three would get along?

Theirs was the perfect home I had envisioned, filled with love and laughter. A box in the family room overflowed with cat toys, photographs of beloved Siamese that had lived out their lives filled frames and photo albums. These were long time Siamese lovers who knew and understood the breed. Their boy was sad but allowed me to hold him in my arms and kiss his cheek! Looking into his eyes, I sensed he was ready to make a new start.

On New Year’s Day Jade and Moonie left the only home they had ever known to begin a new life just a few miles away. It was a blessing that they were able to remain in their familiar surroundings until their new home was found, but without their mother, that home had become a monument to grief and loss.

Siamese cats often live into their twenties and having a new lease on life and a brother to play with may make the coming years some of the happiest Jade and Moonie have known. They will be much loved by people who understand that animals grieve the same way we do. Together, feline and human family members will help each other grieve and move on.

While searching for Jade and Moonie's new home, I have felt their mother’s spirit lingering, as if in worry for the fate of her girls. May she now rest in peace.

Peace and plenty

2011-01-01T19:19:00.011-05:00

A flock of wild turkeys at rest in a hemlock grove

A flock of wild turkeys has stayed on to help usher in the New Year. Watching them preen their iridescent feathers and soak up the sun as temperatures reached 60 degrees did my heart good.

In winter the flock must spend most of the day in a relentless search for food. But today they were able to enjoy a peaceful interlude in between foraging among piles of leaves I left standing in the garden. Many insects can survive the winter in these leaf piles and are an excellent source of protein for turkeys and other wildlife.

This is the first winter for some members of the flock, but a bounty of bugs, a bit of corn and a warm sunbath in a peaceful place where they are safe from predators can help them make it to spring.

Turkey Dinner

2010-12-31T16:54:00.013-05:00

Wild Turkeys dined on corn on New Year's Eve

and enjoyed birdseed on Christmas Day

Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) have been honored guests here for many years now, and it was a privilege to see them during their recent visit right before Christmas. As is their custom, they tend to show up seemingly out of nowhere, stay a few days and then disappear. This afternoon, as dusk was falling on New Year's Eve, they appeared again.

Their appearances and disappearances are not nearly as random as they seem. Wild turkeys wander through large territories and remember areas where food, water and nesting sites are plentiful. Often, those that seem to disappear have simply flown up into the trees to roost for the night. I recently discovered that a flock that I thought had left abruptly after spending the afternoon in my woods was actually right above me, roosted high in a towering oak near the house. Watching them slowly rouse the next morning and begin to look lively as I spread seed for the songbirds and filled the birdbaths was akin to preparing breakfast for a hungry bunch of kids.

The debate continues as to whether allowing these wild birds access to supplemental feed is wise, but since their visits here in winter are rare, I don't consider it an issue. I am also mindful that as these birds and other wildlife continue to lose their native habitat to humans, their natural food sources decrease as well.

Five days ago a monster blizzard dropped a foot of snow in these parts. The turkeys that visited today were mighty hungry and seemed grateful to find a decent meal. Tomorrow's temperatures are expected to rise into the 50s, a welcome respite for them as well.

I am always delighted to see these beautiful and intelligent birds, and their visit today seems like an auspicious way to begin the new year.

Do the right thing

2010-12-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

House mouse

We've had mice in the house, on and off, for years. They can squeeze into the smallest openings where the foundation and clapboards meet and it's very difficult to seal every entrance. I won't use pesticides or chemicals, but in the event of an infestation, I will use traps, as long as they are quick and humane. The quickest death is the most humane.

There are lots of ads for mouse traps that deceive consumers into thinking that some of the worst traps are the best: "no fuss, no mess, nothing to do but throw the trap in the garbage and you never have to touch a mouse or even see one."

But, the truth is that most of these are glue traps, and for any mouse unfortunate enough to encounter one, the result is a long, drawn out and horribly cruel death.

Recently, the cities of New York and Chicago were praised for using humane traps to deal with serious mice infestations. Those charged with the task of removing the mice were willing to become fully informed and learn the most humane trapping methods. Read more at the end of this post to learn why using glue traps is wrong and why doing the right thing is also the most humane.

For minor problems with mice, I recommend what I have found to be an extremely effective deterrent: peppermint oil. Mice hate it. I fill small containers with cotton balls sprinkled with peppermint oil and keep them in the cupboards that mice have frequented in the past. I add more oil when needed and guess what? It works!

New York, Chicago lauded for humane killing of mice

To live in a tree

2010-11-28T18:15:00.008-05:00

Photos by Pete Nelson

If I had my way, I'd move to a treehouse tomorrow. That's why I'm crazy about Pete Nelson, a world renowned treehouse builder and author. His latest book, New Treehouses of the World, was published in 2009, and I can hardly wait to hang his 2011 wall calendar in my study.

In addition to treehouses, Nelson builds tree studios for writers and artists and finds inspiration in these words by Blake:

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself."

~William Blake, 1799

On sabbatical

2010-09-14T11:51:00.005-04:00

"I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward."
~Charlotte Bronte

See you later this fall.

2010-08-01T06:00:00.011-04:00

'Blue Bird' Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)

click on the photo for a better view

“I have spent my days stringing and

unstringing my instrument, while the song

I came to sing remains unsung.”

~ Rabindranath Tagore

On sabbatical to write.

On a happier note...

2010-07-31T14:30:00.004-04:00

Catmint makes Baby giddy (click on photo)

“One joy scatters a hundred griefs.”

~Chinese Proverb

Theme of endings

2010-07-30T21:56:00.013-04:00

Twelve-Spotted Skimmer Dragonfly(Libellula pulchella)

Baby Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus)

As the month of July comes to a close, the theme of endings seems to loom large. I found the Twelve-Spotted Skimmer in a parking lot, and still marvel at how perfectly preserved it is (click on the photo for a closer view). My guess is that it had died only hours earlier, having come as far as it could from a nearby marsh. The fact that it remains beautiful in death is interesting. The Transcendentalists referred to the thin veil between life and death, and in the case of this dragonfly, I find that to be an apt description.

The wild baby Cottontail died in my hands, albeit peacefully. Since its life had only just begun (wild cottontails have a life expectancy of less than two years) this death struck me as tragic. Though I was happy to have saved its sibling, I dearly regretted the loss of this baby (click on the photo for a closer view).

In thinking about what living means, I am certain of this: It is one thing to live and another to be truly alive. We can only be truly alive if we are pursuing our passions and living with intention and authenticity, oil spills and double dip recessions aside. This is our time. Our time is now.

I like the way the playwright Arthur Miller put it when he wrote:

"The word "now" is like a bomb through the window, and it ticks."

A time for reflection

2010-07-29T06:00:00.006-04:00

There is something so peaceful, reassuring and healing about these river stones (click on the photo for a closer look). They convey permanence, which I find comforting in the days since losing G. And they look almost magical against the damp bluestone.

Last night a friend lost her beloved mother. Her name also began with G. This woman, like my G., was extraordinarily brave in the last weeks of her life. And though I never got the chance to meet her, I felt I knew her in some way.

I think these river stones are also stepping stones. Whether we step from this life into the next or from one experience to another, the death of someone we love often brings a heightened sense of awareness of the paths we have taken and those that still await us.

This is a time for reflection. There is much to learn.

On the passing of G.

2010-07-23T19:30:00.013-04:00

For G., who was like a mother to me.

May she rest in peace.
1929-2010

"Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned…

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

~Edna St. Vincent Millay
Dirge Without Music

The Fountain

2010-07-22T22:04:00.006-04:00

Fountain of sorrow

A dear friend has been taken off life support. Her once-mighty life force is waning.

Although I love listening to this little fountain gurgle on summer nights, mingled with the sounds of birds getting ready for sleep and crickets calling, these last few evenings have been filled with dread. As I wait for the phone call I know will come, the fountain sings a sorrowful song.

What is killing penguins?

2010-07-21T06:00:00.009-04:00

Hundreds of dead penguins are

washing up on Brazil's beaches.

AP Photo: Aquario Municipal de Peruibe

Click here to read the story by Associated Press Writer Stan Lehman. Scientists are investigating but worry that overfishing may have played a role in their deaths.

How long will it take for humanity to respect the delicate and intricate web of life? When will we end our practice of taking more than we need?

These penguins are telling us that things are going terribly wrong. We have so little time now to get it right.