Open Spaces

Open Spaces

I’ve never been good at standing in lines
or the confines of a crowded room,
and don’t get me started on malls or box stores.
I value open spaces as I age:
the clean surface of a table top,
the uncluttered corner,
mountains with a view to the horizon,
a lake bordered by granite cliffs and bluffs
rather than one with forest to the water’s edge.
I value larger trees whose shade
keeps seedlings and brush at bay
and whose bark is rough and patterned,
rather than thickets of smaller trunks
crying out for room to breathe.
Let me scan the hillsides and meadows
without a sign of straight lines
indicating human action.
Have you noticed most of nature offers only curves?
I value immediate and open conversation
or the companionship of silence and
am not interested in your opinion if
it’s too lengthy or confined
within a box that has no lid.
On this March day let the sun come and go,
the daffodils sway in the wind,
the bare branches of deciduous trees reflect from vernal pools.
Let hail sting your face with its round hardness
and flowering tree petals drift like snowflakes,
outlasting the hailstones in a carpet on the ground.
Appreciate the silver-gray softness of willow catkins,
present just long enough,
before being replaced by yellow flowers.
Later in the day tree frogs will chorus
from the waterway,
voices gradually fading
and then silent--
the space of silence.
After a time, one will offer tentative song,
then another, and soon the ensemble will fill the air,
uncluttered and focused in a celebration of spring.

World Wetlands Day February 2

World Wetlands Day is Tuesday, February 2! How will you celebrate the wonders of wetland environments on that day?

For my part, I intend to spend time outside, walking and observing how, even in the midst of damp and cold winter weather, local wetlands provide much to celebrate: protecting shorelines and streambanks from erosion; slowing the flow of water across floodplains, providing places in the landscape for sediment settling; enhancing water quality through the uptake of water-borne minerals and chemical compounds; and providing habitat for aquatic and terrestrial creatures, from the now-chirping chorus frogs to the hunting Northern Harrier (aka Marsh Hawk). We are fortunate to live in a place where the seasons change so distinctly, and these changes are reflected dramatically in our local wetlands, many of which vary from flood to drought conditions, rapid vegetative growth to dormancy, green to brown with elements of spectacular blooms mixed through much of the year. The more time one spends in this landscape, the more sensitive one becomes to the subtle (and not-so-subtle!) changes that occur.

My suggestion for February 2 is to put on your rain coat, a good hat and gloves, and as tall boots as you may possess, and go for a good hike. Take your camera because I am certain there will be something of interest!


The view of our floodplain wetlands along Coyote Creek from our gazebo

Play in the Rain Day

Saturday November 7, 2009, WREN took part in the 2nd annual Youth in Nature Partnership, Play in the Rain Day! It was an amazing event that provided many opportunities for families to explore, experience and create at Mt. Pisgah.

WREN attempted our very first Scat Ornament craft! It was hugely successful. Each participant crafted an ornament using a ball of model magic and deer fur, feathers or hay. All ages enjoyed our craft and along with the "Scat Song" sing-along our booth was a big hit!

Sandpiper Pond, September 8

This Widow Skimmer was having no problems flying although missing a piece of wing. Its getting late in the season, and the Odonates are looking a bit ragged.

Western Forktail female

Tule Bluet pair with a brown female above and a blue female below. The different color forms that female Odonates have make identification more difficult.

I'm often asked about these tiny hopping bugs that are numerous along shorelines of water bodies. They are perfectly colored and even have a warty body resembling the irregularities in the mud making them very hard to see. They are Toad Bugs (predators) in the order Hemiptera; family Gelastocoridae

Striped Meadowhawk

Flame Skimmer

Yellowlegs break time

Blue Dasher female

Black Saddlebags above and below

WEW, July 16