Earth is Crammed with Heaven...

Baby Chicks

2009-07-03T22:58:00.003+03:00

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,

thou that killest the prophets,

and stonest them which are sent unto thee,

how often would I have gathered thy children together,

even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,

and ye would not!

Jesus of Nazareth

Matthew 23:37

Ant larvae (formica)

2009-06-30T06:01:00.002+03:00

The boy found himself in the hall of the fortress, where hundreds and hundreds of ants were licking or feeding in the nurseries, carrying grubs to various aisles to get an even temperature, and opening or closing the ventilation passages. In the middle, the Leader sat complacently, laying eggs, attending to the broadcasts, issuing directions or commanding executions, surrounded by a sea of adulation...

But we need not go on about the ants in too much detail- they are not a pleasant subject. It is enough to say that the boy went on living among them, conforming to their habits, watching them so as to understand as much as he could, but unable to ask questions. It was not only that their language had not got the words in which humans are interested- so that it would have been impossible to ask them whether they believed in Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness- but also that it was dangerous to ask questions at all. A question was a sign of insanity to them. Their life was not questionable; it was dictated. he crawled from nest to seeds and back again, exclaimed that the Mammy song was loverly, opened his jaws to regurgitate, and tried to understand as well as he could.

T.H. White
The Once and Future King

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

2009-06-24T06:04:00.000+03:00

ALL in the Downs the fleet was moor’d,
The streamers waving in the wind,
When black-eyed Susan came aboard;
‘O! where shall I my true-love find?
Tell me, ye jovial sailors, tell me true
If my sweet William sails among the crew.’

William, who high upon the yard
Rock’d with the billow to and fro,
Soon as her well-known voice he heard
He sigh’d, and cast his eyes below:
The cord slides swiftly through his glowing hands,
And quick as lightning on the deck he stands.

So the sweet lark, high poised in air,
Shuts close his pinions to his breast
If chance his mate’s shrill call he hear,
And drops at once into her nest:—
The noblest captain in the British fleet
Might envy William’s lip those kisses sweet.

‘O Susan, Susan, lovely dear,
My vows shall ever true remain;
Let me kiss off that falling tear;
We only part to meet again.
Change as ye list, ye winds; my heart shall be
The faithful compass that still points to thee.

‘Believe not what the landmen say
Who tempt with doubts thy constant mind:
They’ll tell thee, sailors, when away,
In every port a mistress find:
Yes, yes, believe them when they tell thee so,
For Thou art present wheresoe’er I go.

‘If to fair India’s coast we sail,
Thy eyes are seen in diamonds bright,
Thy breath is Afric’s spicy gale,
Thy skin is ivory so white.
Thus every beauteous object that I view
Wakes in my soul some charm of lovely Sue.

‘Though battle call me from thy arms
Let not my pretty Susan mourn;
Though cannons roar, yet safe from harms
William shall to his Dear return.
Love turns aside the balls that round me fly,
Lest precious tears should drop from Susan’s eye:

The boatswain gave the dreadful word,
The sails their swelling bosom spread,
No longer must she stay aboard;
They kiss’d, she sigh’d, he hung his head.
Her lessening boat unwilling rows to land;
‘Adieu!’ she cries; and waved her lily hand.

John Gay

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)

2009-06-19T23:38:00.006+03:00

. . . JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK

came every afternoon; she

laid nine eggs in the nest.

They were greeny white and

very large. The foxy gentleman

admired them immensely.

He used to turn them over

and count them when Jemima

was not there.

At last Jemima told him

that she intended to begin to

sit next day -- "and I will bring

a bag of corn with me, so that

I need never leave my nest

until the eggs are hatched.

They might catch cold," said

the conscientious Jemima.

"MADAM, I beg you not

to trouble yourself with

a bag; I will provide oats.

But before you commence your

tedious sitting, I intend to give

you a treat. Let us have a

dinner-party all to ourselves!

"May I ask you to bring up

some herbs from the farm

-garden to make a savoury

omelette? Sage and thyme,

and mint and two onions, and

some parsley. I will provide

lard for the stuff-lard for the

omelette," said the hospitable

gentleman with sandy whiskers.

JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK

was a simpleton: not even

the mention of sage and onions

made her suspicious. . .

Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Muscivoria forficata)

2009-05-27T05:29:00.003+03:00

These are the days when Birds come back --

A very few -- a Bird or two --

To take a backward look.

These are the days when skies resume

The old -- old sophistries of June --

A blue and gold mistake.

Oh fraud that cannot cheat the Bee --

Almost thy plausibility

Induces my belief.

Till ranks of seeds their witness bear --

And softly thro' the altered air

Hurries a timid leaf.

Oh Sacrament of summer days,

Oh Last Communion in the Haze --

Permit a child to join.

Thy sacred emblems to partake --

They consecrated bread to take

And thine immortal wine!

Emily Dickinson

Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

2009-04-01T22:30:00.003+03:00

And when they had platted a crown of thorns,

they put it upon his head,

and a reed in his right hand:

and they bowed the knee before him,

and mocked him, saying,

Hail, King of the Jews!

Matthew 27:29

6'' barbs

Spring Snowflakes (Leucojum vernum)

2009-03-27T20:47:00.002+02:00

Delicate And feathery,

Crystal clear And white,

Six-point stars

Come tumbling,

Softly In the night.

Regina Sauro

Daffodil (Narcissus)

2009-03-17T17:28:00.001+02:00

I wander'd lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
~William Wordsworth

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)

2009-02-24T20:42:00.002+02:00

The meanest flower that blows

can give thoughts that do often lie

too deep for tears.

William Wordsworth

Meadowlark (Sturnella)

2008-12-31T03:16:00.004+02:00

In the silver light after a storm,
Under dripping boughs of bright new green,
I take the low path to hear the meadowlarks
Alone and high-hearted as if I were a queen.

What have I to fear in life or death
Who have known three things: the kiss in the night,
The white flying joy when a song is born,
And meadowlarks whistling in silver light.

Meadowlarks,

by Sara Teasdale

Ruby Crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

2008-12-03T05:46:00.001+02:00

Listen

A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head

Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, splashless, as they swim.

Emily Dickinson

Moon, Venus and Jupiter Converge

2008-12-02T03:53:00.006+02:00

click on pictures to enlarge

taken from my front porch

Every once in a while,
something will appear in the night sky,
that will attract the attention of even those
who normally don't bother looking up. . .

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

2008-12-01T03:40:00.005+02:00

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.
~Emily Dickinson~

Red Clouds

2008-11-22T09:02:00.002+02:00

Red sky at night, sailor's delight

Red sky in morning, sailor's warning.

anon.

Boer Billy Goat

2008-10-14T08:23:00.000+03:00

. . . "Who's that tramping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

"It's I! The big Billy Goat Gruff ," said the billy goat, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his own.

"Now I 'm coming to gobble you up," roared the troll.

Well, come along! I've got two spears,And I'll poke your eyeballs out at your ears;I've got besides two curling-stones,And I'll crush you to bits, body and bones.

That was what the big billy goat said. And then he flew at the troll, and poked his eyes out with his horns, and crushed him to bits, body and bones, and tossed him out into the cascade, and after that he went up to the hillside. There the billy goats got so fat they were scarcely able to walk home again. And if the fat hasn't fallen off them, why, they're still fat; and so,

Snip, snap, snout.

This tale's told out.

Norwegian Folktale

The 3 Billy Goats Gruff

Beauty Berry (Callicarpa bodnieri (Profusion))

2008-10-06T23:32:00.003+03:00

Thine head upon thee is like Carmel,

and the hair of thine head like purple;

the king is held in the galleries.

How fair and how pleasant art thou,

O love, for delights!

Song of Solomon7:5,6

Measure thy life by loss instead of gain;
Not by the wine drunk, but the wine poured forth;
For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice;
And whoso suffers most, hath most to give.
Union and Communion
Hudson Taylor

Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)

2008-10-02T01:15:00.002+03:00

"First," said Charlotte, "I dive at him." She plunged headfirst toward the fly. As she dropped, a tiny silken thread unwound from her rear end. "Next, I wrap him up." She grabbed the fly, threw a few jets of silk around it, and rolled it over and over, wrapping it so that it couldn't move. Wilber watched in horror He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and although he detested flies, he was sorry for this one.

"There!" said Charlotte, "Now I knock him out, so he'll be more comfortable." She bit the fly. "He can't feel a thing now," she remarked. "He'll make a perfect breakfast for me."

"You mean you eat flies?" gasped Wilber.

"Certainly... I have to live, don't I?"

Charlotte's Web
by E.B. White

Mushroom

2008-09-15T07:24:00.004+03:00

In a minute or two the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth and yawned once or twice, and shook itself. Then it got down off the mushroom, and crawled away in the grass, merely remarking as it went, `One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter.'

`One side of WHAT? The other side of WHAT?' thought Alice to herself.

`Of the mushroom,' said the Caterpillar, just as if she had asked it aloud; and in another moment it was out of sight.

Alice remained looking thoughtfully at the mushroom for a minute, trying to make out which were the two sides of it; and as it was perfectly round, she found this a very difficult question. However, at last she stretched her arms round it as far as they would go, and broke off a bit of the edge with each hand.

`And now which is which?' she said to herself, and nibbled a little of the right-hand bit to try the effect: the next moment she felt a violent blow underneath her chin: it had struck her foot!

She was a good deal frightened by this very sudden change, but she felt that there was no time to be lost, as she was shrinking rapidly; so she set to work at once to eat some of the other bit. Her chin was pressed so closely against her foot, that there was hardly room to open her mouth; but she did it at last, and managed to swallow a morsel of the lefthand bit.

Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

Naked Ladies, Magic Lilies (Lycoris squamigera)

2008-09-05T07:47:00.001+03:00

Heart Exposed

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you

As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;

That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend

Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

I, like an usurp'd town to'another due,

Labor to'admit you, but oh, to no end;

Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,

But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.

Yet dearly'I love you, and would be lov'd fain,

But am betroth'd unto your enemy;

Divorce me,'untie or break that knot again,

Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

Except you'enthrall me, never shall be free,

Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

by John Donne

Nature Study Idea: Make a hummingbird feeder

2008-08-18T08:04:00.000+03:00

Because hummers are attracted to red flowers, it is a good idea to have some red near your feeder. Here is a link showing you how to make a feeder out of a plastic bottle.

You can easily make your own food by combining one part sugar to four parts water, and boiling it for two minutes, then cooling and storing in the fridge. Never use honey, which can ferment, or red dye, which can be harmful to the birds.

The feeders will need cleaning every week to prevent the occurrence of mold. Wash in mild dish detergent, with no more than 10% bleach, and rinse several times.

Nature Trivia: Hummingbirds

2008-08-13T08:01:00.001+03:00

Hummingbirds do not suck nectar. They feed through a long, tube-like tongue that darts into the flower's corolla for nectar.The tongue, shaped like a "W", uses capillary action to absorb the nectar much like a paper towel absorbs water. The tongue's brushy tip also traps insects on their own quest for nectar.

Hummingbird eggs are the size of a pea. Three of them will sit on a penny.

Hummers may visit 1,000 flowers per day.

Hummingbirds do not have a sense of smell.They locate their food by eyesight.

More trivia here.

Baby Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

2008-08-11T22:03:00.006+03:00

Should you ask me, whence these stories?

Whence these legends and traditions,

With the odors of the forest

With the dew and damp of meadows,

With the curling smoke of wigwams,

With the rushing of great rivers,

With their frequent repetitions,

And their wild reverberations

As of thunder in the mountains?

I should answer, I should tell you,

"From the forests and the prairies,

From the great lakes of the Northland,

From the land of the Ojibways,

From the land of the Dacotahs,

From the mountains, moors, and fen-lands

Where the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah,

Feeds among the reeds and rushes.

I repeat them as I heard them

From the lips of Nawadaha,

The musician, the sweet singer."

Should you ask where Nawadaha

Found these songs so wild and wayward,

Found these legends and traditions,

I should answer, I should tell you,

"In the bird's-nests of the forest,

In the lodges of the beaver,

In the hoof-prints of the bison,

In the eyry of the eagle! "

All the wild-fowl sang them to him,

In the moorlands and the fen-lands,

In the melancholy marshes;

Chetowaik, the plover, sang them,

Mahng, the loon, the wild-goose,Wawa,

The blue heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah,

And the grouse, the Mushkodasa!"

The Song of Hiawatha, by Longfellow

Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)

2008-07-29T11:46:00.000+03:00

There are joys which long to be ours.
God sends ten thousands truths,
which come about us like birds seeking inlet;
but we are shut up to them,
and so they bring us nothing,
but sit and sing awhile upon the roof,
and then fly away.
~Henry Ward Beecher

Yellow Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis)

2008-07-26T01:44:00.004+03:00

IN a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

“Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling and moiling in that way?”

“I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.”

“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; “we have got plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food, and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:

“IT IS BEST TO PREPARE FOR THE DAYS OF NECESSITY.”

Aesop

Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)

2008-07-12T18:44:00.002+03:00

The seagull sees farthest who flies highest.

a proverb