travels, reflections, poems….
This is the first time I have ever seen Joshua Trees in bloom! These trees were recently designated an endangered species by The California Fish & Game Commission. They are vulnerable because they exist in a limited area in The Southwestern US and Baja California. Their range is mostly contained by the boundaries of the […]
Blooming Joshuas~ —
As part of the Amazing Earthfest, taking place all this week, Forest Voices of India will present The Living Earth: Ancient Perspectives.
Here is the link to read about, and register for, the one hour long Zoom presentation this Friday, May 13th 6 pm, U.S. Mountain time.
https://amazingearthfest.org/events/the-living-earth-ancient-perspectives
Fifty minutes of this presentation is a movie which features Dr. Nanditha Krishna, well-known authority on the culture of India and the world of nature. Also featured are Josh Nunez telling Native American stories, Musuni Letura from Kenya, and Chris Gorzalski with the Great Old Broads for Wilderness. The speakers offer views of the earth as a living being — with humans belonging to nature, rather than dominating nature. There are beautiful musical interludes by Bobbi Cheney, along with scenes of nature.
Following the movie, there will be a short time for live questions and discussion.
Registration is free. To register, click on the link above!
These gorgeous huge poppies are bloomin’ up The Holler! Also known as the Matilija Poppy, these are the largest flowers in the poppy family, and they are the largest native California flower. The blooms are 8 inches in diameter, and the bushes grow to about 10 feet in height, They are a challenge to grow, […]
Romneya~ —
(Pink blossoms on a beaver tail cactus. Photo by Dawn Pisturino.) ALL PHOTOS BY DAWN PISTURINO. We got enough rain this winter for the cactus to blossom. It truly is a lovely sight when the desert is in bloom. (Rose-colored blossom on a prickly pear cactus. Photo by Dawn Pisturino.) But those cactus needles are […]
Blooming Desert — Dawn Pisturino’s Blog
EarthSky reports When to watch: Late evening April 21 – or late evening April 22 – will be best. Before moonrise! The predicted peak** is 4 UTC on April 22. And the peak of the Lyrids is narrow (no weeks-long stretches of meteor-watching, as with some showers). Unfortunately in 2022, there’s a bright moon in the […]
2022 Lyrid meteor shower peaks April 21/22 — Natural History Wanderings
Richard J. WellerRichard J. Weller, ASLA, is the Meyerson Chair of Urbanism and Professor and Chair of landscape architecture and Executive Director of the McHarg Center at The University of Pennsylvania. He is author of seven books, including the forthcoming The Landscape Project, a collection of essays by the faculty at the Weitzman School of…
Earth Day Interview with Richard Weller: A Hopeful Vision for Global Conservation — THE DIRT
We all need images of peaceful natural beauty these violent and cruel days. Native California White Iris grow along The Rhododendron Trail in Redwood National Park in Northern California. Douglas Iris bloom in profusion here as well. The trail is named for the wild rhododendron that are everywhere along the trail. Asiatic Lilies thrive in […]
Wild Iris & Lily~ —
Can brighten, our day. But seven, makes things, positively sunny! Cheers to you, from the happy flowers~
A Single Bloom~ —
“This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks” – H.W. Longfellow. Born on February 27, 1807, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a poet, educator, translator, and environmentalist. In a three-part series titled “Longfellow’s Nature Poetry”, the National Park Service explores Longfellow’s connection to the land and how it influenced his writing.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Nature Poetry — Naturalist Weekly
Mist-ringed towers drifting
And the snow petal
Remember the forest Gods
From long before
Who ruled all lands then.
It was exactly
Very, very long ago
When
The rains buffeted
The clouds in the sky
And much has happened since –
Betrayal,
Forgetting,
Diminishing,
Lessening.
The bitter knife of the wind prods
The memory;
Only the great-horned owl recalls,
And his friends.
Those Gods have gone to far worlds – away
And often hid,
To universes little known –
And yet they are not far,
Still here, alone,
While winds obey,
Because there are no moments now,
No distance,
No separation,
No illusion,
Only the reality,
Only the howl, laughing,
Of the coyote
Whose fur shines white in the moonlight,
Whose awareness is keen,
Like the eyes of the star.
Perceptions of snow –
Past worlds, wooded, green
The one true past is here now –
In the pinecone
That whistles in the January
Wind and in the juncos and white-crowned sparrows,
Who hop within the whiffs
Of the snow flurry,
In the winds of gold that fly
From the setting sun that falls
Behind the cliffs.
Gone now, the noble cow,
Wandering home in the mists,
Eternal mists of snow,
Of times that were and are
And are again to be
When the Gods guard the way,
To protect the sacred, snow-enchanted day
In the deep forests,
Now and yet again and evermore.
***
By Sharon St Joan
© Copyright, Sharon St Joan, 2022
Please visit the website, https://forestvoicesofindia.com. You can sign up for the newsletter too!