Bounty of Beauty

My yard has become a bounty of beauty. All the flowers I planted are attracting butterflies. One more beautiful then the next. We also have had many birds be very successful nesting. Wrens have nested and raised young in at least 5 spots in the yard. Right now there are Wren nests on the front porch and another in the window box on the breezeway window. Each holds five babies. I think there may be another in the wood shed, which already had a successful hatching of Carolina Wrens back in April.

Baby Wood Turtle

After a lifetime spent in the woods there are still things that bring back my sense of wonder and make me feel like a little kid again. Today as I was on my daily hike, I was thinking about not ever seeing baby wood turtles. About 15 minutes later, there she was. I watched her for about ten minutes. What a beautiful animal. I hope she has a long uneventful life wild and free. I am thankful for sharing a moment with her.

Who I want to be

I keep this picture on my bedside table. It helps remind me who I want remain. It's me at eleven years old. I was still unspoiled by the world, but not completely naive to the pain of life. I didn't care about my weight, my hair, or what other people thought of me. I was nice to everyone and had a huge heart. Being out in nature and spending time with animals was my life. The bird I'm holding was my first successful Rehab. His name was Brat and he was a Starling that I was given by a neighbor, as a tiny naked hatchling. He survived and was released with a flock of Starlings. Behind me is my tent that I saved up green stamps for a year or more. On the stump are starfish from t he beach drying. The world seemed so full of possibilities, so exciting, each day a gift with something new and wonderful to discover.

Tipi

On 7/11/10 friends and family joined us up on our little slice of heaven and helped us to erect our Tipi. What a wonderful spiritual place our land is.

A simple Walk

I spent most of this week feeling really down in the dumps for no particular reason. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why, sadness just followed me around all week. I think the answer just came to me....I was suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder! I'm just in from my first hike in a week. I feel fine again. Monty ended up sick so we didn't hike all week. I did take the boys up to the park to romp with some other dogs, but that doesn't fill up my soul like a nice quiet walk alone in the woods. How blessed am I? I figured out what brings my soul back into alignment...and it's free....no medication, no head doctor, no other coping disorders....just take a walk in nature!

Another female Wood turtle today! She was just out of the water. I've lost count how many I've seen this year.

HOT!

I can finally hear again after months of issues with my ears because of a severe cough. I am so happy that once again the sweet songs of birds fill my ears. I've been getting the boyz up to Cascade Lake most days, staying close to water at all times due to a oppressing abnormal heat wave. We get out early and have seen so many varieties of birds. Pilateds continue to be seen most days flying across the lake. Yesterday a Pair of Broad Wings where soaring above the park. It won't be long now for it to be time for the Hawk Watch. Lots of fledged little ones every where including adorable nuthatches.

We had another Black Bear in the yard a couple of days ago. Hubby was working on our new patio and didn't even notice him walking through the yard. I tapped on the window and pointed out back, the bear had already disappeared in the bushes, but could still be seen through the brush. Hubby thought I was showing him about the doe he had been watching only minutes before. Seems the two crossed paths in our front yard, much to the amazement of a women and her daughters who were delivering a baby squirrel to me at the same moment. They wanted to know if our yard was Wild Kingdom.

My feeders are inundated with Black Birds already. A family of Cardinals have been here for the last couple of days. RB Grosbeaks continue. The House Wrens are nesting again. Too funny how many nests the male builds. He has a nest in every birdhouse as well as the roosting box and the window box. Seems they have had two clutches already. Guess he is getting ready for a third. They are one hard working bird.

Our Tipi is painted and tomorrow is the big day....we are putting it up.

County Park is a Refudge for wildlife

I was saddened to learn of the proposed future development of the Warwick County Park. As the entire world is being developed at an alarming rate and wild tracts of land are being fragmented to the point that breeding populations of flora and fauna are threatened with extinction, the Co. Park has remained a refugee for so many wonderful species of insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. It is a large, beautiful and unspoiled piece of land teeming with wildlife. For anyone who lives to get out into nature daily, like myself, you need nothing more then a pair of hiking boots to head out and enjoy what is free, natural and only minutes from your home.

For some reason, there are people who believe that a piece of property is of no value unless it is developed for human activities. When wild places are developed it changes the entire dynamics of the Ecosystem. Once destroyed they are gone for ever. Not only does our wildlife need unspoiled habitats like the County Park, so do humans. We all need places where we can get out in nature, so we can go back to the very core of who we are and where we came from, the County Park as it exists today is one of those places.

I can only hope that any future development of this rare gem is done with great consideration, not only for all the wildlife that already call the park home, but for future generations of children who deserve to have wild places to roam.