first a quick stop at the 1817 Athenaeum (closed today, but sister-in-law is a member). Once there were many of these loca institutions devoted to #education and #reading. Only 16 remain.
these lima beans are so amazing that you don't even have to work to open the pod! as they dry on the vine, the pods split open. you literally just reach in there and grab this amazing, delicious, nutritious, and beautiful food.
plants make it so easy for us and yet humans have made it so hard to live.... 😖
Visited a dear friend in Lawrence, Kansas today and she is a squirrel whisperer. She puts out pecans, peanuts, and almonds for her neighborhood squirrels and they are all so sweet and courageous. Here’s one eating a nut right outside her back door on the porch. #nature#squirrel
Tapestries of Life
Uncovering the Lifesaving Secrets of the Natural World
Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson explains how closely we are all connected with the natural world, highlighting our indelible link with nature's finely knit system and our everyday lives.
Walking the dog around the suburban neighborhood I am in right now, I am struck by how out-of-sync the yards are to the native landscape. Water thirsty plants. Large expanses of lawn. Imported plants which cannot take drought or heat. Imported river rocks. Only one yard with natives that the birds and insects here could forage. Almost zero edible plants or fruit trees visible. #suburbs#nature
trying to decode what darwin called the "abominable mystery" of the world's 28,000 species of orchids.
take, for instance, their mimicry:
"Ophrys apifera orchids look and smell like female bees. The Hammer orchid eerily resembles a female wasp. The Satyrium pumilum orchid, in South Africa, imitates the scent of dead animals to attract fruit flies..."
The ducks are cute, I like to watch them when they arrive at the lake and have those perfect landings, maybe one day I will get one of those moving photos 😊 #nature#ducks#birds#photonature
Finished this last night. A beautiful & disturbing (in a good way) book. The link is for a review that's spot on. Kim points to the girl's epiphany: "the earth holds fast to the memories of everything that happens on it, and to it. To win, to succeed, is not to master, to dominate nature, but rather to submit, to live in harmony with all other life. That is the secret all of humanity missed, or at least refused to accept." @bookstodon#books#nature#LaurenGroff https://beige.party/@kimlockhartga/111081157808854587
Squirrel! A few grey squirrels about this morning, plus rabbits to start our #Nature spots
Birds: house sparrow, blackbird, robin, wren, long-tailed tit, dunnock, song thrush, kestrel, wood pigeon, magpie, carrion crow
Waterfowl: mute swan, water chicken, coot, Canada goose, grey heron; no ducks on the water but a flock of mallard flying overheard #NatureToot
In Aalborg I learned about the witch rings. This fascinating phenomenon is associated with a great mystery and has given rise to many forms of superstition, especially about the dance of supernatural beings. Actually, witch rings are caused by the mycelium of the fungus, that is, the underground part of the fungus. The mycelium of some mushroom species extends from the center like a circle, so they form a nice ring in the soil. #nature#fungi#aalborg#denmark#memories