Funny you should ask. Okay, I'm the one who asked the question. Well, I'll answer it. I've been through the state of AZ from May until now, with a month long side trip into California, then back into Arizona after the holidays and now we're heading back to California, where the Sequoia National Forest is calling my name. Yup! I've got the itch to head into SoCal, as the folks here call it. And now, I'll do a simple year in review of my travels. Below are a few snapshots of where Rochelle, the Green Queen (our camper van) and I have been over the months. Enjoy! We left the Flagstaff area early October as it was just getting too cold. Flagstaff is where I left off with my blogging months ago photographing mushrooms. By the way, I have a book coming out hopefully this year of that photographic "shroomin" journey. We awoke on our last morning in Flagstaff with freezing rain stuck to our tent. We left for Sedona, AZ's red rock country. Gorgeous! https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zsA1410qUm_E.kurhfYgYqCgQ More astounding red rocks off a back road in Sedona. Our campsite overlooking some Sedona red rocks. Rochelle and I's shadows taking a hike near Cottonwood, AZ. What our shadows saw on that rather remarkably golden trail! A nice little side trip into Jerome, AZ. Jerome is a famous little mountain town about a 20 minute's drive from Cottonwood. There's my baby girl, Rochelle Claire. She's starting to grow her fur back for the winter season. We made our way south to Camp Verde to visit Montezuma's Well for an hour. Yours truly outside of Montezuma's Castle. So, now where's Natureglo now?.... you may ask this time! Well, now, I'll be getting to that soon. To be continued!
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Since my dog Rochelle and I arrived to the southwest in May 2013, we've encountered many wonderful natural phenomena I had no idea we'd see. For one thing, I didn't count on counting mushrooms in the mountains. When I have ever thought of the southwest, I think of cacti, not mushrooms. Here's a page of fun resources about the fungus kingdom that my students I use in my botany class. This summer and early fall, we met the southwest's infamous MONSOON season. AND it was the BEST, or rather the worst monsoon AZ has experienced in years. As Taylor Lockwood, a famous mycologist and photographer, would say, "follow the rain". And what followed the rains in the mountains of Flagstaff, AZ, were MUSHROOMS! Have a look at these beauties! No, I didn't eat any. I only know of one I could have eaten. The Lobster mushroom, but, you have to harvest them when they're not too hard. I came across them when they were farther along maturity and therefore tough as shoe leather. Not very satisfying as a meal, indeed! I'm soon going to be publishing my latest book, "Shroomin with Natureglo: Observations and Appreciations of Northern Arizona Mushrooms." It features some of these same mushrooms below plus a whole lot more! Ought to be a smash hit seller when I can get around to publishing it! It's close to being done after I add a few of my latest shroom photos and figure out how to get the blasted hyperlinks to decide to work again! Photo Left: Hoarfrost on bush branches at my parents in Minnesota. As far as I know and can remember, I don't recall ever seeing hoarfrost other than growing on window panes and car windshields. Perhaps I never paid attention. But, these beautiful water crystals remind me of miniature ice ferns. Here's one of Wikimedia Commons' latest Creative Commons photos of one to end the winter season. What beauty. Plus, they're fantastic examples of fractals in nature. I've been in Minnesota visiting my parents now since January. It has been a pretty cold, windy and snowy winter, as can be expected in the Midwest, US. My mother told me about some of the wonderful hoarfrosts they get and that I should be alert to see it. One morning, she told me that the hoarfrost was out. I grabbed my camera and caught only a few just OKAY shots of the ice ferns. It's quite a phenomena. If I had a macro camera lens, I could have done better. I love macro photography too, so, it was tough to not be able to get some really close beautiful shots like the one from Wikimedia commons above. Here's Kenneth Libbrecht's explanation about hoarfrost: "When frost forms as minute ice crystals covering the ground, we just call it all frost. But sometimes the frost grains grow larger and are called hoarfrost crystals. Good hoarfrost is not that uncommon if you watch for it. Hoarfrost grows whenever it's cold outside and there is a ample source of water vapor nearby." He's a snow physicist and he has one of my favorite websites about snow crystals at Snow Crystals.com. Photo Left: My adopted Spruce tree. Also, while I've been here, I recently adopted a beautiful spruce tree in my parents front yard. Isn't it lovely?! It's just a delightful size and shape. I'm really enjoying observing it everyday as it's going through the winter season. Photo Left: I found this flower back in WV, where I just moved. It's the familiar Queen-Anne's-Lace or Wild Carrot. I held the dead flourescent up against the sky giving it contrast. It was laying on the lawn near my apartment, apparently dead and dried up from the winter freeze. It's one of nature's fractals or examples of "self-similarity". Read on below to find out more. Queen-Anne's-Lace and Nature Fractals This familiar flower is a wonderful example of a fractal. Fractals are an interesting branch of mathematics exhibiting self-similarity. We learn more about nature's fractals in my MathArt class. Look at photo above closely of the dried Queen-Anne's-Lace. What "self-similar" properties do you notice? Admire the outline of the entire flower and then look at the smaller flowers on the plant? How are they alike? That's a wonderful and beautiful example of a fractal! I have been on a journey looking at patterns in nature now since 2003. An inspiring wellness teacher named Don Tolman showed me how to look for the five commons patterns found in nature. Fractals or the lightning bolt pattern is one of the patterns. The others are the hexagon, spiral, circular patterns ( a category in themselves) and squares. There are more than five patterns in nature, but, those are the five most prevalent ones. Photo Left: Icy shallows near crab apple trees at my parents in Minnesota. Here is another view of fractals. Check out the cracks in the ice. They're veined, which means they are fractals in ice. I thought the brown tinge to the ice was unusual. Perhaps from the tannin in the tree bark had given the ice cracks their brownish color? Photo Right: Here's a closeup view of the cracked ice fractal pattern. You can see the coppery tinged cracks. The cracked ice is also raised a bit from the smoother ice beside the cracks. Fascinating! Photo Left: Here's another common sight in the winter - leafless branches. And, you guessed it, these are fractals too. It's a crab apple tree with some of the apples still on the tree. Photo Right: Here is one of my favorite winter photos of the season! This is a great example of animal signs. Guess "who dunnit"? This is another view of one of the crab apple trees. I love how the crab apples are more ground up on the inside of the tree hollow than the outside ones. Someone was BUSY making a dried up crab apple meal. What nice storage for the winter! I invite you to try a nature in winter fractal hike and see what fractal patterns you could find in and around your sit spot. It's a lot of fun and a more challenging treasure hunt. It's a great activity to get outdoors in these cold months for those of us in the northern hemisphere! Have fun, take photos, videos, write a blog or journal entry and share it with the class!
Photo left: Descent on Miner Road This week I had several nature adventures ranging from traveling to Morgantown 90 miles away to stepping outside my front door and finding a beautiful American Tree Frog climbing about on the brick wall and, of course, visiting my sit spot. Photo: American Tree Frog side profile A Tree Frog Visitation It was indeed a delightful surprise to one evening around 8:30 pm, open my front door and see something climbing along the brick wall beside my doorway. To my amazement, it was a tree frog, evidently taking advantage of the bounty of bugs that were swirling about the motel lights, though I did not see it hunt for them. Instead, it was masterfully planning how to avade my intrusion.
This little creature was one of the most charming and beautiful little beings I have ever laid eyes on. It was perhaps a little bigger than my thumbnail and I wonder if it was a juvenile. This is actually the second tree frog I've encountered here in WV. I should know better than to try, but I could not help but get as close to it as I could...and yes, I tried to pick it up. Naughty indeed, for these beings have VERY sensitive skin. If per chance I had any dirt or germs disagreeable to the little creature, it could make it ill. I need to either acquire gloves in such situations, or do the best thing, which is "look but don't touch". Sigh. A very tough resolution for a curious humanoid. So, I tried to cup it in my hands. It successfully darted from the chair to the cement in a split second. I could not believe my eyes how rapidly this creature could move. As I approached again. It zipped away. I cupped my hands a third time and it successfully avoided my gentle grasp and jumped into some gravel. I gave up and smiled. I did not want to trouble the frog and frighten it more. Such a wondrous creature, indeed! Left - Me showing you the scale size of this decaying puff ball mushroom next to my hand. This week I had some wonderful adventures in nature in addition to reaching my sit spot a sum total of one time this week. I must admit, I have more of a desire to the see the whole world of nature then I do to just go everyday to my sit spot. Well, I could do both. I know that I know how important it is to develop the healthy habit to remove myself from my busy life and come away, sit and just be. Today when I went to my sit spot, I found it first of all, very difficult to get away from my work. You see, I live where I work, at a small mountain town motel, of which I am both manager, maid, check in person and the go-to person for any guests needs. So, between teaching 7 live online classes and serving 7 roomfulls of guests, you can imagine how challenging it must be for me to "escape" for a few quiet moments to my sit spot, wherein I wished I lived instead of the motel. Perhaps my dreams will be realized soon....I hope. There I sat today atop my sit rock trying very unsuccessfully to quiet my mind. I think I stayed a sum total of 10 minutes before my duties seem to drag me back home. In my swirling busy mind, I did take time to notice the peacefulness of the woods. A lone fruit fly came up to me and hovered at a comfortable distance to have a good look at me. I found humor in this small creature's curiosity. I also got a small token of my short stay - a mosquito bite on my forehead. This weekend, I did manage to leave my home/job to venture out with my friend Sarah over to a local state park called Blackwater Falls. Below you will find some lovely shots I got of the falls and of our hike.
Fall is coming on quickly and summer here on my mountain is quickly coming to a close. I can feel it in the air. I think fall comes on quicker in the mountains then in lower elevations. This is perfectly fine with me as fall is one of my most favorite seasons. I actually love all of the seasons for what they each bring. But fall is so special to me. I LOVE the leaf color changes in West Virginia. I love the mushrooms that sprout up all over Abram's Creek. I love the smell and feel of the air. I love wearing warmer clothing and being cozy indoors with cups of tea. Sigh. I managed to reach my sit spot this week. It was a beautiful, crisp evening. The above photos is of my sit spot so now you know what it looks like in late summer. I sat on my rock contemplating the quietness. The motel duties were calling my name. I could hear them in the distance. Gloria...come finish making this bed....Gloria, you need to put the laundry in the drier....Gloria....Gloria. Sigh. It can be hard to get away. On the way back home after sitting, I found a delightful little surprise. I looked down into the tall grass and found something very tiny jumping around. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a tiny tree frog! It must have been a juvenile for its size. It was almost the same color as my own pale skin! I stooped down and within a few minutes I had managed to let it jump on my hand. We looked at each other for a few seconds before he/she jumped back down into the tall grass. I fumbled for my camera with hopes that I could catch it again on my hand and get some perfect shots of such a sweet moment. Try though I may, I could not catch that tiny tree frog. Sigh. I stared down at the tall grass for a few minutes and alas, it had disappeared. Onward. Some more summer's end photos
Tonight I visited my sit spot around 6 pm. It was refreshing to come away from the busy motel, though I knew I couldn't stay away long. At first I just stood at my sit spot waiting for the electric energy of the day to fall off of me. I know that I didn't exactly enter the wood in the quietest fashion because after a few minutes of standing and staring in a daze through the forest, the Forest Doe started making her protesting snorts in my direction. She stared at me through the woods, snorted in displeasure and took off in the opposite direction through the wood.
I made my way to my "sit rock" and slowly eased myself up into sitting position and awaited nature's show to resume. I noticed the peace and quiet and gentle song of birds about the forest. The air was crisp and cool after a warm day. The air smelled of smoke from someone's bon fire or barb-b-que. I looked up to see if the bird's nest, of which I thought was a hummingbird's nest, had any remains. Indeed, there was but a few shreds of nest material left. The babies must have fledged weeks ago, as I have watched it slowly dissipate from the tree's Y. How quickly the seasons change! A bird scampered onto a branch close to the forest floor not far from in front of me. I observed it for a while wondering what bird it was. Suddenly, I heard the familiar sing songy laughter-like calls. Then I saw it's red breast and knew it was so. A robin. The town seems to have awakened from a sleepy slumber. I hear many town folk out and about and actively chatting with one another. It's an alive place, indeed. I'd prefer to live in a forest away from the awakening hubbub, but all I can do now is dream for my future home, which I hope to be surrounded by forest and nature's wonders. I hope that I can have my next sit spot be my very own backyard, immediately outside my front or back door. Sigh! Dream, I shall for that day! Today I had two encounters with two robin fledglings. The first fledgling I found was at the park while taking Rochelle out for a Sunday stroll. It was around 11:30 am. As we were making our final loop around the park walking track for the second time, I saw this startled, kind of clumsy bird make a wild leap and then fly to the top of a shrub. It was quite windy and the poor creature had to hang on for dear life while the wind swished it about on the branch. It alighted on a lower branch, allowing me to get this nice photograph. Later, this evening, I visited my sit spot and found another clumsy cutie flitting about and hopping around on the ground. It was cute to see it start to make a jump but then hesitate out of inexperience. The mother robin was nearby coaching it with little chirps to try out it's wings, no doubt. I stood quietly looking on. It made a daring flight in my direction, surprisingly enough. This makes me think of the "fledglings" in my life and how compassionate I need to be as they gain the strength of their wings. Nature can teach some amazing lessons. Watch the baby robins this spring if you get the chance! I think they're North America's most successful bird, so, there's plenty of opportunities out there for you. Here is the sweet little robin fledgling I found at the park this morning. Notice the short cropped tail wings. It had a more speckled chest then the parents, but you can't quite see the speckling from this angle. This week I have been helping out more at the campground. It's our busy season now that the warmer months are upon us. Today while I was on my way over to clean a cottage, a certain site caught my eyes. I saw the below foxgloves. I hadn't seen foxgloves in years! So,I took the time to "smell the Foxgloves". The closest I've come to seeing foxgloves, was when I watched the cartoon version of Beatrix Potter's Jemima Puddle Duck a few weeks ago. In this lovely cartoon, as Jemima lands in a private wood to find a safe "haven" to lay her eggs, she happens upon the fox. The wood is surrounded by foxgloves! The foxgloves which initially caught my eye. I also noticed this beautiful plant's blue and violet shades. Just remarkable beauty! |
AuthorI'm Natureglo, founder of Natureglo's eScience! I'm an avid nature lover, photographer, hiker, full time camper and an online teacher. Categories
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