Eagle Aerie on Skinner's Butte

Springing Great Blue Herons

Morning exercise

Is that a Starbucks?

Catch me if you can.

It's called sticking your neck out.

Struttin' in Sunshine

Pollen Feathers

"The Earth Laughs in Flowers."
-  Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Oh! to feather a bee.

Spring Rain

Always a sentinel

Bubbling iris

Reflect and refract 

Satin pink

Drinking fountains for insects

Nourishment for a thirsty tulip

Meditation in Flowers

The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers. 
Basho

During my morning run up Skinner's Butte and along the Willamette river in Eugene, Oregon, nature explodes in colors.  The robins tease and will not pose.  An eagle lands on a log in the middle of the river then flies parallel to my route. 

Nature clowns in flower faces

 I applaud with gratitude for this spring day.

Birds at the Tourist Cafe

What happens when Stork and Duck walk into a tourist cafe?

Belly up to the bar, boys

"What does he see in her?"  

    "Ah, let her go. One bird's seed is another bird's poison."

    "Yeah, but she stole all his crickets."
"Hey, guys, does this Mexican food make your eyeballs feel funny?"

    

It's tough on a vegetarian tourist.  How do the locals eat these wriggy things?

Guess I need to catch it before it gets away. I prepaid all food on this tour, darn.

'Herbert, I'm glad we're eating on the river.  Those touristy cafes are so noisy."
"Yes, dear."

Enough time to pick a few pockets and leave on the red eye.

Daisies and Grasshoppers

Cell phone captures grasshoppers sunbathing in daisy meadows at the San Diego river.

Nature's Way

In a Brazilian pepper tree, where branches V, 

an Anna's Hummingbird prepared her nest. 

Secured by spider webs and her presence, 

it lasted beyond days of wind and rain.

When the weather cleared, she tended 
to the nest's damage with fluff and leaves.

The hummingbird stayed vigilant on her nest 

once eggs appeared. At most, she left 

for five minutes an hour to take sips of nectar

from nearby orchid trees and hibiscus bushes. 

Crows and a Cooper's hawk circled, never far away. 
Their calls like clacks of castanets tainted the sky.

One day the hummingbird did not return 
to the nest by evening. Her click. click. 
click rose from the treetop.

Once the flannel cup held two pearls for safekeeping. 
Yet, when scents of nightblooming jasmine 
trailed on the breeze, only shell fragments remained.

                

Butterflies Show Us How

Butterflies collect solar energy to help them stay warm.  Tonxiang Fan, a scientist at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, uses electron microscopes to study the wing structure of two species of black butterflies.  Their black wings absorb the maximum amount of sunlight.

The wings have rectangular scales elongated like roof shingles. Scales have steep ridges with holes on either side that lead to a second layer.  These features direct light to the second layer helping a butterfly capture heat.

Scientists have developed a model to harness solar power similar to the way butterfly wings work. They hope that using butterfly wings as inspiration will result in better technology also for commercial products.

Butterflies photographed at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Hearts on the Run

Hearts appear along my running route in a variety of sizes and textures.

Ways to Relish an Ice Plant

Face plant and suck.

Sip like it's a straw.

One handed munch to take in scent and flavor.

Fang it like a snake.

Play a pan flute.

It's the best one petal at a time.

An Afternoon with Harriette the Hummingbird

Harriette sits tight as the winds increase.

She'll leave for a quick sip of nectar and return to sit in another direction.

She exercises to stay in shape.

Wing up downs

A moment to herself

What to name the fledges?

Vigilance and Meditation