Some flowers exhibit early, like the blossoms of a pin cherry tree. It’s a short-lived, sun-loving, stone-fruit tree that looks more like a shrub. The fruit is sour and the wood not commercially viable, so we tend to leave these trees alone. The birds like it that way.
Posted in Spring | Tags: Blossom, Nature, Photography, Pin cherry, Prunus pensylvanica., Tree
Photo by Elaine Medline
This is a Woolly Bear caterpillar, recently awakened from its frozen state by a warm, spring breeze. The thick bristles are called setae. Someday this crawler will grow wings and fly as an Isabella Tiger Moth.
Pussy willows look a lot like caterpillars. Also called catkins, the buds appear early and need to stay warm, so they clothe themselves in fur. Soon they will open as leaves.
Photo by Elaine Medline
Subscribers and other readers – this summer, Memorizing Nature will focus on photography and nature education, and not so much on poetry and prose. That’s because the author is currently working on a novel and all her writing energies are being spent on that project. The good news: although the posts will be brief, there will be more of them every month, so enjoy.
Posted in Spring | Tags: Buds, Caterpillars, Nature, Photo, Pussy Willows, Woolly Bear
In winter, there is only bark to see. Between soil and sky are tree trunks. Tree trunks after tree trunks. Dull from afar, more interesting close up. Victor, out for a walk, thinks the trees seem spent. He traces the outline of a heart-and-arrow carving, then, closing his eyes, he finds notches, lacerations, algae and moss. What’s lacking in beauty is made up for by texture, both rough and smooth. Oaks, beeches and poplars. These are the skeletons of the plant world, a gathering of curved spines, a reminder of past abundance fallen to the ground, leaf by leaf. Compost now, decay feeding renewal.
Photo by Elaine Medline
Today, the air smells of snow, the first snow, big flakes. No wind, so there is no movement unless you count the creek that slips past its boulders. Except for the evergreens, nature is in its annual period of suspension. The trees are too cold even to shiver, feeling nostalgic for the songs of the birds that used to nest in their elbows. The sun rises, a red shining dot at first, then it’s smoldering, but the forest has no need for light and heat right now. In contrast, and probably for the first time, Victor cares about sunrises, because he’s heading toward his own hibernation, and opportunities are running out.
Photo by Elaine Medline
A couple of people slide along the path in sneakers past him, pretending to cross-country ski. Others walk by with their overactive dogs on leash. A kid trips on an exposed tree root and doesn’t cry. Above everything is a layer of protective branches, inanimate for now, but back in action come April. At least it’s snowing, not raining. Rain in December is way too sad. He leans against a tree trunk, a bent birch, to catch his breath. He too misses the birds, but the insects more, especially the grasshoppers.
Photo by Elaine Medline
Photo by Elaine Medline
Photo by Elaine Medline
Posted in Connections | Tags: Aging, Bark, Nature Photography, Nature Writing, Trees, Winter
