Nature is awesome

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Shakuhachi

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Maybe this whole COVID thing got me to look into and appreciate nature more. It started by noticing flowers in grass. Some very tiny. Then Bonsai trees which led to any tree or shrub. And now lately evergreens. And I have been fascinated with the scientific names also which has helped develop my Latin.

I ordered a Giant Sequoia as well as tea seeds. I plan to keep the sequoia as a Bonsai and give the tea plants as gifts.

And now I notice the beauty of tree and bish trunks, especially bushes near chain link fences. They usually get trimmed but the main trunk does not and can get old. Wonderful shapes.

Down at the park by a creek there are Bald Cypresses I never really appreciated. They must be 150’ tall and are spectacular. Even weeds can be beautify, Pennycress, Queen Ann’s Lace, Storkbill, tiny bluet, etc.
 
Yes, thanks. There is so much to learn. I discovered I am not very creative in styling. My main focus for now is plant health. Plenty of time to get better at styling.
 
Back in the day, I would purchase some saplings at Lows and practice potting, styling, and soil mixes. Biggest problem I had was too much water retention or too little soil moisture. It’s a tricky balance. Also, I suspect that Mycorrhizal inoculants would help establish specimens.
 
I’ve always had resident birds that nest and one of my neighbors last week casually mentioned to me those are house sparrows when ever since I remember the family always called them finches! I’ve been living a lie 😅 the house finch is on the left and the house sparrow is on the right
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Decades ago I was the kind of kid who was mostly solitary and had a big fascination with looking up close at flowers, leaves, tree bark, fungi, moss, blades of grass, insects, and even dirt. And at all the different type clouds in the sky for like an hour.
Needless to say I haven’t had that kind of time in years. Sometimes if I’m lucky I get to take a nature walk during my vacations or something. Or I see awesome clouds out the car window.

I often think about all the things in nature I’ve seen though. Sometimes I think about getting rid of a lot of my “stuff” and going back to looking at blades of grass. I’m overly fascinated by all kinds of small details and it complicates my life, but I would have made a great hermit living in a tree or cave in the woods.
 
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Has anyone seen the Morning Star (Venus) since it’s appearance in June? I haven’t seen it yet. Here in the Boston area, one would have to get up by about 5:00am, as the sun rises so early. I’ll look for it some clear morning.
 
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Nah, I sleep in.
I did see that Jupiter-Saturn-Moon triangle a few weeks ago. I had to get in my car and drive to the edge of town as there were too many buildings and trees blocking it on my street.
 
I get excited about planets. I remember many years ago (spring of 2004 I think it was) when in the twilight sky we could see all the easily-visible planets at once: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. It was beautiful.
 
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“My book is the nature of created things. Any time I want to read the words of God, the book is before me.” St. Anthony of Egypt.

It’s probably because I’m a city dweller, but there’s something about the sound of wind blowing through pine trees that always captures my attention in a special way.
 
I’ve just looked it up. The lunar eclipse will be at its maximum in about 50 minutes from now, but not much to look at. One source describes it as imperceptible, as the moon will only enter the fringe of Earth’s shadow.
 
Bad news: My wife and I got caught in a summer shower on our walk.

Good news: We saw a rainbow! (Still looking for that pot o’ gold, though.)
 
You life has just gotten a whole lot richer.

As for lovely “weeds”, each year I allow some wild Yarrow (white) to grow in my garden alongside the cultivated Yarrows (red and yellow). It complements them nicely.

There are a couple of other wildflowers that volunteer up each year in my beds, and while I control them, I do allow some of them to grow and bloom amid my planted flowers.

A weed is only a weed if it’s unwanted.

Glad you’re enjoying nature. There’s lots to enjoy and delight.
 
Now I am noticing all the vines. And I am learning the taxonomy of it all, fascinating!
 
Here’s one for all you nature lovers. The Longwood Gardens giant corpse flower is supposed to do a rare bloom within the next day or two. The bloom only lasts 24-48 hours and smells like rotten meat.
Live stream here:


I’m supposed to go see it tomorrow night so I’m hoping it opens before then!
 
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