MORE JULY PHOTOS

July is a beautiful time to visit prairies...especially the one at Prairie Pond Woods!  The summer has been mild, so Cyon and I have been enjoying our morning and evening walks. Below are a few of the wonderful things we encountered along the way...like this box turtle (she leaves them be).

 You are always invited to book a Heart by Nature retreat and take your own Discovery Walks at Prairie Pond Woods.

The Prairie

OSWEGO TEA OR MONARDA

(its actually around the deck)

TALL LARKSPUR

EASTERN TAILED BLUE

WORLED MILKWEED

BUMBLEBEE ON BELLFLOWER

SPIDERS, BEES AND FLIES ON WILD BERGAMOT

WILD BERGAMOT

MILKWEED BUG ON COMMON MILKWEED

SCALY BLAZING STAR.

(for years I had just one plant...now there are eight!)

PARTRIDGE PEA

SPOTTED ST. JOHN'S WORT

The Pond

CALICO PENNANT

BALDFACE HORNET

(not sure why he seemed to be hanging on for dear life at the pond)

SILVER SPOTTED SKIPPER

The Woods

SOME KIND OF STINKHORN?

MUSHROOMS ON FIRST DAY I SAW IT

CLOSE UP

SAME MUSHROOMS ONE TWO DAYS LATER

LOVERS, LEARNERS and LITERATURE

Over the years, I have observed that there are two kinds of people who spend time in the wild...Nature Lovers and Nature Learners.  Now, all Nature Learners are nature lovers, but not all Nature Lovers are Nature Learners.  



I was a nature lover for more than the first half of my life.  I loved to go hiking, camping and I admired the "sexy" mega-fauna like wolves, eagles and bears, etc. I guess I liked the feeling that nature gave to me...the delight of seeing something beautiful...the calm a green forest and blue sky impart...and the quietness, if I could find a place of solitude within a park.  These are beautiful and wonderful things and I wish more people would partake.



But it wasn't until my mid-forties, when I went back to school to earn a degree in Natural History, that I began to actually learn about the rocks, trees, water, plants and animals that had given me so much over the years. Up until then I had only "taken" from nature.  It had been like spending time with a very kind and accepting friend...one that would listen to you, be with you, even take on your problems...but then never showing any interest in them.  Eventually this quest for knowledge opened up an even greater appreciation for and depth of love for the cosmos.

During retreats at Prairie Pond Woods, my desire is to help people become Nature Learners, as well as Nature Lovers.  Our walks are full of discoveries, questions, and as many answers as I can give about what and who is going on around us.  Like the row of "green" we are walking next to in Kavanah Field is so much more than that...it is sassafras, dogwood, maple and tulip trees. Participants are then given helpful field marks that help them identify the trees and how important this "edge" is. 

They learn that in the spring, birds forage the maple buds and bees drink nectar from the tulip tree flowers there.  In the fall, birds and squirrels pluck the various fruits and seeds. It is a shelter, where Tiger Swallowtails and giant silkmoths lay their eggs on dogwood leaves. It is so much more than just " green trees."  It is Life...germinating, growing and reproducing.  It is Life-giving...feeding, hiding and hosting many insects and animals we live with.  It is Life-affirming...delighting us, calming us and giving us a purpose in learning from it and protecting it.



This is why on September 12-14, Heart by Nature Retreats will facilitate Wild Words: a Writing Retreat.  It is an opportunity, not only to discover and learn about nature, but to use that knowledge, and the discipline of observation, as a way to enhance your writing...whether it's fiction, creative non-fiction or personal journaling.  You can find out more about the retreat and even register online HERE.

Please join us for a weekend immersed in nature, creativity and Spirit.  Come meet some new friends...human and otherwise!