It Was Diaphanous

© Joni L. James Photography

It Was Diaphanous

In its stillness Rock resides.

I yearn to be Rock.

Its fire cooled form is a history of crystallization

Mine is a history of change—forming and shape-shifting.

Rock allows the cool creek currents to caress and embrace its hardness.

Each moment passes and I try to surrender.

Reflections surround Rock expressing what is or what isn’t

Yet that which is reflected stands as a sentinel over its presence.

My reflections are built of light and shadow and brushed with iridescence

Yet a Great Mystery guides me as I reflect Its omnipresence.

It was diaphanous but I felt it

Rock and I are One.

What's Hiding in the Garden?

Dandelion Seed Caught on Black-eyed Susan

“We must look for a long time before we can see”.
– Henry David Thoreau

What is hiding in your native area? Thoreau says we must look a long time before we can see. It is easy to walk through and around your native plants but how closely do you look?

There are times I do not saunter enough with my legs or my eyes.  When I take the time to really see, I usually discover dramas I could easily miss.

Photographing is a task that requires my close observation. When I am looking for interesting subjects or dramas to photograph, I use my binoculars which allows me to view from one vantage spot and discover hidden subjects.

One day as I was sauntering through a native prairie, I spotted this sycamore seed (through my binoculars) dangling from the underside of a Black-eyed Susan. The seed had ridden the wind quite a distance since the nearest sycamore tree was far away.

(NOTE: This is my September 2014 blog post for Beautiful Wildlife Garden. You can read the rest of this post at this link: Beautiful Wildlife Garden.). 

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Finding Solace in the Native Garden

My Native Plot

(NOTE: I am now a member of Beautiful Wildlife Garden Team and will be posting once every four weeks about all things "Wildlife Gardens"! This is an excerpt of my first blog installment in July. You can click the link and it will take you to my Beautiful Wildlife Garden post so you can read the complete post.)

In preparing for this post—my first one—I contemplated my topic. What kept coming back to me was to share my recent personal experience. The experience was a reminder to allow time to enjoy my passions and to find solace in my native garden.

I have been a naturalist since I was a child. I always ask myself, what can I do for my local wildlife? What can I do for the ecosystems on my property?

After reading Doug Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home, and learning of the interdependency of native plants to insects to birds and to pollinators-- I made it my mission to learn more and plant native.

Since then it has been a perspective of, “Ask what you can do for your local ecosystems.” But a couple of weeks ago, I discovered what my native garden can do for me. 

READ THE COMPLETE POST AT BEAUTIFUL WILDLIFE GARDEN

The Snowiest Winter

It has been the snowiest winter here in my part of Indiana. The snow is beautiful but it has been accompanied by brutal cold this winter. They called it the Polar Vortex-- I call it challenging. We have had over 50 inches so far! I must say I am looking forward to spring. Today was the warmest day in a long time-- 50 some degrees! It felt wonderful! 
To commemorate this winter, I will share some of the scenes I captured-- this too shall pass and cycle continues!

"To us snow and cold seem a mere delaying of the spring. How far we are from understanding the value of these things in the economy of Nature!"  -- Henry David Thoreau (Journal -March 8, 1859: Vol.XII)