A Bright Delight

A dandelion - in January!? On the edge of a large, bare field was this tiny pop of yellow.  What a bright delight to see this on my walk. 

 

Iridescence

LOOK at these clouds! Can you see the colors on those edges? Another effect of sunlight streaming through the water particles that make up clouds.  Beautiful! And fleeting! Swiftly moving clouds meant this sight was gone just after I snapped the picture. Keep those eyes peeled! Colors appear more often in the sky than most people realize. Happy "rainbow" hunting!

 

Sheds

I walk near my house most of the time. I don't go far. My small neighborhood has just enough streets and is convenient for walking. And on the very next road from my house - one I frequent - I saw a thing I must've walked past hundreds of times in the past few months. This cicada shed was perched about eye level but I'd missed it. I'm sure it's been there since the summer or maybe fall. I'm surprised it survived the high winds, rain, and recently icy storms. But there it was. I've always thought them interesting. These are great additions to your nature collections! 

After seeing one, I couldn't help but spot another. 

Then 2 more! Really, how had I not seen them!? I've been walking on that street a lot. It was a reminder that we don't always see everything but if we keep our eyes open we'll see something. The world is full of these beautiful details. 

Happy observing! I would love to hear about what you are noticing near you! 

The Sun: Light to our Eyes

Have you ever noticed a rainbow? I think most people have seen at least one in their lifetime. How about a 'rainbow' circling around the sun? There are several optical phenomena that happen when sunlight passes through our atmosphere and clouds. This isn't a lesson in the details, names, or why of these phenomena. This is just to remind you to look up - or preferably to point a camera at the sun now and again to see what there is to see. (Do NOT look through any device at the sun or directly with your eyes at the sun. It can cause serious damage or blindness.)

Pointing my phone camera and then zooming in yielded this image of colorful bands around the sun. Maybe you've noticed similar with the moon at night as well. 

What's happening outside near you today? 

Clouds

Today's walk, like yesterday's, was covered in overcast skies. Those gray days may make you want to stay inside, but don't. Get out there! Each day has its blessings and treasures to discover.  

I'm a lover of clouds. I like to see what they're doing. I like to watch the shapes move through the sky. I like to try and read them for what weather they might predict.  But in January, in central Ohio, we're often under gray skies. It's still interesting to me because sometimes you can see textures and thicker or thinner patches and even recesses and dips in the clouds so I'm always looking. But today, it's as if the whole world is snuggled under a smooth, thick, down comforter.  

To my delight, however, the tiny pond I pass held a light fog. I watched the thin cloud lifting up from the surface, softening the view of reeds, trees, and houses beyond. Lovely.  Encountering fog is a great time to dig up a simple experiment to do at home and learn more about the water cycle. Here is a video of a meteorologist sharing an experiment you can do at home (it starts at 3:33 if you don't want the extra explanations). Or, if you'd rather follow printable instructions, check out this one.

Of course, seeing fog reminds me of this poem.

Fog by Robert Frost

THE fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Today, at my house, you might also have noticed the temperature change in the last few days, the humidity levels and how it affects your hair, skin, or sinuses, or that the world sounds a little different with the heavy layer of clouds overhead. Remember to practice using all of your senses. 

The Beginning

I went out on January 1st for my first short walk of the New Year. I always have my phone/camera with me to record whatever interests me along the way. Today I will share my pictures in the order that I took them and show you what a typical walk might look like, what caught my attention, and share a few of my thoughts. I hope this will inspire you to get curious. 

In my neighborhood, there is a tiny park with a half-mile path that circles it. I headed there. Not a quarter of the way around I saw this short tree. What a weird shape, it always grabs my attention, and what are those round things on some of the branches? I imagined they might be galls of some kind - their roundness really stood out on the bare, thin branches.

Upon closer inspection, they were cones. Look at the red - is that sap? I didn't touch it but only because I didn't notice it in person. I saw it in the zoomed in photo. They were maybe walnut-sized.  

Halfway around the path and along the edges of the neighboring field were these leftover flowers all gone to seed. The fluffy white ends were so soft but still packed in tight enough to have not blown away yet. (I don't recommend touching everything until you learn to identify any dangerous plants in your area.) Leaning in to take this picture, a thorn bush grabbed my jacket in several places. Bare doesn't mean defenseless!

I'm not sure if this picture does it justice but here I'm noticing 1) the different colors of the trees, and 2) their different shapes. Winter is a great time to notice that trees are not all one shape. The silhouette is one way to identify trees. Did you know that? 

Ooh, berries! I bet the winter birds love to stop by this house. How many types of berries and winter food can be found near you? 

I noticed these white things on the bare branches - do you see them? Upon closer inspection, it was bird droppings. Ha! But, this confirmed my thoughts about the berries. These 2 pictures were taken feet apart. 

Our neighborhood is lined with different trees but they all have this in common. There are nests in nearly every other tree along these roads. Again, another thing to notice when trees are bare. Count the nests. See how many are in each tree. Are they built in sturdy places or just glued in place on seemingly precarious locations? Are they tidy? Messy? Small? Large? Do not collect them. The laws regarding bird nests and even feathers vary by state. Admire them. Look at them. Photograph them. But leave them to nature. 

Again with the tree shapes. Because people plant a variety of trees in their yards that may or may not be native and don't represent the natural wooded areas near you, you may see a great variety of shapes. 

This nest was larger and closer to the ground. I love holding my camera up to get a picture of what's in there in the spring. I've often found eggs or baby birds. In the winter I admire the architecture. 

And as long as we're looking at trees, have you noticed the bark? Have you noticed the colors? The patterns? How about the number of other things living on the trees? I can't resist touching bark or the moss, fungus, and lichens living on it. It's a sensory experience for sure.  

Another beautiful tree. Look at the gnarly branches. Everything is crooked in every which way. Not so with all of the other trees. Another clue to what type of tree this might be. 

And if you look up high, you might see a drey. A drey is one type of squirrel's nest that usually looks like a large clump of leaves got stuck in a tree. Our neighborhood is only about 25 years old. For the first several years we had none of these. It's good to see them more frequently now. 

When I arrived back home I stopped at the tree in my own front yard. Your nature walk could've only gone this far and still been worthwhile. I took 4 pictures of this tree at the same height while circling it. Look at the color variation. The mosses. The lichens. The textures. Grab a magnifying glass and see what else you might see. I got into macro photography because of things like this. The closer you look, the more beautiful it is. Zoom in. There is a whole world living right there on this one tree. 

And THIS! I had to touch it. It's as soft as it looks. Grab a tiny piece of that moss and put it under a microscope if you have one. Last year I read the book _Gathering Moss _ by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It's a bit technical, but her love of the subject brings such life to an often-overlooked topic. I was certainly inspired to look closer. 

I hope you've enjoyed this first look around 2023. I hope it's inspired you to look a little closer at the world around you. 

Nature study is really about building your observation skills, the foundation of all science and all great scientists.