Author: melaniereynolds

Focused on leading a nature-led life in pursuit of creative, sustainable and just solutions for complex social and environmental issues.

December: Nature at Rest

~ melaniereynolds ~ 26 Comments
Lake Crescent 2016 By Melanie Reynolds

Welcome to 2023!

My New Year’s gift to you is the picture above. Lake Crescent, located near the Hoh Rainforest, and one of the quietest places in the United States according to the Gordon Hempton’s project, One Square Inch of Silence.

To listen to the beauty of the Olympic peninsula and see more pictures visit Gordon Hempton’s website: https://onesquareinch.org/breathing-space/

“SILENCE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF SOMETHING,
BUT THE PRESENCE OF EVERYTHING.”

-Gordon Hempton, Founder
One Square Inch of Silence

https://onesquareinch.org/

May you find peace and Joy in the new year!

Between the holidays and the crazy weather, I doubt many of you were quiet or restful for very long. This month’s photo submission was a bit of a washout. I kind of suspected this might happen. Life, like all forms of energy has its own ebb and flow similar to water. I’m neither sad nor disappointed.

Please join me in thanking Lisa Troute and Tracy Abell for their photo submission!

So cute!

Gopher Tortoise By Lisa Troute Jupiter, Florida.

The Gopher Tortoise is a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in its native territory of the Southeastern United States. It is the only tortoise found naturally east of the Mississippi River. They can live up to 40-60 years in the wild and 90+ in captivity. (https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/reptiles/gopher-tortoise/)

Lisa says that a lot of animals use the tortoise’s burrows including snakes and small animals. I found this 1:45min clip on PBS Nature about how these other animals also rely on the burrows for safety during fires and hurricanes. This makes the Gopher Tortoise a Nature-Led hero in my book! Wolverines and Badgers might also make nice burrows, but they’re rarely inclined to share their home with others.

Unknown bird nest. Barr Lake State Park, Colorado. April 8, 2021 Tracy Abell / Another Day On the Planet

While Tracy captioned her picture as “Unknown bird nest” I had fun playing Forest Detective and we think we know whose nest this is. Our guess is that it belongs to a Bullock’s Oriole. This type of nest is called a “pendant nest”. I did my original search calling it a “hammock nest” and some other people searched for it calling it a “sock nest”. Whatever you want to call it though, it’s an interesting nest and I love it!

Thank you again Lisa and Tracy for giving me interesting pictures and non-rabbit holes to follow!

Finally, let’s just call this bonus content. Do you need more inspiration for getting excited about nature? Well, check out this lovely fellow and his Becorns! This is a true pleasure to watch. I also appreciate that he has a calm, casual voice similar to my own.

Video belongs to: David M Bird

Nature-Led New Year’s Goals?

If you’re the kind of person who likes to make goals for the new year, what are some of your goals for 2023?

Can you think of how to make these or other goals, Nature-led goals?

Future Photo Submissions:

January: Moss Due: January 31st (Posted Feb 1st PST)

February: Unexpected Blooms and/or Ferns Due: February 28 (March 1st PST)

Fine Print: Photo Submissions Guidelines

Email to: natureledlife@gmail.com, Subject line: Photo Submission for [month] (Multiple months of photos in one email is fine.) Image: Attached as a .JPEG or .PNG file preferred. Captions each picture: Subject in the photo (if known), State/Providence & Country, Date (optional). Your name as you want it to appear, Your blog link (if you have one.) Feel free to add any interesting notes about a picture. I love interesting stories behind things! Let me know if it’s just for ‘my eyes only’ or if I can share any part of it with your photo. Pictures must be your own or you have permission from the Photographer to share it. All copyrights belong to their owners. This is just a free, fun, community site about nature.

As always, THANK YOU for being here and being part of the Nature-Led community!

But wait there’s more! Here is Dinah’s on the cusp photo submission for “Nature at Rest”!

On Black Beach looking North, Australia. By Dinah. Dec 31, 2022. https://moreidlethoughts.wordpress.com/

Happy Holidays!

~ melaniereynolds ~ 4 Comments

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, something else or nothing all together I care about you! Take care of yourself and your family as many in the US and across the globe struggle with crazy weather, inflation and injustices.

Below is one of my favorite songs, “A Carol of Bells” whether it be entirely vocal or instrumental it doesn’t matter. It thrills me when large groups of people come together to do good, create music or art as a collective! To me, it echoes the harmony of nature. Mutiple individual organisms working in unison as a larger complex organism designed to create something special. The glimmer of hope is there! When we work together to solve environmental and social justice problems the spark is greater than the sum of our parts like pieces of flint sparking a fire.

Take heart, Nature-led Friends, calamities abound but all is not lost. We can change the future, because the future is yet unwritten. We can change the world in small ways. As the holidays come and go, think about what you can do to make the world a better place. The power is within you to make change; to be a force for good, for kindness and for compassion in a way that resonates for you.

Life, the orchestra of life, through breath, paces and actions embraces you.

Reminder: December’s Photo Submission Request

~ melaniereynolds ~ 3 Comments

Hello Nature-Led Friends!

I know that many of us are busy with holiday preparations, but I do hope you will make the time to appreciate the nature around you! Whether you go for a walk or sit at a window please take some time to relax in the beauty of nature and be kind to yourself and others. We have two weeks before the submission date for this month’s photo submission request.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird at the Winter feeder. By Melanie Reynolds

(There is a handwarmer hidden in the orange sleeve when the temperature is below freezing. I also bring the feeder in at night.)

December: Nature At Rest

Pictures due: December 31st, Midnight Pacific Standard Time

Submissions to be rounded up and posted before the end of day: January 1st.

What do I mean by “nature at rest” anyway?

I like to keep things open to broad interpretation. At rest does not have to mean sleeping, but that the cycle of life is merely demonstrated as being slowed down or contemplative even. Examples include, but are not limited too:

Birds, not flying. Deer, Elk or some other animal sitting in a field, by a pond, or in a forest. Snow in a field or a frozen pond. Dormant plants and trees. I have a Hardy Hibiscus that I love. In the summer it is green with beautiful pink flowers, in the winter the white bark and vase-like structure of the branches create an attractive architectural detail.

I hope this gives you some ideas. I feel with such a vague topic choice for the month, we’ll either get hardly any submissions at all or a hearty diversity of interpretations. I’m really champion for the latter! Hence this post.

What about January and February?

January and February often feel like such a drag around here in the Northern Countries, so let’s brighten these two months up with some unexpected greens and defiant flowers! If you’re living in the Southern Hemisphere, that’s cheating! Ha,ha,ha.

Melanie Reynolds Profile Pic

January: Moss

Photos Due: January 31st (see guidelines below)

I love moss! There are many varieties. In the U.S. people fight to get the moss out of their lawns and in Japan, people fight to get the grass out of their moss. I find it all rather amusing. It’s no secret, I’m on team Moss! One should not discount their ability to act as carbon sinks and they do it all without need of mowing or fertilizers!

Raindrops on Moss By Melanie Reynolds

Snowdrops in the snow. Photo by Valeria Boltneva on Pexels.com

February: Unexpected Blooms and/or Ferns

Photos Due: February 28 (See guidelines below)

I’m carefully watching my Pink Dawn Viburnum. It’s one of the first things to bloom in the new year and it smells amazing! This Fall I also planted Snowdrop bulbs on the hillside. We’ll see if anything comes of it, maybe the squirrels have feasted like kings this winter. I’m new to bulb planting, but the directions sounded easy enough. At any rate, I have no shortage of Ferns here at Fernmire to keep me company!

Wood Sorrel and Ferns By Melanie Reynolds

Photo Submissions Guidelines

Email to: natureledlife@gmail.com

Subject line: Photo Submission for [month] (Multiple months of photos in one email is fine.)

Image: Attached as a .JPEG or .PNG file preferred.

Captions each picture: Subject in the photo (if known), State/Providence & Country, Date (optional). Your name as you want it to appear, Your blog link (if you have one)

Feel free to add any interesting notes about a picture. I love interesting stories behind things! Let me know if it’s just for ‘my eyes only’ or if I can share any part of it with your photo.

Pictures must be your own or you have permission from the Photographer to share it. All copyrights belong to their owners. This is just a free, fun, community site about nature.