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Nature

In which I try to find my place in the natural world.

The Little Things

The Little Things

Back in April, after several months of allowing our garden to grow out with native Florida plants and wildflowers for pollinators and other wildlife, we got a notice from our city code enforcement telling us that we either had to mow it all down or face fines. This happened right

Dandelions

> “About this grass now. I didn't finish telling. It grows so close it's guaranteed to kill off clover and dandelions-” “Great God in heaven! That means no dandelion wine next year! That means no bees crossing our lot! You're out of your mind, son.” (Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine) Dandelions have

Lawn to Meadow Progress Pic

Lawn to Meadow Progress Pic

When I look over my back garden, I really think this meadow thing is starting to happen. This is definitely a project that will evolve over the years rather than mere months.

In Full Bloom

The black-eyed susans at the front of the garden are thriving. More blooms appear every day.

Spring Is Here For Real

Spring Is Here For Real

Yesterday, our first black-eyed susan bud opened in all it’s glory, and if you look closely, you can see a tiny spider chillin’ on the petals.

Religion/Spirituality

On Selfishness and Altruism

As I've mentioned in the past, I feed the neighborhood crows [https://www.bactroid.net/something-to-crow-about/], and for me, this represents an important spiritual practice. Over time, I've noticed a trend. My crows hate when the neighborhood squirrels start taking peanuts. The crows will sometimes get stuck in a loop

Poison Dart Frogs

Taken at the Florida Museum of Natural History [https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu].

Suspended in Mid-Air

Spider web holding morning drizzle, Gainesville, FL.

Spiderwort

A small flying insect takes a moment of rest on a spiderwort bloom. Taken at Depot Park [http://www.depotpark.org] on August 26, 2017.

Something to Crow About

The crows I've been feeding can now recognize my car. I've suspected this for a about a week after an incident where a crow landed on the bike rack of an SUV in front of me while I was waiting at the stoplight out of our neighborhood. The crow in

Wild Adventures at the Haskell Hacienda

While Allyson was getting coffee with friends, a high school girl came to my front door very upset. She was trying to sell magazines, but she just saw a baby raccoon fall out of a tree in our neighbor's yard. She asked me to come take a look. When we

Lake Eola Park

> Our fundamental, self-enforced separation from the natural world is tantamount to ripping a child from its mother's breast and forcing it to live on Diet Coke. (Dianne Slyvan, The Circle Within)

Flowers from Our Morning Walk

Religion/Spirituality

Mockingbirds

This morning, I went outside for a bit of meditation/ritual to start the day off. It was before sunrise, and even down in the Tampa area, there was a nice chill in the air, the kind of weather that reminds you that even in Florida it's still only spring.

Religion/Spirituality

The Sacred Atlantic

For several years now, Allyson and I have made an annual pilgrimage to the beach. Even though we live in Florida, we usually only make it to the beach about once per year. Gainesville is pretty much directly in the middle of the peninsula, making it at least a 90-minute

Who Speaks for the Earth?

On Earth Day, I leave you all with one of science's great poets and prophets. Substitute the spectre of nuclear war for the humbling reality of global warming, and this rings frightfully true. I will speak for the Earth, Dr. Sagan.