Tag Archives: Nature Observation

Wildflowers: Subtle Influence of Generations Past

A flock of goldfinches
dances among morning-light-basked
coreopsis, sunflowers, and coneflowers
in our once-sterile and lawned,
now wildflower-laden, front yard.

A bright red cardinal
flutters amongst
a glowing-flowered rose bush,
as if thinking the red petals
were competition.

I muse at how,
years prior,
the landlady had demanded:
“Cut down these weeds!
I just want a well-kept lawn!”

Now, in spring,
as new plants arise,
she carefully takes
lawnmower or weed-wacker,
and carves paths that avoid wildflowers.

As summer beckons,
her cautious paths let us
leisurely stroll through
bright pinks, whites, yellows, purples, blues, reds.
We become surrounded by and absorbed in Nature.

What made the change?
What turned this orderly hostess
demanding sterile, well-manicured lawns,
to one who could see and rejoice
in the colorful riot of wildflowers?

My grandparents,
(who she never met),
and their parents
were known for the flowers
and fruits they kept.

The family joke was
how the Sheboygan matriarch
grew her veggies and flowers
in the bathtub.
Beauty before cleanliness.

The tradition carried on,
as my grandmother taught
her children and grandchildren
to enjoy and relish nature.
“How beautiful!”

Grandmother’s children, too, 
(oft to the chagrin of neighbors),
invited wildflowers and native plants
instead of sterile and invasive species
to grow and thrive and bring beauty and life.

So now their children and grandchildren
leave patches of wild plants,
riotous color for the birds, bees, butterflies;
pollinators who gladly cavort and dance
the way their ancestors did.

As willing witnesses, we get to feel
the swelling in our hearts
and the welling of our eyes,
as we join with them in this
ancient dance in the wildflowers.

Read more about how the landlady of Spirit Tree Farms, Marnie Kuhns, transformed from loving lawns to wooing wildflowers, birds, and pollinators in her book about finding peace in Nature and God’s Creations.

Facing Insurmountable Tasks Advice — Partnering With Nature: Prose

Recently, I read a post in a Native Habitat social media group. The person asked the group what they should do about their recently-purchased three acre property that was disorganized and overrun with non-native, invasive species, some so thick as to make walking through the property nearly impossible.With some passion and frustration, they explained that they didn’t know where to start or what to do. Almost to the point of despair, they said they were worried because there were non-native vines all over the trees, not only strangling them but threatening to collapse the larger branches, as well as creating a dense shadow on the forest floor where nothing could grow. They specifically asked what poisons and herbicides to apply, and how to apply them, to control these troublesome invaders.
 
As you can imagine, there were many answers, ranging from the drastic to the thoughtful. Interestingly, most suggested the property owners focus on assessment and inventory.
Suggestions included:
*Get a plant app (such as PlantNet), and go through the property, identifying and labeling all the plants
*Make a calendar and a schedule, going through each section at a time to clear out invasives and control what is wantedSome were more drastic, including:
*Do a controlled undergrowth burn, protecting the big trees, and see what grows back
*Chop away everything invasive, and apply deep-acting herbicides to the roots
 

As I read these responses, I thought of our own experience at our six-acre Spirit Tree Farms in Catoosa County, Northwest Georgia. I realized that the original post exhibited the same fears and frustrations I’d felt when I first purchased the property:

  1. I didn’t know what was invasive, non-native, and undesirable, compared to what was native and welcome
  2. It was such a large task, I was overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start
  3. I was afraid to make a mistake

Lessons Learned From Partnering With Nature

It was then I understood the lessons I’d learned from listening to and working with Nature as a partner. This was the advice I gave:
 
  • Listen to the land. Many people think we have to use our own wisdom and knowledge to “Save the Earth”. The reality is, Mother Earth knows what she needs. Nature understands, even on a small scale, the actions we as partners should take. When partnering with Nature, work with the land.
  • Know what you want to do — in an overarching way. The original poster wanted a property filled with native trees, bushes, wildflowers, and other plants. Others might want a giant play area for their kids and grandkids. Some might want a food production focus, to be self sustaining. Still others might want a food plot for deer, rabbits, and game birds. At Spirit Tree Farms, we want walkable areas where we can teach and model partnering with Nature, along with Nature observation and creativity. These are all valid uses of the land, but they all require different solutions.
  • Do something. Do anything. Yes, making an inventory, designing an overarching plan, creating a calendar, are all vital — but they will not do anything to change the land or fix the problems. A favorite quote from my youth states: “The song I came to sing remains unsung. I spent my life stringing and unstringing my instrument.”
  • UPDATE: As I’m editing these piece some months later, I’ll add this thought: Do research sooner rather than later. I FINALLY got my soil tested (University of Georgia County Extension program). Turns out that I’d planted the blueberry bushes and ginseng roots in completely the wrong place. (The soil pH is way off). In other words, partnering with Nature means being smart, too!
 
I suggested that they pick one thing to do, and start doing that for a set time each day. I suggested the land owner start with spending an hour each morning and an hour each evening (during the cooler part of the day), and focus on one task. I pointed out that, if they didn’t have that much time on some days, even 15 minutes daily would bring a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
 
I pointed out that, in the original post, they seemed especially concerned about the invasive vines which were strangling the native trees. I suggested they go out with a small saw or a pair of pruning loppers and spend their time cutting and killing the vines at the base of the trees. I reminded them that they didn’t need to pull the vines off the trees just yet; killing them would (a) begin to solve the problem and (b) make it easier to pull them off later on. The key was to do something, and to focus on the highest priority, or their greatest concern.

Pulling Privet Parable

In my own experience, I listened to the land and discovered that a highly-invasive non-native plant, Chinese privet, was creating a mono-culture where nothing else could grow. Not only were these plants rapidly spreading, but they shaded out the sunshine, took up all the soil nutrients and water, and their roots and leaves distributed poison which prevented the growth of native plants.By listening to the land, I became “a man on a mission”. I would go out every day and pull up or cut down privet. Some of these bushes were as large around as my thigh, and would grow back shoots and runners even after I’d cut the main trunk. But I’d learned that applying herbicides to the trunk would potentially ooze through the roots, killing desirable plants around the privet. Instead, I kept cutting off the shoots, and eventually the entire privet system would die and rot to the point that I could use my angle-handled Fiskar shovel and leverage out the rootball.
 
I also learned to take advantage of what Mother Earth provided. Many people won’t go out and work on the land after a hard rain. “It’s too wet, it’s too muddy, it’s too gooey” they argue. Fortunately, I lived for 25 years in the Seattle area, where if you don’t work outside when it rains, you don’t work outside.
 
What I discovered is that, after a hard rain, small- and medium-sized privet plants — because of their shallow root system — came out quickly and easily with a firm tug. In fact, I now relish the rain, because I learned that I can pull out about ten times more privet and other invasive species when the ground is wet than when it is dry.
 
I explained to the original poster that, by listening to the land, and by working on what concerned them the most, they would probably learn lessons and get unexpected benefits as well. For example, after cleaning out a space of over 100 yards x 10 feet deep of privet lining my rural driveway — a giant monoculture — by the next year, more than 27 different native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and other plants sprang up in place of the privet. These native and beneficial species were there the entire time, but the privet was crowding them out.
 
This was such an impactful lesson to us that my wife used it as part of a presentation on Finding Peace in Nature. You can watch her first presentation about it here.  It was received so enthusiastically that she expanded the concept, creating a book, journal, and training on it. Explore that here: SpiritTreeFarms.com/Peace. It focuses on how we as humans should put aside our hubris and vanity in trying to “fix Mother Earth”, and instead listen to her as she explains to us not only what she needs, but what we need and can learn from her.
 

Partnering With Nature Needs Organization

This privet parable had such a deep influence in my life that now, when I go out to work on what I feel I should do on the property (yes, I pray about what I should do, what would be most beneficial to myself AND the land), I take a notebook (or my phone) along. When I get the thought to “plant / transplant something here” or “trim this /remove that from there” or even “burn this section of field”, I take notes.
 
I explained to the landowner that one of the most beneficial suggestions I’d received was from my wife, who is very organized. She noticed I was getting a huge list of things to do, but — other than the privet — wasn’t getting much done. She created a spreadsheet, and had me populate it with tasks, including the what, where, when and how (and, sometimes, when I need motivation, a note on “why”.) Now, when I’m inspired to do a task, I not only start working on it, but I put it into the spreadsheet, so the inspiration becomes captured and actionable.Ultimately, the lessons I’m learning from this experience at Spirit Tree Farms are:
*Listen to Nature and The Creator
*Do something / ANYTHING
*Capture
*Review
*Continue to listen
*Be inspired
*Learn
 
Many of these thoughts and lessons are captured on only in SpiritTreeFarms.com/Peace, but in other writings on NaturesGuy.com, CreationGirl.com, and my creative blog, CyranoWriter.com
When nature observation becomes more than forest bathing -- learning from wildflower wandering how be tap into creativity

Getting Outside Often: Nature Prose

I was catching up on posting past writing, and didn’t know I’d already posted this piece on Getting Outside in www.NaturesGuy.com.

We need to get outside, to breathe fresh air, to see the sun, to feel Nature.

There was a time, when I worked at Microsoft near Seattle, where I never saw the sun. Even now, memories of sitting in a closet-like room with no windows, where I had to walk out a door and look down a long, narrow hallway to the small window a hundred feet away, to even see a peek outside, causes my stomach to twist in knots, my heart to clamp down, my throat to tighten and my head to hurt. To be kept away from the outdoors, to not FEEL Nature on a regular basis, can’t be good!

I knew it back then, in my gut, and it turns out that my desire to feel nature was right! Recent studies are showing that activities such as taking walks outside, sitting in the sun, forest bathing, can all significantly reduce stress, anxiety, hypertension, and many other modern ailments.

My current “office” lets me sit in front of a window and look out over wildflowers, many types of trees, out onto a field of corn, wheat, elderberries, squash, more wildflowers, and more. Past the rolling rills and hills, over the West Chickamauga Creek, are the stately trees of a 5,300 acre Chickamauga National Military Park. Beyond that, Lookout Mountain rises up in the distance. Birds, butterflies and other bugs flit about. Squirrels, rabbits and the occasional deer scamper past my view. The sky changes colors throughout the day, providing a new scene every time I look up from my computer screen (which is fairly frequently!) In short, from my office, I can view nature in all its Northwest Georgia glory.
But that’s still not enough. Why? I don’t completely FEEL Nature.

Feel Nature = Be IN the Outdoors!

The studies I’ve read, and the way I sense, verify that, to feel nature, to get the benefits of being in nature, you have to get outdoors. These studies say that as little as 15 minutes outside, or exposing yourself to nature, has a calming, relaxing, healing impact that can last up to two hours!
Here on Spirit Tree Farms, we try to grow a lot of our own food. We try to eat healthy. We make our own elderberry juice. We forage and make teas and salads out of native plants. Yet, too often, we stay inside for long periods of time, content with just looking out the windows at the natural beauty that surrounds us.
That doesn’t seem to be enough.
I can feel my soul, my spirit, my body start to clamp down, start to feel the angst I felt in those days at Microsoft. So I’ve resolved to feel nature more, to get outside, breathe fresh air, feel the breeze, hear the rustling of the leaves, the far-away murmuring roar of the West Chickamauga Creek rushing over the rocks of the prehistoric fishing weir, to smell the musty autumn leaves or the summer’s passion flower blooms, to feel the sun (or the rain or the mist or the humors of the night) on my face, to connect to the Earth by taking my shoes off and getting grounded.
Even when it’s cold, I can take a few moments to step outside, hold my hands out, yawp at the setting sun, wave to Orion high in the night sky, welcome the dawn of a new day, discover a new plant, bird or bug I’ve never noticed before. I can take that time to really feel Nature.

Feel Nature To Get Connected

When I take the time to really feel Nature, I can tell I’m connecting with the Universe. And it’s not just reconnecting with the land I’m on here on the Catoosa / Walker County line in Northwest Georgia, USA. It’s reconnecting with my purpose, with what God wants me to do. It’s getting back in tune, back in synch, tuning in to a universal harmonic that permeates all because it is in all and through all. To feel Nature aligns my heart, head and soul not only with me, myself, but with the greater All.
What benefits will you find
when you take the time
to feel Nature?