I miss those trees.
The cranefly orchids have sent up their nourishing leaves for the fall/winter. I'm pleased that these rescued native plants are thriving here in our yard.
Later I went to Clayworks and worked on some more butter dishes.
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Showing posts with label cicadas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cicadas. Show all posts
Thursday, November 16, 2017
2017-10-18 - Wednesday - Construction/destruction, orchids, and butter dishes
Wednesday I was getting gas at BJ's Wholesale Club and noticed that someone had removed all the trees across the street. There used to be a thick grove of trees where the open area is now. I remember standing at the gas pump during a prior summer and thinking that the noise from the cicadas in that grove was deafening but wonderful. Now all those cicadas, and all the things that fed and ate the cicadas were gone.
I miss those trees.
The cranefly orchids have sent up their nourishing leaves for the fall/winter. I'm pleased that these rescued native plants are thriving here in our yard.
Later I went to Clayworks and worked on some more butter dishes.
.
I miss those trees.
The cranefly orchids have sent up their nourishing leaves for the fall/winter. I'm pleased that these rescued native plants are thriving here in our yard.
Later I went to Clayworks and worked on some more butter dishes.
.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
April 17 - Wednesday catkins
Wednesday the catkins were coming down in like rain. The willow oaks in our front yard produce enough catkins to completely cover the house and yard every year. Like many natural processes the tree's reproductive season is very short and very intense. The catkins emerge and unload their pollen onto the wind. Before you know it they're done and fall off the trees, piling up everywhere.
Nature spends amazing amounts of energy to accomplish one task. The process of creating all those catkins, spreading the pollen, and then dropping them only takes a few days but the payoff must be worth it or evolution would have changed the process by now.
Another example of nature's excess is the cicada. This year the 17 year brood will be emerging once again. Think of it: These creatures spend 17 years underground, emerge, shed their skin to become their adult form, and live for one or two days to mate, then die. The astounding thing is that they spend all those years underground storing up enough energy to change to their adult form. That form is one of the largest, heaviest, flying insects in our area. Not only do they have to have enough stored energy to fly, but also to mate ensuring the next generation.
After the catkins are gone we will be piling up shed cicada shells and a few days after that, dead cicadas.
Nature is messy.
.
Nature spends amazing amounts of energy to accomplish one task. The process of creating all those catkins, spreading the pollen, and then dropping them only takes a few days but the payoff must be worth it or evolution would have changed the process by now.
Another example of nature's excess is the cicada. This year the 17 year brood will be emerging once again. Think of it: These creatures spend 17 years underground, emerge, shed their skin to become their adult form, and live for one or two days to mate, then die. The astounding thing is that they spend all those years underground storing up enough energy to change to their adult form. That form is one of the largest, heaviest, flying insects in our area. Not only do they have to have enough stored energy to fly, but also to mate ensuring the next generation.
After the catkins are gone we will be piling up shed cicada shells and a few days after that, dead cicadas.
Nature is messy.
.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
August 12 - Sunday invaders and handles
There is an invading army in our backyard, or at least the remnants of one. Everywhere I looked on Sunday I found cicada shells hanging from our deck. They weren't there on Friday, so they all had to have hatched between Friday night and Sunday morning.
Every year I am amazed at the amount of shells I find at the base of our willow oaks and our silver maple. It looks like the mounds of dead left behind after some epic battle. At times nature is astounding in it's excesses.
In the late afternoon I went to Clayworks and put some handles and decoration on the pots I made on Thursday. I had planned to glaze some pots, but that would have been 2 to 4 hours on my feet and I couldn't do it after the show the day before.
The load-out, load-in, setup, show, break-down, load-out, load-in cycle takes more out of me these days. I hobble around for a couple of days after each pottery show since I am on my feet for most of it. The next day my knees and ankles have to be forced to bend. I don't want to complain, since I really love doing shows, but each one I do takes more recovery time. Ah, isn't aging wonderful?
.
Every year I am amazed at the amount of shells I find at the base of our willow oaks and our silver maple. It looks like the mounds of dead left behind after some epic battle. At times nature is astounding in it's excesses.
In the late afternoon I went to Clayworks and put some handles and decoration on the pots I made on Thursday. I had planned to glaze some pots, but that would have been 2 to 4 hours on my feet and I couldn't do it after the show the day before.
The load-out, load-in, setup, show, break-down, load-out, load-in cycle takes more out of me these days. I hobble around for a couple of days after each pottery show since I am on my feet for most of it. The next day my knees and ankles have to be forced to bend. I don't want to complain, since I really love doing shows, but each one I do takes more recovery time. Ah, isn't aging wonderful?
.
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