A Wonderland of Rivers and Forests
Archive for the ‘Wildlife’ Category
Kicking off Spring and a Good “Earth Day” to You
Awake, thou wintry earth – Fling off thy sadness! Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth Your ancient gladness! ~Thomas Blackburn, “An Easter Hymn” Put yourself on the river in Spring, and Ludwig will do the rest(Beethoven’s 6th, The Pastoral Symphony) if you enjoyed the movie, you might also visit: ourplaceinthecosmos.com for another spring […]
June brings record rainfall/flooding; However…
While Missouri only had its 11th wettest June on record at 7.23 inches, record precipitation and flooding occurred in many areas across the state. The St. Louis, Missouri area had its wettest June on record at 13.14 inches. So you can understand how happy I was to get out of soggy St. Lou and hit […]
Hope for the Hellbender
Under a large flat rock in an Ozark stream Dwells an ancient aquatic sentinel With a Gaia messenger scheme Calling all good earthly stewards Protect these precious waters Please the fish, the frog, the turtle and the toad Let the mystery of this peculiar amphibian, continue to unfold _________________________________________________________ He goes by many names: Snot […]
On the Eve of Summer
It’s the night before the Summer Solstice and I’ve been lounging on the little deck. The Lightning Bugs are out in force tonight and I’ve got a great seat for this amazing light show. Their lights are streaking and tracing against a dark curtain of trees that flourish along both sides of the little Ozark […]
On an Ozark River in May
Oh Mamma Maia, daughter of Atlas(Gr), Roman Goddess of fertility, your name lends well to my favorite page on the calendar(Maius/Latin)! This transitional month finds me still reveling in the resurrection of life along the river and excited by its unerring promise of summer. This second wave of spring is composing the lushest and greenest […]
Mountain Lion Sighting Near St.Louis
Wowsers and Yikes! Local media recently reported a sighting of a Mountain Lion in a wooded area of Chesterfield. A photo of this curious cat was captured on a trail camera by a Chesterfield resident(Jan.12th) and was later confirmed by the Missouri Dept. of Conservation(MDOC). But there’s no reason to be alarmed here. Mountain Lions, […]
Beavers, Raccoons and BEARS, OH MY!
In this neck of the woods, that would be Mr. and Ms. Black Bear of course. In all my years of canoeing in the Ozarks, I have yet to see one of these magnificent land mammals. But they are certainly out there. According to the MDC (Missouri Dept. of Conservation), public observations of black bears […]