Time in the garden

The Dutchman's Pipe Vine attracts butterflies. The Bird of Paradise is exciting,even before it flowers. The papayas are wonderful and abundant. And then there's Pine Island's version of the robin!

Summer gardens, Pine Island

Summer here is truly unique. Quiet, but for the plants growing in abundance, you can almost hear them. With the afternoon showers each day, the air is rich with life. Beautiful.

Costa Rica

This is a wondrous country, and I was so lucky to be able to be here, even in March, its hottest month. The Pacific coast, the inland mountains and valleys, the beautiful plants.......I loved it all.

Central Florida

Once you get away from coastal and, therefore, settled, Florida....and you go inland, you can find magic. Not the beautiful postcard images, but signs of a harder life, of harder times......

butterfly

Flowering Trees, Pine Island, June

Pine Island's Flowering Trees in June

The fragipani stands bare all winter and then, when it warms and the days a longer, these magnificent flowers come out.

Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota

This is a beautiful place. The specialities are orchids and bromeliads in the conservatory. Outdoors along the winding paths are huge trees providing places for singing birds to land. There are mangroves and butterfly gardens lush vines and such diverse, beautiful foliage. The breeze comes in from the Sarasota Bay.....paradise?

Earth and Spirit, Pine Island

PINE ISLAND CLAM HOUSE

SIX MILE CYPRESS SLOUGH

The light has changed; the air seems cleaner. Hummingbirds are busy, busy. So are the songbirds and all those that will winter over here.
If you were a painter, this is a good time to paint...outdoors.
The clouds pass overhead, changing shapes, changing consistencies, rapidly.
The goldfish dash to the water's surface for food.
The squirrels and chipmunks are scurrying, collecting, storing.
It is a beautiful time of the year, here in the Northeast.

A Meadow in Brewster in June

A favorite spot.....a preserved meadow....not mowed, not sprayed.

Boston Public Gardens

These are the swan boats in the Boston Public Gardens. A childhood memory for me....imagine how thrilling for an Indiana girl.

The Mill Pond, Stony Brook, Brewster

National Seashore, Cape Cod in May

This hilly, twirly area is full of mystery- remains of small, ancient cranberry bogs; tiny pine forests; utter sand. You never know what is over the next hill.

On the other side of this calm hillside is the Atlantic Ocean, filled with its May whales who are so filled with exuberance. With their erupting, swooshing fountains of water spouted upwards, the whales can engage the eye and the energies of anyone who sees them.
Then it is nice to return to the quiet of the dunes.

Spring Swan at Bell's Neck in Harwich

A sure sign of spring on the Cape is the nesting of swans. On the Herring River and its adjoining West Reservoir in Harwich there are several pairs of swans. They are beautiful to watch as they silently glide through the waters, occasionally dipping upside down to feed on the vegetation on the bottom. Swans are something magical from childhood.

Alewives Returning

A gull stands, waiting for an alewife scout to appear. In early to mid-April, depending on temperatures, the alewives school in the bay and then begin their trek up the Run to spawn.
A few scouts come in first, and gulls and humans come each day to see if they have arrived yet. An ever recurring sign of spring on the Cape.

Stony Brook Run, Brewster
Read John Hay's THE RUN.

The Ospreys Are Back!

The ospreys have come back to the Cape after wintering in warmer climes. They are busy nest building. A better term might be nest constructing, as these structures are huge, heavy, complicated homes. And decorated too! One nearby nest has had a Barbie doll in it. Another, a tennis ball.
I am curious about human made objects that are added to the nests. What about them becomes attractive to the bird that it wants to take them home?
At CCMNH the camera is running full time and providing a fantastic view of life in the nest. Check it out!

Read David Gessner's RETURN OF THE OSPREY.