Scrumptious Sunflower Seeds
On a chilly New England afternoon, the Northern Cardinal and the American Tree Sparrow shared a feast at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Massachusetts. Neither bird paid attention to me.
living simply
A Whale of a Rock
One of New England’s greatest novelists, Herman Melville, wrote “Moby Dick”, a dramatic story about Captain Ahab’s obsession to destroy the Great White Whale. At my local Audubon, there is a huge glacial boulder which reminds me of this mythical whale.
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May Your Days Be Bright
Happy New Year!
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Grosbeak Greeting
This lively and dramatically colored pair of evening grosbeaks swooped in to the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton, MA recently. They enjoyed black sunflower seeds from the feeder and on the ground. The female’s tall feathers blended in beautifully with the seeds. The red squirrel seemed to be happy to share the bounty!
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Origami Solstice Sun and Moon
In this modular origami design, constructed from eight pieces of paper, the Sun transforms into the Moon and back to the Sun once more by pushing or pulling gently on the edges.
Happy Solstice!
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Foxfire
After spotting this elegant pair of foxes on a recent walk at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton, MA, I was inspired to create an origami display that featured them. In Scandinavian folklore, foxes were believed to cause the northern lights, so “Foxfire” is the Finnish name for this unique atmospheric display. While Massachusetts is too far south for northern lights viewing, my mini-foxfire origami creation brightens up my holiday table.
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Peek-a-Boo
This cardinal at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton, MA delights in the action “on the ground” as well as in the treetops.
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Savvy Squirrels Update
The squirrels continue to adapt to their environment.
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Ice World
Winter has transformed the Wildlife Pond at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton, MA. The beaver lodge has a chunky white coating, while other areas of the pond sparkle with ice ranging from rough and jagged to windblown and smooth. The red and gold vegetation at the pond edges lends a delicate frame to this “ice world”.
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New England Thanksgiving
Pumpkins, Fall vegetation, colonial houses, and snowy landscapes dotted with the creatures that inhabit them all evoke a traditional New England Thanksgiving. Wishing you a wonderful holiday from Central Massachusetts.
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November Jewels
Winter friends spotted on a recent visit to the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton MA. Wide-ranging colors and bursts of energy lift one’s spirits on a gray New England day.
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Snow Colors
The early Winter snow in Central Massachusetts was unexpectedly vibrant due to lingering plants lending bursts of color to the traditional blanket of white.
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Out For Lunch
The feeders at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon offer both eat-in or take-out meals.
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Wild Turkeys
In recent years, wild turkeys have become a very common sight in Massachusetts. While they look rather plain and brown from a distance, a closer inspection reveals feathers of a wide variety of subtle patterns and hues. The males’ iridescent feathers shine with green, red, bronze, copper and gold. Both males and females have a distinctive “wattle”, a fleshy red piece of skin that hangs beneath the neck.
turkeys in field
feather close
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Milkweed for Monarchs
In the late Fall, meadows in New England are bursting with milkweed pods, which furnish monarch caterpillars with the only food they will eat. A huge effort is underway to plant more milkweed to stop the recent decline in the monarch population.
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Savvy Squirrels
Gray squirrels look particularly luxurious in the late Fall as they busily hide acorns and then forget where they put them. In this way, they are responsible for planting over one million oak trees each year!
