St. Barsanuphius on Nature

For one who has acquired the love and habit of examining his surroundings, 

life in nature is beneficial; 

it saves him from petty, one-sided thinking 

and imparts to him a broader vision, integrity, and depth. 

 - St. Barsanuphius

We have had a lot of odd and enchanting little critters around lately. We found a laurel sphinx moth, a wooly bear caterpillar, and a Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar. Our tree frogs are still hanging out on the back porch, trilling when the weather turns wet. The fall leaves are still not turning and I've heard it said that the season is expected to be two weeks behind. However, that is good news for the mums and geraniums that are still in bloom.

It is the perfect time of year to spy mushrooms of all sorts. Some are long time residents, wooly bearded folk wearing a thick green coat.

This is the Tussock caterpillar. It's a definite look but don't touch; the long white hairs are irritating.

The wet weather is great for spurring the growth of mushrooms. This one was bigger than my handspan! How does such a large thing suddenly appear?!

There are so many metaphors for life tucked away in the folds of nature. I enjoy taking walks and pondering the meaning of little things and teasing interesting thoughts out of the way a flower blooms. I have been trying to get out in the mornings to take a walk. My legs are very lazy and have many appealing excuses to not exercise but it is usually my eyes that drag my legs along - just what is that up there that I see, let's go look at it! Well, so it goes.