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Nature Sketches

Their Mysterious Ways--A Book Review
"Their Mysterious Ways" is a special book about animals who help us confront our adversities and rebuild our lives.
A Slice of Another Time and Place--Allred Lake
Recently I took a trip to the Bootheel of Missouri. The flatlands. An area that holds no visual charms for me. But these flatlands are also home to a very special Natural Area. A swamp. A place of great beauty and mystery where one feels like one has entered a world belonging to another time and place.
Being Where I Belong
The joy of life, to me, comes from a sense of being where I belong, living the life I have chosen to live.
Jewels of the Ozarks- Springs
Beautiful Ozark jewels are not mined and made into baubles to adorn humans. Ozark jewels adorn the dark green hollows of the Ozark hills, with their basins of aqua blue water.
American Sycamore Trees: History and Appearance of One of the Largest Eastern Hardwood Species
One of my favorite trees is the sycamore, and in my woods, sycamores can only be found growing along the little stream that meanders through there.
The Attraction at Piggott, Arkansas
A drive on Crowley's Rdige Parkway is a pleasant experience for a nature lover. But there is a different kind of attraction in Piggott, Arkansas, too, one that draws people there from all over the country.
The Accusing Flowers of Star Mountain
A retold Ozark tale about an old recluse who loved flowers, and how those flowers paid back for his devotion, in the end.
April Pleasures In The Woods
April is my favorite spring month, and if I were a poet, I'd write an entire book of poems just about her. April pleasures in the woods are ethereal and fleeting. They are gone in the blink of an eye, it seems.
A Spring Hike at Grand Gulf
Grand Gulf, also known as the "Little Grand Canyon of the Ozarks," is considered a geological wonder, and when I went hiking through its scenic, winding, vertical walls, I was privvy to its spectacular sights.
Sharing The Earth-A Book Review
This week, I’ve decided to try my hand at a book review-something new for me. So I hope I can do justice to a very special book, a book about the animals, both tame and wild, that share our beautiful planet earth with us, enriching our lives.
Getaway Artist of the Woods-The Gray Fox
The "southern boy" of foxes, the gray fox is unique in his tree climbing ability. Trees help him escape predators!
On Joy and Jonquils
Joy is enthusiasm for something, cheerfulness, and a gladness to be alive. Jonquils inspire joy!
Special Habitats-Caves
Caves, air filled underground voids, were sculpted by groundwater millions of years ago. They are a dark, bleak habitat, with strange and peculiar inhabitants.
Oh, Fluffy Snow! (Musings with Pictures)
The other morning, when I awoke and looked out the window, I saw a pristine wonderland. Beautiful, fluffy snowflakes had sailed down from a cloud, landing softly on the trees.
Snuggling with Plants
Besides being green, year round, living house plants give us many benefits. They add beauty to a room, appear to have a calming effect on us, and make our homes friendly and inviting.
Mistletoe!
As we wrap up Christmas 2001, and head towards the New Year, I thought it would be fun to finish off the festive season with an article on mistletoe. And if you got missed, instead of kissed under the mistletoe at Christmas, there is still time to get kissed on New Year's Eve!
American Holly, A Symbol of Good Cheer
American holly, a beautiful, native, prickly leafed evergreen tree with red berries, is a symbol of joy and good cheer.
A Stick's Tale
I found Wally clinging to the bark of one of the oaks shading the deck. Since the weather had turned cooler, and we've been experiencing some chilly nights, I figured Wally was looking for a warmer place. Insects don't do well in the cold, and yes, Wally was an insect!
Fall Means Persimmon Puddin' Time
To many country folk, fall means that the persimmons are getting ripe, time to gather the sweet, pulpy fruit, and make a large pan of persimmon pudding!
Hickory Trees
Squirrels are everywhere this fall, racing up and down hickory trees, leaping from limb to limb, surveying their abundant lunch choices. Yes indeed, the hickory trees of my area have outdone themselves this year!
Nature's Way
A dead standing tree, called a "snag," or a dead lying down tree, called a "log," is am important entity in the forest. Left undisturbed, it allows for the enrichment of the species. It's Nature's Way of doing things!
Where Ghastly Ghost Plants and Copperheads Thrive!
The strangest looking wildflower in my woods is often called a Ghost Plant, Corpse Plant and Cunvulsion Plant, and it likes to grow in the deepest part of the woods, where copperhead snakes also like to hang out!
Fall Magic: Dogwood Red
Dogwoods are beautiful any time of the year, and they lead the color procession in the fall, creating some fall magic-their blood-red leaves reminding us once again of the legend of the dogwood!
Nature's Gift for Fall: Pears
This year, my pear tree is so loaded with fruit, that neither the deer, nor I will have a difficult time reaching much of the prize! Friends, relatives, neighbors, strangers, and lots of insects and birds usually share in the harvest, too, all of us enjoying nature's gift for fall.
Filling My Soul With Good Cheer
In good times, and in troubled times, trees have always brought me solace. So on this beautiful Sunday in September, when the feeling of impending doom and gloom was just too much to bear anymore, I decided to go to the trees.
American Ginseng: Doing Well In My Woods!
When I originally planted the tiny, ginseng roots ten years ago, making money was very much on my mind. But, since the original plants have reseeded themselves, and are thriving as wild plants now, I mostly admire them for their beauty, marvel at their long and colorful history, and use them occasionally as a delicious tonic!
A Nature Lover's Shangri-La Crowley's Ridge State Park
Crowley's Ridge has been called the largest sand bar between two rivers that nature ever created. To me, it's a Naure Lover's Shangri-La!
Capturing Nature's Beauty
Well, I have finally done it; I bought a digital camera, and I've been busy shooting flowers and trees, birds and bees, and anything else that strikes my fancy!
Enjoying Nature's Treats
Summer is here: time to enjoy some of Nature's delicious treats!
The White Storks of My Childhood
The European White Stork is seriously threatened today and has even completely disapeared from many areas. These beautiful harbingers of spring of my childhood, would build humongous nests on the roofs of houses, and were considered great good luck!
My Fairy Meadow-The Glade
On one of my walks in the woods, I came upon a rocky opening ablaze with wildflowers. As I stood gazing at the enchanting vision, I thought for a moment that it was a mirage!
The Giant Silk Moth-An Entomological Fairy Tale
The life-cycle of a giant silk moth is an entomological fairy tale of the beast turning into a beauty, and then dying, demonstrating the wonder of Nature's endless and miraculous changes.
Nancy Tomazic, An Artist Inspired By Nature
An article about potter and sculptor, Nancy Tomazic, talented artist, writer, nature lover, and upstanding member of the Suite 101 community!
The Hops and Jumps of it: Toads and Frogs
Frogs and toads are colorful, valuable and harmless inhabitants of forests, prairies, rivers, swamps and marshes, and together make up a group of amphibians called anurans. But, is there a major difference between frogs and toads?
Nature's Timeless Giants: Redwoods
It has been said that there is a strange air of "other days" about redwoods. In their majestic presence, we feel a sense of awe, for our own life span is but a fleeting moment compared to the redwood's cycle of life. Redwoods are one of life's most permanent forms. They are Nature's Timeless Giants!
Apple Trees and Apple Treats
Once upon a time, I knew the blessings of an old but prolifically bearing apple tree. It was in the seventies, when I owned a small, 25 acre tract of rolling land that came with a quaint, dilapidated farm house, a weathered but sturdy barn, and a huge old apple tree.
Creature From The Distant Past- The Dragonfly
Dragonflies were one of the earliest insect forms to appear on earth. In the prehistoric jungles of 300 some million years ago, when trees were towering giants, dragonflies as big as hawks soared through the air!
What Crickets Do
An uninvited visitor at a little country church announced his presence cheerfully but loudly, to the annoyance of the congregation. But he was just doin' what crickets do!
Glittering Jewels Of The Night--Fireflies
Fireflies are one of the great treats of summer nights. For who could watch a shimmering tapestry of light, and not be moved by it? Wathing them, one can't help but believe in a higher power.
Sassafras--My Money Tree!
Sassafras, an intriguing decidious understory tree, is not only distinctive with its mitten-like leaves, and aromatic properties, but it's also my money tree! Having sassafras trees growing in my woods is like having money in the bank.
Mushroom Hunting
One of the pleasures and delights of living in the country is hunting. But I don't use a firearm when I go hunting, I use skill, vigilance and eyesight. April is the time of the morel mushroom in my woods, so it is time to go in pursuit of this most mysterious and elusive fungi.
When Birds Of A Feather, Don't Flock Together!
Lets have some fun with this weeks article and learn what happens when a well meaning human interferes with the nature of a domestic flock!
Weather Lore-Weather By Nature
For eons, man has depended on close observations of nature to forecast the weather. In days when there were no scientific methods of reading weather patterns, man relied on a keen eye for natural signs which indicated change. These observations were passed down through generations, and became a part of culture and education. They are called weather lore; weather by nature!
A Living, Beautiful World All Its Own
Scientists say the role of the forest's ecosystem is to procreate the species, serve as food for many insects, and to provide fruit as sustenance to many animals. A living, beautiful world all to its own, and being there makes me a part of that world.
A New Year's Resolution For The New Century
Here we are at the dawn of the new century, and the earth needs our help. Did you know that there are currently 24,000 species that are endangered and threatened? Unless we do something, they will disappear from the face of the earth forever. Let us all make it our new year's resolution to be a part of the effort to save them, thereby saving ourselves.
"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree"
Trees are a symbol of life. They give us oxygen to breathe, insulate us from the cold, and protect us from the heat with their green boughs. And because trees are a symbol of life, we use them as part of our holiday tradition. Christmas trees give us much pleasure!
My Wildlife Pond
A wildlife pond is an oasis, a sanctuary teaming with life. At a wildlife pond, all the plants, animals and insects depend on one another to survive. It not only enhances the planet Earth for us humans, but also for its other inhabitants as well.
These Ozark Woods In October
Crimson, orange, red, gold, purple and russet are the colors of these woods in October; they feed the imagination and stir the soul.
Musings On Some Rivers
Musings on some rivers, and the role they played, still play, in my life.
Love Of Animals
Some animals in the country, tame as well as wild, and the role they play in my life.