Window open, breeze,
moonlight, cicadas humming
summer's lullaby


How many nights until the first freeze? It'll be so much quieter then. The insects' songs are a major part of my summer memories...as an adult, I'm out on the porch swing after dark, "sittin and aswingin" as an old song says. As a kid, it was the sound we fell asleep to, especially in the years before mom and dad installed air conditioning for the upstairs bedrooms where we kids slept....

Hope you get a chance to listen to them, especially when the nights are cool enough to open the windows and fall asleep listening to the night sounds of your neighborhood.

This morning

Shivery breezes
bird song warmed with coffee
July's first surprise

Sweet Song

how sweet should he sing?
what lyrics would fill his tune?
little hummingbird

A Sunday Stroll

It was a beautiful morning for a stroll last Sunday. The dogwoods were blooming everywhere and bathed the landscape in white, with a few touches of reds and purples from our arboretum specimens. We drove over to the visitors center and started our walk from there. On our way to the Two Ponds Loop area we stopped to visit in the new neighborhood of fairy houses at the bottom of the hill. These are a must-see if you haven't yet and a great thing to recommend for families. Then the ponds offered lots to see. A hatch was in progress, probably craneflies, and more than a hundred cedar waxwings were furiously flying patrols from nearby trees over the water to feast on their good luck. The resident family of Canada Geese (with 6 new goslings) were out for a swimming lesson, oblivious to the activity overhead. At the bridge a red-eared slider came over to see if we were going to set a table for him. A rather large specimen, he was a beauty to observe.

We next walked around the Two Ponds Loop. Chipping Sparrows supervised our visit to their neighborhood. We could hear a Common Yellowthroat, but he stayed hidden. And a male and female Song Sparrow announced the location of their nest. The survivors from the carnage over the ponds were scattered around, resting on the grass. One bug spotted by an NIT is pictured on our website (a photo from last year). He's a common sight near or in the prairie. Butterflies also came by to say "Hi"; Sulphurs, a Cabbage White or two, and a Viceroy (?). We were rather surprised to see that most of the hollies still have their berries. I had thought they'd have ripened and been eaten by now. We noticed the different colors of berries on different specimens.

With time to spare, we decided next to stroll down the new Nursery Loop. There we saw the leaves of Bloodroot and Twinleaf, though neither were in bloom. Some Bloodroots were sporting seed pods. There was lots of Rue Anemone, including some particularly large specimens. Dwarf Larkspur was in abundance, and young enough that the color of the flowers was deep and rich. Violets added their hue of the color too. White violets were also seen, but the exact species escaped us. Sessile Trillium was also abundant. A flower with buds not yet opened might have been White Blue-eyed Grass, and a trip soon to double check would be in order. (This would be a new species for me.) Some Mayapples were seen but were not in bloom. And there was also Solomon's Seal, but again no blooms yet. A good spy by one of the NITs was the leaves of a young Canada Moonseed. Even Butterweed demanded us to notice it. We shortcutted where the loop converges near the middle and made our way back to the visitors center. The sun was already getting hot and the cool of the building was welcome.

Coo -- Coo

lonely song
of the waning day
mourning dove

Old Hiking Stick

Old Hiking Stick

You were not straight
with knots and canker
scarred skin like open wounds
Perfect was not your lot

It was lack of symmetry
Like you were set apart from
Rank and File
An outcast from mother’s xylem and phloem

And, yet, on that day
Your separateness claimed my eye in
Olive-hued, sun dappled wood
Where you rested alone

How could I have known
In my wanderin’ time
That you would stay with me
Through sleet and snow?

Or, that you would support me
Atop hills and then hollers
where creek meets slough
or across parched hell earth?

We shared shady coves
And pine scented passageways
Cathedral forests while far off
A Thrush played her flute

Through misty glades and then
perched in rock houses
We watched silent snow
Before my boots turned home

We slid down clay slopes
Made safe by your steady brace
So that by twilight in autumn chill
We could watch dying campfire and moonrise

And at first light of rosy hued dawn
You stood ready to be at my side
And carry me in all moments
Of weak sinew or heart

And, so, my friend, we’ll go on
As your gnarly shaft fills the hollow
Of my calloused hand
As we pause over view and vista

Until, at last, our trails come to a place
Perhaps a soft, well lit meadow
Unknown to us
But, somehow, strangely familiar

In that time we will lie down
Sharing the soft breeze
Where we will become separate once again
As we know we must

And, as autumn leaves tumble around us
With Winter’s frost and dark closing in
I’ll close my eyes and smile slightly
And think of Springs to come

the peering

snow glows all quiet
like the peering of a deer
in the darkish night

Winter Storm 2009

The forest is locked in winter’s embrace
Ice laden limbs bow in submission
Fallen comrades lay lifelessly on the ground
The woodlands weep.

Mike Beville

Nature Poetry Worth Remembering

The bright moon lights the path
through the gray woods
From the unlit depths of the hollow
comes the soft sound of broken water
A faint brightness
or is it a low cloud
within the eastern sky
The earth is hushed

Harlan Hubbard
from his journal entry for February 2, 1953

On My Deck

ice is all abloom
on dead chrysanthemum stalks
Winter is reborn

The View Through My Railing

snow stacked up neatly
icicles hung in a row
Winter brings order

Brandon Point Haiku

Just a simple walk
Solace among the Heather
Wind, Soul, and Seabird nigh

To Worry No More - or Less

In December its easy to see
Hawks and waxwings
Flying from tree to leafless tree,
Olive, orange and rust against the gray.
And I worry they may lack
Berries and mice in such fresh, cold air.

Turning, as dry leaves stir
I remember
Who will draw curtains against the chill
Who will land this night in linen and lofty down
To worry no more - or less,
And who will tuck heads beneath a wing
And in the dawn seek well with keen eyes
Their daily fare

End of Otter Creek Park - Update

I received a reply from Metro Parks to a letter of concern I had written this morning and discovered that Louisville is in discussions with the state of Kentucky about converting Otter Creek Park into a wildlife management area. While this is not the ideal solution, it is far better than turning 2,600 acres of parkland into subdivisions with a view. I'm going to keep up with the issue but for now, please read this from the online Courier-Journal.

The End of Otter Creek?

Have you heard that Louisville will be closing Otter Creek Park? It's true. I heard on NPR this morning that it could be opened to commercial development. Meade County Judge Executive Harry Craycroft says , "his government could take over the park, if it’s opened to commercial interests."

We must rail against this failure to look past the end of our nose! This is what people do when times get tough. We exploit what is precious to gain temporary relief. If the economy worsens will Jefferson Forest be next? I understand the necessity of budget cuts. I understand that services at Otter Creek may need to be curtailed. But to open the park for commercial development is short sighted and simply wrong. There are both environmental and cultural heritage reasons for opposing the commercialization of Otter Creek Park.

There are numerous options for the thousands of acres at Otter Creek Park that would not destroy it. Please become informed about the issue and encourage the Mayor and your city council members to look for conservation options before selling out to developers.

Start at: http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroParks/parks/ottercreek/FAQ_closure.htm
and: http://www.wfpl.org/CMS/?p=2822

Thanks for allowing me to rant in this space.

The fall of Winter

frozen flecks of white
on fallen color swatches
autumnal snowfall

I went to the woods........

"I went to the woods because I wished to
live deliberately, to front only the
essential facts of life, and see if I
could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover
that I had not lived."

Henry David Thoreau, 1854

Living deliberately is not an easy task nor is it something that is done without being consciously aware. I live deliberately every time I enter the gates of Bernheim. A transformation occurs and the magic of Bernheim infuses my being
and fills my soul with delight. There is no time for past regrets or future fears only the beauty and wisdom of now. Bernheim is Now.

Bernheim brightens my mood; it offers me opportunities to connect to the paperback maples and ginkgo trees and the Purple Martins, to roam through the Great Prairie and to sit for hours watching Lake Nevin and all of its splendor.

When the trees are bare and the wildlife is scarce, the beauty of Bernheim is most powerful. With nothing to hide behind in the winter and few animals to attract my attention, bernheim bares all and in her nakedness she is simply grand. In her nakedness, Bernheim offers “only the essential facts of life”.

Bernheim gives me joy and laughter and reminds that there is no time other than now. I accept with enthusiasm and joy every now moment and live it fully. When I come to die I will have no regrets because Bernheim taught me the magic of living, right now.

Happy Thanksgiving

A New Post from an Old Writer

Hello Nature Writers!

I am delighted by the election of Barack Obama! How far we've come as a nation and oh, how challenged we are. I, like many, have high hopes but it is necessary to temper hope and be realistic. The honeymoon will be a short one as the people will demand the impossible but I believe, none the less, we have picked a winner.
In his book "The Audacity of Hope" he inspired me when he said, "If we aren't willing to pay a price for our values, if we aren't willing to make some sacrifices in order to realize them, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all." For me, conservation of nature and encouraging a resilient and sustainable community are values that rank with peace, justice and human rights.
Because of war, the financial crisis and the energy crisis we may think the environment is far down on the priority list. It is not. Environmental issues are embedded in almost all issues. It will be important to watch the trade offs and compromises carefully in the first hundred days. If nature is getting short shrift, on her behalf I will be compelled by my values to make myself heard. I must say that I have greater confidence in Barack's ears than those of the man currently in power :-)

Kentucky Skies

I was born under the blue skies of Kentucky, near the Nolin River flow,
Where the Thoroughbreds are racing, and the white face cattle grow.
I was raised on grits and taters, buttermilk and turnip greens,
Biscuits and red eye gravy, smoked pork and butter beans.
It was under Kentucky skies, that I was taught to be a man,
To do my best everyday, and lend folks a helping hand.
My Mamie taught me how to read, my brothers—how to fight.
A country girl on holding hands, and walks in the pale moonlight.
My Pappy taught me how to shoot, and how to rope and ride,
We sure had a lot of fun back then, under those blue Kentucky skies.
I like Kentucky mornins, honeysuckle spiking the breeze,
While the mockingbirds are singing, and dance in the sycamore trees.
I like Kentucky whiskey! I like my chicken fried!
I like to tend my cattle on the bluegrass country side!
Kentucky waters are the clearest, her grasses the greenest green,
And those bluegrass Kentucky women, are among the prettiest I’ve ever seen.
Kentucky horses are the finest, and you rarely see one buck.
By the way, did I ever tell you folks that I was born here in Kentuck.
It was under Kentucky skies that I met a pretty miss.
I courted her oh so tenderly, held her hand and stole a kiss.
I love that Kentucky woman, hazel eyes and auburn hair.
We still hold hands in the moonlight and breathe that sweet Kentucky air.
How could I have been so lucky? Guess it must have been my fate,
To be placed in old Kentucky, just next door to heaven’s gate.
May I die here with my boots on, while my mind is clear and sound,
Breathing the sweet air of Kentucky and walking on Kentucky ground.
Lay my body in a valley, beneath her peaceful sod,
That my soul may sore onto her lofty peaks , and touch the face of God....

“ The Witness”

I once stood tall, proud and majestic
In a small lowland meadow
At the edge of a great Oak/Hickory forest.
I was raised from the rich Kentucky soil,
By my Creator in the year of our Lord, 1751.
For over 200 years I have served Him
By serving the needs of others.
I have witnessed many things!
I am Caray Ovata,----- I am a Shagbark Hickory!

At the age of 40 years
I would bear my first fruit.
A nut with a sweet kernel, and excellent flavor.
Women came and gathered them
For the making of pies, cakes and candy.
Mammals came and stored them for winter forage.
Birds and animals built their nest,
And raised their young in my branches.
I have witnessed many things!
I am Caray Ovata,-----I am a Shagbark Hickory!

I have seen the eradication of the Redman,
The Passenger Pigeon, and the American Chestnut
From the land of my ancestors.
I have felt the blood spray of the American Revolution;
I have smelled the canon smoke of the War of 1812;
I have heard the cries of anguish from the Trail of Tears;
And my roots turned blood red in the great Civil War.
I have witnessed many things!
I am Caray Ovata,----- I am a Shagbark Hickory!

I stood in awe at the Western
Expansion, and the Industrial Revolution.
I rejoiced at man’s First Flight at Kitty-Hawk
And his Ascent to The Moon.
I have mourned the slaying of
Four American Presidents, Two World Wars,
And the Atomic Bomb.
I have witnessed many things!
I am Caray Ovata,----- I am a Shagbark Hickory!

I once stood tall and proud in a small lowland meadow
At the edge of a great Oak/Hickory Forest.
I grew to the majestic height of ninety feet, my girth and spread-----impressive.
Women were drawn to my beauty; Men envied my strength;
Children would swing from my branches;
And old men would gather in my shade
To talk of war and politics.
I have witnessed many things !
I am Caray Ovata,-----I am a Shagbark Hickory!

But when on a warm fall night,
In the year of Our Lord, 1975
I was struck down by a single lightning strike.
For over 200 years I served God
By providing for the needs of others!
Even in death I served.
Men came and gathered my trunk and branches
To heat their homes and cure their meat.
I had witnessed many things!
I now dwell in the memory of my Creator,
And in the hearts of the faithful.
Therefore, I am Immortal! My name is Carya Ovata,----- I am a Shagbark Hickory !