The Eye of the Whale

Posted on October 10, 2025 by Lawrence Wade
Fin Whale

Fin Whale – Stellwagon Bank, Massachusetts 2014.

It was 43 years ago that I was a whale researcher in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec, Canada. After 6 months of living and breathing whales for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, I crossed over into dreaming about them. I had the following dream three times that summer.
I was standing at the estuary’s edge,
A fin whale swam right up to me
And lifted part of its head out of the water.
All I could see was its eye.

 This did not feel like an ordinary dream, but more like a vision. It was not so much about the eye, but more about the intensity that pierced the veil into another world. I had the feeling the whale was calling to me.

Blue Whale Eastern Tropical Pacific 1976.

Blue Whale Eastern Tropical Pacific 1976.

I continued working at sea for another four years. Then I started an educational organization called “Whales in the Classroom. To learn more about the Whales in the Classroom project go to:
http://oldnaturalist.com/?page_id=3045

In order to stay connected to the oceans, I started sharing my oceanographic experiences with children in 1985. Nine years later after teaching all day and writing at night, I finished my two books, Getting to Know the Whales and Oceanography. I interviewed renowned whale biologist, Dr. Roger Payne, and one thing he said, I really connected with:

“….down deeper, whales are moving
with slow drifting currents
whales that are great, gentle, cloudlike beings”.

The whales were still with me, even though I was landlocked.

In 2013, I started saving to go to Antarctica. About a month before I left, I had the following dream:
The setting was before the whalers ever came to Antarctica.  I was a whale and the interconnection between all the whales was unlike anything I have ever known as a human. I was not only connected to other whales, but to all living things in the ocean. There was a real beauty in the flow between all the sea life. The movement of the currents and whale sounds were part of my daily life. I could feel the currents moving inside of me as well as in the ocean itself.

Antarctica is calling.....

Antarctica is calling…..

Whale try pots where whale oil was rendered.

January 2016, I actually went to Antarctica with a group of spiritual seekers. During the trip, we visited two shore-based whaling stations established in the 1920’s or 1930’s. At Deception Island there were eight rusted ovens where the whale blubber was rendered into oil. When I realized, with horror, what I was seeing, my reaction was visceral and beyond words. I started crying uncontrollably. It was like walking through a World War II German death camp.

Whale bones at Whaler’s Cove

At Whaler’s Cove, we found a pile of large whale bones (probably blue, humpback or fin whales). One of the goals of our group was to “listen” to the land. For most of us it wasn’t hard to hear what the land was saying. From my perspective, there was agony on that beach. The agony of so many whale’s lives cut short. On the day of a whale kill, the beach and water around that cove must have been red with whale blood.

Whale bones litter the beach
Reminders of the genocide
So long ago.
Still, the air smells of agony
Humans breathe in the pain
And breathe out hope and caring
Tears fall to the sand
Removing the stain on the land
Healing
For whales and humans

 Since the 1970’s I have been aware of the Antarctic whalers who decimated the blue whale population in the early 20th century (over 200,000 blues were killed).

Sometimes, it is hard to be a human.
So much ripping apart of the whale tribes

I have carried this burden with me for 40 years, and I am finally free of it. Also, I feel that I had completed a cycle that began many years ago with the dream of the “Eye of the Whale”.

Humpback "blows" at Sunset

Humpback “blows” at Sunset, Antarctic Peninsula, 2016.

Lastly, that very evening, there were over 50 humpbacks within a half-mile of the ship. Many were right in front of the ship: bubble cloud feeding, tail lobbing, and fluking-up. It was a great celebration of life for whales and humans.

Humpback "fluke-up" Antarctic Peninsula, 2016.

Humpback “fluke-up” Antarctic Peninsula, 2016.

 

Posted in Nature Guardians, Whales & Oceanography | 11 Comments

Time of the Grasshoppers

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Lawrence Wade

Thanks to Amelia Ladd for her beautiful pen and ink sketches.

Time of the Grasshoppers   

Bush Katydid
photo by Lawrence Wade

For the past 20 years I have been working with 2nd graders studying grasshoppers. When you spend as much time as I have in the weeds looking for grasshoppers, their uniqueness and beauty goes right to your heart.

Grasshopper Life Cycle
Nature Seeker Workbook

Late summer/early fall is the Time of the Grasshoppers. In the past month I have noticed that the number of adult grasshoppers/crickets in the neighborhood has increased dramatically. It has taken the whole summer for the hoppers to go through their life cycle and most are now adults.  In the spring, the eggs hatch, however, if the rains come before the eggs hatch, many get washed out. The young hoppers go through at least five nymph stages. During this time they cannot fly. The last stage of their lives, they “get their wings” becoming adults, and the singing begins.

Katydid
At the beginning of the post is  photo of a katydid. To hear a Katydid calling at night click on the highlighted  (Katydid) above.

 

Snowy Tree Cricket
Songs of Insects

One of my favorites is a night singer that calls from the trees, the snowy tree cricket.  It makes a continuous pulse, and is also called the “temperature cricket”, since the pulse changes with the temperature. You can figure out the outside temperature by counting the number of pulses in 15 seconds and multiply by 4, adding 32.

Snowy Tree Cricket calling at night.

The formula to determine the temperature from a snowy tree cricket is as follows:

________________   +   _____40_______   =  ______________
# of pulses in  15 seconds                                                    Temperature in Fahrenheit

 

Short -horned Grasshopper laying eggs
Nature Seeker Workbook

 

As soon as a hard frost hits, the “singing” drops from 100% to 0%. It is a shock and difficult to deal with emotionally since  it tells us that the seasons are changing. There is also a “quiet beauty” in knowing that the grasshoppers have completed their life cycles. The eggs resting in the ground, promise the continuation their species next year.

 

Carolina Grasshopper
Photo by Lawrence Wade

 

The Carolina grasshopper or locust is normally found on bare ground. It is one of our largest grasshoppers in Minnesota (2-3 inches long). They are easily identified when they fly because they have black wings.

 

Male Meadow Grasshopper calling from the grassland.
photo by Lawrence Wade

 

Female Meadow Grasshopper showing her sharp ovipositor at the end of the abdomen.
Nature Seeker Workbook

 

 

Meadow grasshoppers are found in tall marsh and prairie grass. The males make a repetitive buzzing sound in the grass during the day. The females are attracted to the sound. After they mate, the female will lay her eggs in a blade of grass  using her knife-like ovipositor.

 

 

Meadow Grasshoppers calling in the weeds during the day.

Grasshopper Predators

Argiope or Garden Spider
photo by Lawrence Wade

 

The Argiope spider is a predator on grasshoppers and I often see them in weeds. They make a beautiful web up to 3 feet across.  Grasshoppers that fly/jump into the web are quickly wrapped up and mummified by the spider. The female Argiope is 4 times larger than the male.

 

Leopard frog
Photo by Lawrence Wade

 

 

The leopard frog is also a predator on grasshoppers and other grassland insects.

 

 

 

 

Grasshopper Laboratory

 

 

Download the Grasshopper activity pages from Nature Seeker Workbook
GrasshopperActivitySheet copy

Reader Bob Bigham added the following comment about grasshoppers:

“While growing up in Pinckneyville , Illinois we would go bug hunting and grasshoppers was one of our favorites. they would “spit tobacco juice” if we held them too tight. One day we flipped one over and it had a bright red hour glass on its belly, just like a black widow.”

Reader Becky Knickerbocker shared the following story:

Yesterday I was sitting outside on the patio at Chapel View Home in Hopkins. I was visiting with a 96 year old blind woman in a wheelchair. The sun was warming us and we were talking about the plants and animals I could see. Birds were singing, bees were buzzing, crickets were chirping, and squirrels and chipmunks were running past us with nuts in their mouths. All of a sudden a grasshopper landed on her knee. She said, “Oh, how fun. I like it. Don’t shoo it away. I can feel it!”

Posted in Insects | 3 Comments

Fish Whisperer

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Lawrence Wade

 

Muskie

Muskie

First snorkel
holding onto a rock in the rapids
A large muskie swam up and rested beside me
Ecstatic
wondered if I should be panicked.
Hoped that I was not wearing anything shiny
that looked tasty to a muskie.

Bullhead

Welcome to the underwater world.

a curious male bluegill

Be open to the unknown. Beauty and the mystery awaits you.

Bowfin or dogfish, a bottom feeder. Primitive, creepy and beautiful.

Bowfin or dogfish, a bottom feeder. Primitive, creepy, yet beautiful.

Life abounds,  a spiritual connection with the water beings.

This painted turtle swam right up to me. I thought it was going to bite my nose.

This painted turtle swam right up to me. I thought it was going to bite my nose.

The lake water is part of you now.
The water inside your body
may have once been part of the lake.

How could anyone name such a magnificent creature “Crappie”?

A tip on photographing fish
Don’t be a predator and chase it
Become part of the water and the weeds
Wait for the fish to come to you.

Walleye swimming in deeper water

Light changes constantly
Depending upon the clouds and the wind.
It dances on the plants and the fish,
Creating a hypnotic connection.

Largemouth

Largemouth bass

Sometimes you see things that makes you thankful to be alive
And you stop breathing
Because you are afraid the experience might end.

Northern Pike

Northern Pike

My first large northern pike.
Inching my way slowly towards it.
Hoping it would stay just one more second.
Making promises that I could never keep.
Awed by its tremendous power and elegance.

 

Water Lily

Water lilies
magical living beings
Connected to all the elements of life.
Their roots are in the earth
Growing in both water and air.
The sun is needed for life

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth Bass

This bass sashayed past me and let me know, it was the king or queen of the neighborhood.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Muskie

Swimming out into the hinder lands
Turned to see a muskie following.
It circled once and then swam off.
Humbled to experience the raw wildness of nature
And how it feels to be something’s prey.

 

Posted in Animals, Connecting to Nature | 13 Comments

Teach me How to Be a Forest

Posted on August 5, 2025 by Lawrence Wade

Ancient Sugar Maple
Photo by Janine Pung

Most humans walk by us and think, “It is just a tree.” But a few humans stop and listen and realize we are so much more than “just a tree”.

Listening to trees
Consider this a “mindfulness” activity that includes a tree. Many people “talk” to trees, but in doing this activity, you will be learning how to listen to the trees.

  • Find a place that has a sense of wildness with some big trees
  • Find a tree that you are drawn to
  • Choose a place where you feel safe and will not be disturbed
  • Slow down your energy – pay attention to your breath
  • Be present – quiet the self-talk and chatter
  • Ground – Feel your roots and let them mingle with the roots of the tree
  • Listen to your heartbeat and let the tree join with your heartbeat
  • Inhale Oxygen – a gift from the tree / exhale CO2  – a gift for the tree
  • Listen with your whole body, not just your ears
  • Listen without expectations – let your mind be a clean slate
  • Listening can come to you in feelings, colors or sounds inside of your body and it may not be in words
  • Learning how to listen is a skill that needs to be developed over time

Red Oak snag
photo by Janine Pung

Teach me how to be a forest – A human asks an old red oak snag –  “Why is it you seem so alive, when you are dead?”
We don’t think or live like you do. You think when something “dies”, it has no more life. Nothing actually “dies”, but is part of a continuum that is in constant change. There is no end or beginning.

Photo by Janine Pung

Teach me how to be a forest
Put down your phone. Don’t be afraid to open yourself up and receive. Trust the deep connection being created, for it is within this space that you will fully experience what you see, hear, feel and sense.

Blue Dasher
Photo by Janine Pung

Teach me how to be a forest  – You have to let go of the “I” and be part of the “We”.

False Solomen Seal Fruit.
Photo by Janine Pung

 

Teach me how to be a forest – When you touch one of us with an open heart, you touch the whole forest.

photo by Heather Frary
Fiona’s Tree

Teach me how to be a forest  –  You have to let go of  your dead wood.

Tree Wound
Photo by Janine Pung

Teach Me How to be a Forest –   You can heal from your wounds.  All you need is within you.

Jack O’Lantern – Highly poisonous
ID by Ron Spinosa
Photo by Janine Pung

Teach me how to be a forest – Be deeply rooted to the planet and connected to the sky at the same time.

 

Photo by Janine Pung

Teach me how to be a forest     You will find freedom in embracing uncertainty.

Teach me how to be a forest  Just like all things in this forest, you have a right to exist.

Teach me how to be a forest   I love being out there—connecting to trees and discovering quiet beauty in the most unexpected places (Janine Pung)

Photo by Lawrence Wade

Teach me how to be a forest  –  Slow down. Walk and breathe with the forest inside of you.  Become One with us.

Reader Dale Antonson shared the following:
Connecting to the trees creates an awareness of the timeless life that exists all around us.  It’s important take the time to get out of our own way and connect ourselves back to the energy of the soil.

Performing ‘Healing Touch’ on an ancient Bur Oak that suffered major trauma in 2014.
Photo by Dale Antonson

 If this posting resonated with you, I would highly recommend, Finding the Mother Tree by Susan Simard. Dr. Simard is a forest ecologist whose research has shown how interconnected and conscious trees are .

At a forest clear cut, Simard writes, “The beauty is that with a little momentum, a little help at this site, the plants and animals will come back. They’d make the forest whole again, help it recover. The land wanted to heal itself.”

Posted in Connecting to Nature, Nature Guardians, Photography/Art | 12 Comments

Frogs, Frogs, Frogs

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Lawrence Wade

The parade of frogs to the breeding ponds begins soon after the ice is out (usually after April 15th), as they fulfill their yearly mating ritual. In the spring I try to spend as much time as possible in the local frog ponds. Although it may seem gross to be slogging around a mucky pond, it is actually very healing. It is a world unto itself:  the frogs calling; dragonflies darting around; and red wing blackbirds calling from the cattails.  All you need is a decent pair of waders or rubber boots and a walking stick to keep from falling in the water.

 American Toad – One of the dominant night sounds in May is the calling of the toads. I often have my window open, so I can be lulled to sleep by the trilling of the toads.

 

 

Listen:

 

 

Chorus Frogs – The chorus frog is about 1/2 inch in size. The sound can be deafening when they are calling. However, they are very difficult to find if you are searching for them. Chorus frogs have also been called “cricket frogs” because their call resembles crickets.

 


Listen:

Wood Frog – The wood frog is  2-3 inches, brown with a black eye line. They are a woodland frog that spend the winter in the leaf litter. They freeze solid over the winter, but their internal organs are protected by glycol, an antifreeze chemical. This frog is usually the first to visit the breeding ponds. They are very quick breeders, often only staying at the pond for two weeks. While breeding, the males aggressively move about their territories. The male’s call is a “clucking” type sound, similar to a chicken.

Listen:

 

Gray Tree Frog – The gray tree frog can change colors from gray to green depending on its surroundings. They are two inches in size and have small suction cups on their feet which allows them to climb on windows and in to the treetops (over thirty feet).

Gray tree frogs overwinter under leaves on the ground. Their body completely freezes like an ice cube or “frog cube”. The frog survives by filling major body organs with an “anti-freeze” substance.

Tree frogs breed in mid-May in woodland ponds. After leaving the ponds, they feed on insects living in shrubs and trees.

Listen:

 

Bullfrog – Bullfrogs can reach up to eight inches and are the largest frog found in Minnesota. Bullfrogs are a game species and are hunted for their tasty legs. They do not naturally occur in the Twin Cities, but have been introduced in many areas of the state.

Bullfrogs breed later than most frogs, in June and July. The call of a male bullfrog sounds like someone plucking a banjo string. Tadpoles take one to two years to metamorphose. Young frogs take 2-5 years to develop into adults.

Bullfrogs are rarely found far from water. They will eat any of the native species of frogs and have caused the population of native frogs to be lower in areas where the bullfrog has become established. Bullfrogs will eat anything that they can fit into their mouths, including: worms, insects, small turtles, snakes, bats, mice, and ducklings. Predators on bullfrogs are raccoons, mink, pike, bass, and humans.

Listen:

 

Spring Peeper- Spring peepers are the smallest frogs in our state. They are approximately one inch in size. They are brown in color and have a distinctive “X” on their back. Peepers are woodland frogs and are uncommon in the Twin Cities because they like a natural setting without humans. Housing developments and roads have caused spring peeper populations to be reduced because of loss of habitat.

In the spring, peepers come to the ponds and make a “peeping” call that sounds like a chick. A pond full of spring peepers calling can be overwhelmingly loud.

Listen:

 

Leopard Frog – The leopard frog is the most well known of all Minnesota frogs. It is a large green frog, three to four inches in size, with many black spots. Leopard frogs are exceptional jumpers.

Leopard frogs spend the winter buried in the mud in lakes. When the ice thaws, leopard frogs migrate to their breeding ponds. Many are killed as they cross roads at this time of year.

They begin breeding in late April. The males make a low snoring call to attract females. Leopard frogs complete their breeding in only two to three weeks, but remain near the water or in wet meadows throughout the summer.

Leopard frogs feed on insects and worms. Herons, raccoons, snakes, and owls feed on leopard frogs. Humans use leopard frogs for fishing bait, and many are killed by mowers and cars.

Listen:

Posted in Connecting to Nature, Spring | 2 Comments

Animal Tracking Basics

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Lawrence Wade

Below is an excerpt from an expert tracker,  Jonathan Poppele. He wrote the book,  Animal Tracks: Midwest Edition:

“Tracking is the study and interpretation of the footprints and other signs left behind by animals as they go about their lives. Tracking does not necessarily mean following a string of footprints to locate the animal that made them. It means understanding the footprints, scrapes, chews, digs, and scat that we inevitably run across when we are out in nature. Tracking begins with identifying the animal that left the tracks and signs behind for us to see, and grows into an understanding of the intimate details of that animal’s life.”

Animal Tracks Gallery

fox walking pattern. The animal is registering – meaning that the hind foot steps in the front foot track. Animals who register are trying to conserve their energy.

 

River Otter plunge hole and slide
Photograph by Lawrence Wade

Two  river otters – body Slide – push off – body slide        Photo by Lawrence Wade

 

Owl making an attempted to kill a mouse. The left wing is on the left – tail is below and head is above. photo by Lawrence Wade

 

Crow Wing prints in the snow. The bird must have been flying low, but did not land.
photo by Lawrence Wade

Opossum Tracks w/ tail drag
photograph by Faith Frankel, Boonton, NJ.
Faith said that she lives in town and the opossum lives somewhere in her yard.

Deer mouse ‘Freeway’
photo by Val McGruder

Animal Tracking Tutorial 101

In winter, studying animal tracks will give you a lot of information about who is active in your area. The best snow depth to read animal tracks is 1-4 inches. When there is more snow, it is difficult to see the patterns that each animal leaves. Tracking is all about looking at patterns and knowing where an animal is most likely to be found.

There are three basic groups of track patterns to learn.

Mouse tracks show the drag of the tail
Photo by Cindy Eyden

Rabbit Bounding Track
“F” is the smaller front foot. They hit the ground first.
“H” is the larger hind foot which jumps over the front feet.
Photo by Lawrence Wade

Squirrel Tracks – often end at a tree
“F” is the front foot which hits the ground first
“H” is the larger hind foot which hops over the front foot.

 

2. Walkers – “big foot” and “little foot”
In identifying the three species below, the important things to look for is the size of the track and the position of the front foot and the hind foot. Also, the beaver and muskrat are only found in wetland areas, whereas raccoons are found in many different habitats     including wetlands.In all cases the hind foot is larger than the smaller front foot.

 

Raccoon tracks
The arrow shows the direction of travel
“H” shows the larger hind foot
“F” shows the smaller front foot

muskrat Tracks
Muskrats rarely leave their huts in the winter, unless they run out of food or the population is too high.  Photo by Lawrence Wade

3. Straight-line walkers

Both deer and fox step with the hind foot falling exactly in the track of the front foot. Thus, the pattern in the snow appears that the animals are two-legged. This behavior is called “registering”and it helps the animal to conserve energy when walking in deep snow.

Fox Tracks crossing the creek.

deer tracks showing the hoofs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After you determine whether it is a hopper, straight line walker, or a “big foot-little foot”, Look at the pattern closely and notice how many inches there are between tracks or clumps of tracks. Also, think about the habitat you are seeing the tracks. Some animals are restricted to certain habitats (ie beaver, mink, and muskrat are found in wetlands).

 

 

fox tracks

Dog Tracks

Foxes leave a neat pattern in the snow because the hind foot steps in the front foot track (registering). Registering helps a fox to conserve energy, when walking in deep snow. It’s cousin, the dog,  does not register and leaves a much sloppier track. Deer also register, with the hind foot walking in the front foot track. Also, a deer hoof is easy to see when the snow is packed, and they usually drag their hooves. However, in deep snow, the hooves are more spread out and the dew claw is visible in the back of the track.

Mink Tracks along Minnehaha Creek
One foot is slightly ahead of another
Photo by Lawrence Wade

Expert tracker and author, Linda Spielman, made the following comment about mink:

Larry, I see that you have put the mustelids (weasel family) in the section with the straight-line walkers, but they don’t belong there. Sometimes mink are more like the hoppers but at other times they lope or gallop like deer and dogs. Mink are known to walk, but not very often. Maybe you need a fourth category. 

Resources

A Field Guide to Tracking Mammals in the Northeast
by Linda J. Spielman
Paperback, published by Countryman Press, released July 4, 2017     192 pages, 6 X 9 inches
ISBN-13: 978-1682680643

My book contains between 6 and 12 drawings for each of 40 species, each drawing meticulously and accurately copied from one or several photographs.

Each species treatment also includes written sections that discuss important details and point out differences and similarities between different species. Gait patterns can be as important as individual tracks for identification, so the typical gaits for each species are illustrated with diagrams and explained in written discussions. Measurements are given for tracks and gaits, and there is also a short section on habitat, sign, and scat.

By focusing on the tracks themselves and limiting other topics I was able to produce a book that is easily carried in a day pack and yet remarkably comprehensive. My book arises out of my own experience tracking northeastern mammals, but the approach will be beneficial for trackers in any region. A Field Guide to Tracking Mammals in the Northeast is available from major booksellers. I can also ship it directly to you. You can send a check for $15.66 ($13.00 + $2.66 media mail) to Linda Spielman, PO Box 955, Dryden, NY 13053. I welcome your comments; visit www.lindajspielman.com, or contact me at lindajspielman@gmail.com.

 

Animal Tracks: Midwest Edition
by Jonathan Poppele.
Published by Adventure Publications
$14.95

Animal Tracks: Midwest Edition is a pocket sized guide to the tracks and sign of Midwestern mammals. Excellent illustrations and quick identification tips help you get started. Track pattern illustrations, scat photos and descriptions of other signs that animals leave behind provide more clues to help to with identification. The information is easy enough for beginners yet detailed enough for experienced trackers.

Praise for Animal Tracks: Midwest Edition
“There are many great guides to identifying animal tracks. A few are truly excellent and some others are surprisingly misleading. Animal Tracks: Midwest Edition by Jonathan Poppele is a book that surprised me. It has fantastic track drawings, accurate information, and a very smart organization method. This book is inexpensive and worth adding to your library.”–Jonah Evans, tracking expert and State Mammalogist for Texas Parks and Wildlife.
The book is widely available at State Parks, Wildlife Refuges, major book sellers, and online book sellers. The Second Edition is scheduled for release by January 2021. Readers can order directly from the publisher, Adventure Publications 1-800-678-7006.

 

Posted in Nature Notes, Winter | 12 Comments

Animal Homes

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Lawrence Wade

Animal Homes

This is a great time of year to study Animal Homes.  Below you will see a Youtube video I created in a park near my house.

As you are watching the video, follow along and try to figure out what type of animal home you are seeing. To help you identify the animal homes use the handout below, from my book, Nature Seeker Workbook.

From Nature Seeker Workbook. Lawrence Wade

 

To download handout, click here:  Animal HomesPDF copy

 

If you would like to view another Old Naturalist posting on animal homes that shows the inside of different animal’s homes go to:

Animal Homes Program

 

Inside a Fox Den
www.animalanswers.co.uk:classes:mammals:amazing-underground-animal-homes:

 

How do you tell the difference between a Crow/hawk/owl nest and a squirrel nest? Look at the two photos below and see if you can tell the difference.

Squirrel Nest
photo by Lawrence Wade

Crow Nest

The Crow/hawk/owl nest is made mostly of sticks and is flat on the top. Whereas the squirrel nest is mostly leaves and is rounded at the top. See if you can tell the difference when you are taking your own nature hike.

Photo by Weston Yost (My Grandson)

Using  your Animal Homes handout what type of nest is this? This nest is made out of paper.  If you are thinking, bald faced hornet, that is correct. Before the first hard frost the queen leaves the nest and hibernates under a log nearby. All of the workers die after the first hard frost. Do not bring the nest inside your home unless it has gotten very cold. The larvae may still be alive inside the nest, if so, they will hatch into adult hornets inside your home (scary!).

Now see if you can make a bar graph based upon the animal homes you found:To download the handout, click here: AnimalHomesBarGraph

Frequent Contributor, Dale Antonson added an observation:

In September of 2020, I was hiking through Minneopa State Park near Mankato, MN. Along Minneopa Creek, I discovered this three story home within the network of roots under a magnificent oak.  It was a magical place.

Photo by Dale Antonson

 

Posted in Animals, Mammals, Nature Notes | 2 Comments

Nature School Week 6 – Animal Homes Nature Hike

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Lawrence Wade

Now that all the trees have lost their leaves this is a great time to study Animal Homes. If you are a teacher and would like to do a live virtual Animal Homes Nature Hike with your class, please contact me. Below you will see a Youtube video I created in a park near my house.  As you are watching the video, follow along and try to figure out what type of animal home you are seeing. To help you identify the animal homes use the handout from my book, Nature Seeker Workbook.

From Nature Seeker Workbook. Lawrence Wade

 

To download handout, click here:  Animal HomesPDF copy

If you would like to view an other posting on animal homes that shows the inside of different animal’s homes go to:

Animal Homes Program

 

Inside a Fox Den
www.animalanswers.co.uk:classes:mammals:amazing-underground-animal-homes:

 

How do you tell the difference between a Crow/hawk/owl nest and a squirrel nest? Look at the two photos below and see if you can tell the difference.

Squirrel Nest
photo by Lawrence Wade

Crow Nest

The Crow/hawk/owl is made mostly of sticks and is flat on the top. Whereas the squirrel nest is mostly leaves and is rounded at the top. See if you can tell the difference when you are taking your own nature hike.

Posted in Nature School, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Aventuras en la naturaleza en Hidalgo, México – Nature adventures in Hidalgo, Mexico

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Lawrence Wade

En el otoño del 2024, visitamos el estado de Hidalgo en el centro de México. La tierra ahí es muy única, con formaciónnes geológicas interesantes .

El primer lugar que visitamos fue de los “Prismas Basálticos”. Los prismas se formaron por un flujo de lava volcánica que ocurrió hace 2.58 millones de años.

In the Fall of 2024, we visited the State of Hidalgo in Central Mexico. The earth there is very unique with interesting geologic formations.

The first place that we visited was the Prismas Basálticos. The basalt columns were formed by a flow of volcanic lava that occurred 2.5 million years ago.

Prismas Basáltcos

Los prismas se formaron por un flujo de lava volcánica – The columns were formed by a flow of volcanic lava

La forma geométrica inusual de estas columnas es un producto del enfriamiento de la lava al entrar en contacto con el agua. Algunas columnas alcanzan hasta 40 metros de altura que sería lo que sugiere la profundidad del agua en ese tiempo.

The unusual geologic shape of these columns are a product of the cooling of the lava when coming in contact with water. Some columns reach up to 40 meters which would be what suggests the depth of the water at that time.

 

Columnas

Mientras escuchaba el sonido de las cascadas, me sentí muy tranquilo estando cerca de esas columnas. Pero después de una hora, cien estudiantes invadieron nuestro refugio. Se divirtieron mucho, jugando en las cascadas y se deslizándose sobre las rocas mojadas.

While listening to the sound of the waterfalls, I felt very peaceful near the columns. But after an hour, one hundred students invaded our refuge. They had a lot of fun playing in the waterfalls and sliding on the wet rocks.

Las Cascadas

Los estudiantes invadieron nuestro refugio

Prismas basálticos son una rareza en el mundo. Sólo hay ocho otros lugares en el mundo donde existen.

Basaltic prisms are a rarity in the world. There are only eight other places in the world where they exist.

Prismas Del Mundo (Expand the graphic for better viewing)

El próximo dia fuimos a la Peña del Aire, otra formación geológica interesante. Este afloramiento de roca es increíble de ver y estar cerca.

The next day we went to Peña del Aire, an interesting geologic formation. This rock outcrop is incredible to see and to be near.

Peña del Aire

Peña del Aire fue creada hace millones de años cuando dos cordilleras se chocaron y empujaron esta formacíon hacia arriba .

Peña del Aire was created millions of years ago when two mountain ranges collided and pushed this formation up.

Peña del Aire   (photo by Carol Sable Wade)

Había muchas rocas en el camino hacia la base de Peña del Aire. Vimos a jóvenes que fueron bajando y subiendo ese sendero rápidamente. Pero la superficie desigual del sendero no fue tan fácil para nosotros. ¿La edad puede importar ?

There were many rocks in the trail towards the base of Peña del Aire. We saw young people that went down and up the trail rapidly. But the uneven surface of the trail wasn’t as easy for us. Can age matter?

También, pudimos ver y disfrutar de muchos otros seres vivos en este viaje a Peña del Aire incluyendo: saltamontes, flores, mariposas, y el gente volando a través del cañon en una tirolesa.

Also, we were able to see and enjoy many other living beings on this trip to Peña del Aire: grasshoppers, flowers, butterflies, and people flying across the canyon on a zipline.

Apareamiento de los saltmontes – Mating Grasshoppers   (photo by Carol Sable Wade)

Flores – Flowers
(photo by Carol Sable Wade)

Mariposa – Butterfly

Una gente volando a través del cañon en una tirolesa.
people flying across the canyon on a zipline.
(photo by Carol Sable Wade)

Posted in Connecting to Nature, En español, Nature Notes | 8 Comments

Listening to the Giants

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Lawrence Wade

In the Fall of 2018, a group of seekers visited the Coastal Redwoods in Northern California. The learning and impact was glorious. In this post many people contributed their love of the Earth and the Redwoods.

Prairie Creek State Park
Photograph by Ken W. Brown

We have been given the responsibility to be guardians of all these sacred places, like the redwoods, and to keep them safe and holy. But so many life forms are in peril of going extinct because of our greed and our belief that this is “our Earth”, and we can do whatever want with it.
Donna Taylor

Today, only 5 percent of the original old-growth coast redwood forest remains, along a 450-mile coastal strip.
Save the Redwood League

Photo by Diane Kaplan

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.
Do justly, now.
Love mercy, now.
Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work,
but neither are you free to abandon it.

from The Talmud

Redwood Spirit Tree
Photo by RMaya Briel

The beauty and rarity of this Albino Redwood and it’s ability to find a way to live and be useful to the forest astounded me. It does not create it’s own chlorophyll and is fed by the trees around it. In return it takes on the heavy metals for the others. This lesson of interdependence and being yourself is worth pondering.
RMaya Briel

Photo by Diane Kaplan

Being with the Redwoods touched my soul. I feel the Redwoods within me.

Diane Kaplan

Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Ken W. Brown Photography.com

And the Redwood said:  “I have seen humans eating cookies”

Human: “It is an advantage of being human”

And the Redwood said: “We have creatures and plants living on us
Roots that are connected to the Earth
And our crown is bathed in the sky.
We have the rain and the fog.
We are not full of cookies,
But we are full of life.”
Channeling a Redwood – Donna Taylor

A very old and wise maple tree nestled in the Redwood Forest
Photo by Robin Sanislo

I was thinking of writing a poem about the trees, but I couldn’t because, really, the trees themselves are the poems. An epic poem.
Annie Kitaeff

Redwood Burl
Photo by Annie Kitaeff

Shadows in the Redwoods
Photo by Annie Kitaeff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being in the Redwoods, I became aware of the urgency of life, the enormous power of the life force, the precious nature of life, and the need to live in harmony with other life forms. As teachers, the Redwoods are unparalleled.
Annie Kitaeff

Survivor
Ken W. Brown Photography

I had come to the Redwoods to help them, and yet was so exhausted that I didn’t feel I had the physical strength to do so. I did what I could. However, at one point, I just felt that I needed to lay down. I laid on the forest floor and fell into a mystical, sleep-like state. I felt the redwood trees healing me with their roots growing into my heart as I lay on my back on the forest floor. I wished to give to them, but they gave to me so much.

I said to my friend, Larry, I didn’t have much strength to bring because I was so physically tired. He said to me, “But you brought your truth and that was your strength”.

Dr. Jedidiah Krauss

Humboldt Redwood Tree Prayer
Ken W. Brown Photography.com

Human: Grandfather, Grandfather
You said I was small.
But you weren’t just talking about my height.
Grandfather, Grandfather
Teach me not to be small any more
Help me to remember who I was

Redwood: “One tree never stands alone
One tree never has all the answers
We are all one root system
Let the sky and the Earth talk to you
It is almost like a singing”

Human: I am the forest.
I am interconnected with all living things
I am unique and can contribute to the whole
I listen with my whole body
I am the sky
I am the Earth
Grandfather, Grandfather
It hurts to feel this good.

Human:  Lawrence Wade
Channeling a Redwood – Donna Taylor

Redwood Root System
photo by Veronica Smith

Let the Roots Run Deep – Lyrics and song by Lawrence Wade

 

View on full screen. Shared by Veronica Smith.


Life is a big circle and many forget that when any part of our ecosystem is gone, it diminishes who we are and our potential.
Jim Cotton

Sunrays
Ken W. Brown Photography.com

Breathing with the trees
Joining their breath.
I am with you and you with me,
woven together…humble, patient
Be

Barbara Goodman-Fischtrom

Photo by Barbara Goodman-Fischtrom

Sunlight through the Redwoods
Photo by Annie Kitaeff

Posted in Connecting to Nature, Nature Guardians | 8 Comments