August 27th, 2016

It's been a pretty good week back at school. I like all my classes and professors so far, which is a plus. As usual, it's been hectic, but I'm hoping to take some time this weekend to get a bit more crystal research done.

Walking back from a meeting Thursday night, one of my friends spotted this little baby snake sunning themself on the pavement. They look good-sized in the photo, but were actually only about seven or eight inches long. Another of my friends identified it as a Prairie Kingsnake, and said they're a sign that fall is on the way.

I looked them up, and I guess Prairie Kingsnakes are known for eating other snakes, as well as small rodents, lizards, etc. They're constrictors (their bite is harmless), and they're actually immune to Copperhead venom. That being said, baby Kingsnakes are sometimes confused with Copperheads because the markings on their backs are similar. Kingsnakes have round markings, while Copperheads' are hourglass-shaped. Additionally, Kingsnakes have a more oval and less triangular head.

It seems that during the summer, Prairie Kingsnakes are nocturnal, but during the spring and fall, they turn crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), so I can certainly see how coming across one at twilight could be a sign of autumn.

Not long after seeing my reptilian friend, I saw this little Red Admiral butterfly sunning their wings.

Altogether, it was a good evening for wildlife!

October 15th, 2015

I meant to post these photos on Monday, but I ended up forgetting. My fall break was lovely, but not really enough of a break. I'm hoping I can relax some this weekend, but as many projects as I have right now, that could be kind of hit-or-miss. 

Anyway, on Monday, I went for a walk with my family through one of the local forest preserves where my brother volunteers. It was absolutely delightful weather, unseasonably warm for October.

The leaves are starting to change color. Most of them were turning yellow, although we also saw a few trees going red.

The view over the prairie.

The lake, shrinking as we head towards winter.

A sulphur butterfly sipping some clover nectar.

Purplish aster flowers.

A big toad.

A woolly bear caterpillar.

We also saw a young goldfinch sitting on a flower eating the seeds. The wind was really whipping her around, and finally the plant snapped back and tossed her off. She was just fine, but the rest of us were cracking up because she just went "boing" and flew like three feet. 

All in all, it made a really nice interlude before coming back to class. 

Natural Beauty

I've taken a couple of pictures the last few days of some beautiful things I've seen here at school, and so I thought I would share.

A sunset from Friday night.

A butterfly at Habitat for Humanity yesterday.

A goofy squirrel eating a nut this afternoon.

I've also seen our local groundhog running around a few times, but so far, I haven't been able to get a picture.

Camp Log: 6/17/15

(From Hummingbird’s logs, edited and transcribed 6/23/15)

Whew! It has been a long day! It rained last night; I slept well, but woke up a couple of times and heard it. Probably around 7:00 or so, the boys and I got up, dressed, and packed up our things. We joined the others at the picnic table for breakfast – glazed apple fritters, a banana, cranberry juice, and banana-flavored Greek yogurt. A hungry red squirrel kept sneaking up on us, and looked like they might jump onto Nick’s back or something.

We took down the tents, and got everything into the car and grandpa’s truck. The boys and I went to the pump and filled up all the big one-quart water bottles. Then we went to the Outfitter’s again, this time to get ice and fishing bait. Grandpa drove his truck around to the back and lashed the two rental canoes up on top of his rig, along with his own third canoe. We also rented paddles and PFDs, and locked up cell phones and wallets in the Outfitter’s safe.

I rode with grandpa on the drive over to Hog Creek. It was about 14 miles on a gravel road. We actually crossed over upstream portions of the creek twice. We also saw a large bird of prey, maybe an osprey, flying over the road in front of us.

The entry point was nearly empty, which was nice, and there were many spring flowers, including lots of strawberry plants (no strawberries, though – too early). We had to climb down a pretty steep staircase to get down to the water, but at least it wasn’t too far. Everything got unloaded from the vehicles, and we sorted it according to what was going in which canoe. Then we brought the equipment down to the beach, and I carried a canoe on my shoulders for the first time. Cross that off the bucket list!

I was still worried about the weather, so I made it a point to introduce myself and my family to the creek spirits. Right as I did so, a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly flew right in front of me, so I took that as a good omen.

When we finally set out, right around 11:00, mom and dad were in one canoe, Nick and I took the second, and grandpa and Ben went in the third. Right out of the gate, we saw two turtles, one big and one small, sitting on a rock.

We hadn’t been on the creek for even five minutes when we came to a portage over a series of rapids, which hadn’t been indicated on our map. We were all a little irritated to have to get right back out of the canoes, but it turned out not to be too long, at least. The bigger issue was that the area was only wide enough for one canoe at a time, so it took a while to get everyone over. While we were there, however, Ben spotted the first bald eagle of the trip, flying overhead. I saw some kind of butterfly there, maybe a Painted Lady, and another Tiger Swallowtail.

Back on Hog Creek, things were going pretty well. The day, which had dawned grey and cold, had cleared up nicely to the point of almost being hot. The Creek was narrow, lined thickly with short Alder trees and something which I thought might be sagebrush. The route turned frequently, with the vegetation just tall enough to stop one from being able to see around the bends. There were some rocks, but more problematic was the sharpness of the turns. Nick couldn’t steer fast enough to get around them, so we kept running into the bank and getting stuck in the plants. I saw two more big turtles as we paddled along, and some more Swallowtails, which was reassuring.

Traversing the creek took much longer than any of us had anticipated. Luckily, the water was high enough that we were able to canoe right over the many beaver dams, rather than having to portage around all ten or 15 of them, but by the time we reached Perent Lake it was after 2:00, and we were all starving.

We paddled straight for the first campsite we saw, and hauled the canoes up on the rocks. Then we sat down and went straight for the lunch stuff. A curious chipmunk was excited to see that. We had granola bars, carrot chips, sunflower seeds (chip-chip's favorite), dried coconut strips, dried mango, peanut butter granola, fruit strips, and Twizzlers. I made Tang in my water bottle. 

After lunch, we decided to move. The campsite where we had landed was very buggy, muddy, and without a good view of the lake. (There was a pretty little blue butterfly, and another Swallowtail, though.) Instead, we headed to the middle of the lake, where there was an island with a campsite. We passed some seagulls, and I got out on shore to scout around. The site looked good, so I reported back to the others, and we decided to call it a night. 

The campsite has several flat rocks which fed down into the lake, and a tiny cove with a pebbly beach. The island is covered in White Cedar, which grandpa says could actually be hundreds of years old. There are some big standing boulders, and a humongous White Pine, which is similarly ancient. Mom spotted a Pink Ladyslipper orchid, and then a second one further out. 

I pitched our tent with a view of the lake, and mom and dad have theirs back behind the fire grate. I found grandpa a spot higher up in the trees. We worked to get everything else set up, and dad got a fire going. Nick and I paddled out a ways to pull up some debris-free lake water, and mom chopped and fried some potatoes and onion. We roasted hot dogs on the fire, and saw a toad hop under a log. For dessert, we made up some butterscotch pudding.

Ben had a bit of a meltdown washing dishes (me too, buddy, me too). I'm pretty wiped out, so I'm going to bed shortly. We finally just heard a loon...

April 22nd, 2015

In honor of Earth Day, some students yesterday were giving out native plants to take home and put in one's garden. I got these lovely Butterfly Weed plants:

I'm planning to have my mom take them home to plant when she comes to visit on Sunday.

Butterfly Weed is a great garden choice for anyone living in midwestern America. The red and orange flowers are pretty and fragrant, and the leaves are a vital food source for native butterflies, Monarchs in particular.

Those working with fairies may like to include some of these plants in a fairy garden, as those flowers favored by butterflies also tend to be favored by the fey.

On the altar, the bright orange flowers could be used to symbolize the fire element, and would be great for spring and summer rituals, like Beltane and Litha.

April 20th, 2015

I thought you all might like to see this beautiful Polyphemus moth my friends discovered outside during our rehearsal yesterday:

Moths and butterflies are associated with the element air, and with the fairy folk. This guy was so soft and fluffy that I was joking around saying he was a sky cat (by way of interest, you can tell this one is a boy by how fluffy his antenna are). 

In attempting to identify his species, I learned something rather interesting - the name, Polyphemus, actually derives from Greek mythology. Polyphemus, as you may or may not recall, was the cyclops with whom Odysseus had a run-in, leading to the infamous "Nobody" conversation. The moth's eye-spots inspired the name.

According to Wikipedia, this is also the species of moth through which Gandalf communicates with the eagles in The Lord of the Rings. The more you know. 

As such, someone who enjoys lepidoptery might call upon the Polyphemus moth to navigate tricky situations, to improve one's sight, or to assist communication.

April 6th, 2015

I ended up going back over to the spiral garden yesterday to add some paintings to the stakes around the outside. I also stopped by the labyrinth out back on my way to grab the hose and water the plants.

Some of the architecture students built a geodesic dome around the labyrinth, which was kind of interesting, and then it was surrounded by lots of spring flowers.

I chose a sort of elemental color scheme for my paintings, and also tried to note the cardinal directions. Not only does it have elemental connotations that way, but it will also help planters figure out which side of the garden will be getting sun at which time of day.

North:

East:

South:

West:

It really seemed to brighten things up - I hope other people like them as much as I do!

If you have a garden of your own, you can of course add painted stakes like I've done here, but other decorating options include adding lengths of colored ribbon to stakes or fences, hanging bells or wind chimes nearby, and adding rocks or paving stones decorated with meaningful words or symbols. Just try to make sure that the supplies you use are environmentally friendly!

September 28th, 2014

I love pottery! Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go over to a craft fair which was also selling raku pots that you could glaze and fire yourself. After picking up some organic soap, I got a little mini pot which I thought looked like a Japanese tea ceremony cup. I glazed it purple on the outside and green on the inside, and then sat and made friends with a really nice family there visiting their daughter. We got coffee together, and then I headed back to the courtyard where they were doing the firing.

This is my pot after I glazed it, but before it got fired.

This is the kiln. The pottery gets heated to 1800⁰ F.

After about an hour, the pottery is removed from the kiln while it's still red-hot.

The ceramic pieces get put inside garbage cans full of wood shavings. The lids are clamped on, and the heat of the ceramic sets the shavings on fire, generating a ton of smoke. The smoke finishes the chemical reactions in the glaze, giving the pieces their signature blend of colors, crackle, and iridescence.

My finished pot. These are not food safe, but can be used to hold water.

One woman, a craft shop regular, had numerous pieces she had made that she was glazing. This one came out rather black on the other side, and she wasn't happy with it, so she gave it to me because I thought it was gorgeous. Just look at the butterflies! So pretty.

I've added my bowl/cup/pot(?) to my altar, and to be honest, I'm super happy with how it looks. I hadn't been sure when I moved into my dorm if I'd be able to have anything really like a permanent altar since I didn't know what my roommate's attitude would be, but I think she's just accepted that I like shiny things and hasn't even questioned why half of my dresser is covered in crystals and has a chalice and a picture of pretty fairies.

It's so cute! Not sure yet how much seasonal decoration I'll be doing. I had to leave most of my usual things at home, so it'll require some ingenuity, certainly, but at least for Samhain, I'm sure there's plenty of places to get gourds or pumpkins around here.

My other vase I set on top of my microwave with my mask, because I'm a designer in training. Even microwaves need to look attractive, and if they have something vaguely theatrical or occult about them, well, so much the better.

If you've never done raku and you get the chance, I really recommend it. It's an ancient Japanese art form that combines all the elements in a manner which is really primal in its nature. The earthy clay, airy smoke, blazing fire, and water to cleanse the finished product are all united by human creative spirit. It's truly a serene art form, and the results are as unpredictable as the elements which go into its creation.

July 15th, 2014

I got to go with my family and some family friends to a state park this afternoon, which made for a nice change from our usual schedules (not to mention VBS again this morning). We went to a huge forest/bog area alongside one of our rivers. It was cold for July (in the mid 60's) and we could tell a storm was brewing, but the sun was still out and the air was fresh. It was just really great to relax outside for once and see some wildlife (cranes, swans, egrets, butterflies...). Before we started out walk on the trails, I made a little offering to the local energies and asked that we have a safe, refreshing walk. I guess they must have heard, because the rain held off for something like three hours and then started the instant we were all back and buckled into our cars for the trip home!
If you're going to take a walk through a local park or nature preserve, consider making an offering of your own. It could be something as exquisite as a small gemstone or as simple as a crust of bread from your picnic lunch, a splash of water, or a bit of hair. It's a good way to introduce yourself to regional powers, or to strengthen existing relationships. That being said, you needn't spend your entire afternoon trying to establish contact with the intangible, either. There's plenty of magick to be had just in finding raspberry bushes, watching fat squirrels climb up tree trunks, and seeing little three-year-olds stalk a butterfly.

August 13th, 2012

Greetings! My family and I have been rather on-the-go the last few days, beginning the night of the 11th, when we sat outside to watch the meteor shower. We saw a few dozen smaller ones, and two that were really bright against the night sky.
Then on the 12th, we drove to my grandparent's house, getting there around 2:00. Their internet was down, hence my lack of posting, but I worked on a few fairy drawings that I'm putting in my school binders. This morning my grandma went on a hike with us around a nearby lake, where we saw all kinds of beautiful wildflowers and several turkey vultures.
Later, my grandpa took us to the Reiman Gardens, which was doing an exhibition of garden-themed Lego sculptures. My favorite was, of course, the Hummingbird.

I also went into the butterfly house, and enjoyed several varieties landing on me, while stalking the gorgeous Blue Morpho butterflies, who proved to be great teases, refusing to let me get a good picture of their blue wings.

I ended up just taking video of the Morphos, and when I got home was able to pick out this shot: