Nature
The Cicada Killer's Story
I wonder what it feels like to be a cicada killer.... Lions are feared, yet we love and respect them. Mama bears are admired even though we are afraid of them and (hopefully) stay far away if we meet one while hiking in the woods. But the female cicada killer, perhaps the most awe-inspiring huntress on the planet, is also perhaps the most hated, misunderstood, and feared. She has a story, she has a valuable and essential role to play especially in this cicada-infested year, and she deserves a little more honor and respect.
By TheaMarie Burns5 years ago in Earth
Spooked
An evening walk in London as the sun was setting over Hyde Park on September 14, 2018. I remember this day so vividly as this was my last night in London after having lived here for a year. I came to London for my master’s degree and after one year of memories and one of the best years of my life it has come to an end. My flight was leaving early the next morning back to Phoenix, but I wanted one last stroll through one of my favorite London parks, Hyde Park in central London.
By Katlyn Campbell5 years ago in Earth
Why Did the Elephants Die?
Elephants: Then there were three By Carolyn F. Chryst, Ph.D. A million years ago, give or take, giant beasts standing 10–12 feet tall with shaggy hair and massive curved tusks lumbered about what is now the North America Great Plains. Scientists have determined that there were two types of mammoths roaming North America, the Columbian and the Woolly Mammoths. This animal of the family Mammuthus — commonly called mammoths — was a close relative of the modern elephant.
By Carolyn F. Chryst5 years ago in Earth
My life with wildlife
It is a tradition with my family to go camping at least once every year. From grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins to parents and sibling all together for a week out in nature. From spending time around the campfire and chatting together while eating cooked food. To hiking the beautiful trails and swimming in the creeks/rivers nearby. It helps bring us together as a family and to nature as well.
By ashley Grajeda5 years ago in Earth
A Photo 40 Years in the Making
We used to mimic their sounds when we were kids to taunt one another. The distinctive sound of the peacocks’ honk followed by its loud call, “er reh, er reh”. We simply liked to mimic the sound as “er waa, er waa”, as in a baby crying. We used that sound whenever one of the five of us was feeling a little bit sorry for ourselves. There were only two peacocks to start when we moved out to the countryover forty years ago, and they belonged to the neighbors at the bottom of the hill. There were only 5 houses on the on half-mile street so there was no denying where those peacocks came from. We would slow down when we drove by to get a glimpse of them. And occasionally, the lady of that house would drop a feather by for my mom. My mom would collect them and put them in a tall vase in our 70’s sunken living room.
By Maria Kaylor5 years ago in Earth
Red Fox Den
“Have you seen her?” A fit, outdoorsy-looking woman, with a Nordic accent and lovely dark hair dyed red and tied back in a gauzy beige kerchief, had stopped her bike to ask me what I’d seen and told me about the fox who lived among these fields and ponds.
By Andrew Turnbull5 years ago in Earth
Years Lost and Years Found
An older woman by the name of Evelyn took care of my mother throughout much of the early 90s before my mother went into hospice. My brother and I called her “Evie” when we were younger––she lived four houses down on our shaded, retired neighborhood road in West Virginia, far from the suburbs and the streetlights. My mother met her after the nearest fire hydrant on the street was struck by a drunk driver and erupted––the evening that I ran through its pouring water alongside the other neighborhood children before the fire department arrived.
By Calvin Spears5 years ago in Earth
They Lurk Beneath!
Out in the swamp lands of Louisiana there is so much hidden beauty that is just waiting to be discovered. Whether it’s the breathtaking giant magnolias that stretch far throughout the land to the sandy barrier islands or the dense eerie bayou you will always find something new that is just waiting to be discovered. It is truly an incredible place that you just have to see to believe. Everyday there is always something different to do and each day is a new adventure that makes this place is a true outdoorsman’s paradise. For me I found the beauty in the bayou through the dense cypress trees in the murky waters lies one of earths fiercest creatures…alligators. These creatures may be deadly with their sharp teeth and claws but after observing these animals from a distance they are truly an incredible animal that is misunderstood that needs to be respected. I was able to capture the definition and beauty of these animals that are almost prehistoric through my camera lens as I drove deep into the swamp to find these creatures.
By Joanna Blaze5 years ago in Earth
Lenong: Birds of the King
When I was little, my dad and I had nothing to talk about. To me, he was always the quiet weirdo sitting in his office dissecting weird beetles. Yeah, I later learned about the word "entomologist", but I thought he was out of his mind back then. He was never home, always travelling, and as a kid, I did not understand that. To me, he just wasn't there and didn't want to spend time with his family. I was angry for him for years to spend money on his hobby rather than provide us with food.
By Lili Grosserova5 years ago in Earth
Joy in the Smallest Things
It's incredible how much joy small things can bring when you pay attention to them. For as long as I can remember, tiny things have always fascinated me. What I loved most about them were the many beautiful things I could create. Growing up, since I couldn't buy miniature toys myself, I would collect anything I thought I could use to create a small world of my own; bottle caps, beads, rocks, berries, sticks, leaves, flowers, whatever I could find, and I was off to find a bare patch of dirt or a flower pot to start building my little place. I'd begin drawing outlines in the earth where everything would be, whether it was a lake or a road or a house; I was excited to bring to life the picture I had painted in my mind.
By Sarah Bray5 years ago in Earth
