Patterns In Nature: My Young Heroes
Regularly sprinkled throughout my posts, you find me talking about environmental education for young people. Take a look here, and here . Along with many others, I share the view that the solution to our environmental crisis is through our youth who are open to new ideas and new world views. They are able to learn about Nature with awe and wonder. With these feelings comes an open mind that is able to build a new consciousness of unity with Nature rather than the predominant adult idea that Nature is to be owned, controlled, and manipulated...
read morePatterns In Nature – The Salmon Wars
“I am racing an epidemic and government gave the viruses the head start. “ – Alexandra Morton If you have been following my blogs on a regular basis, you know me as a person who loves to write about the history of man’s insensitivity to the needs of Nature. Specifically, I love to provide examples of how human institutions on a grand scale fail to comprehend the importance of vital connections within Nature. I’ve written about Rachel Carson’s legacy and how she brought a new consciousness to the idea that...
read morePatterns In Nature — Fuzzy Borders
In Nature, nothing ever exists by itself. There are always relationships to consider. Everything is a system that contains many other systems. Our oceans are aquatic systems that are driven by our sun, gravity, and wind systems. Continents are systems that contain countless ecosystems and non-living structures. When you stand on the shore of an ocean or a lake, things are much more complex than a simple boundary between water and land. There is no such thing as a dividing line. Instead, there is another system that stands between the water...
read morePatterns In Nature – Energy Creates And Sustains Everything
“Dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows.” – Henry David Thoreau All of Nature, living and non-living, are receivers, storage houses, and transformers of energy. Energy is the operating currency of our Universe. The study of physics teaches us that energy is neither created or destroyed. But, it can change from one form to another. All patterns in Nature are energy conduits that facilitate energy flow from one pattern to another. There are smaller patterns inside larger patterns. Electrons...
read morePatterns In Nature – Cow Pies
The picture you see at the top of this blog is not some forest lichen. Indeed, it it is a cow pie. Yes, cow “do-do”. There is lots of it where I was camping this past summer at Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota. Cow pies and grazing cows are ubiquitous in almost all public lands that are “managed” for us by the US Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The image to the right and the image below portray two areas of USFS land that are within 5 miles of each other. The image on the...
read morePatterns In Nature – Fences and Corridors
I spend each summer engaging Nature as I live in my camper. I’m passionate about my solitude, avoiding humanity as I visit forests, grasslands, and mountains. One day, I asked myself the question: “What do you see the most of?”. The answer that easily came to me was “fences”. The feeling associated with this revelation was not comfortable. In fact, fences reminded me of humanity and its biblical mandate of having “dominion” over Nature. It reminded me of the modern mindset that mankind can and...
read morePatterns In Nature – Dynamic Tension Revisited
Today, I’m announcing the publication of my fourth eBook – a photo essay on dynamic tension in Nature. The book’s nine essays and 50 photographs emphasize the idea that all of Nature, living or non-living, can be defined as interconnected energy transformation systems that are essential to life. Whether caused by humanity or natural causes, the hindrance or destruction of energy connections within these systems could lead to ecological disaster. As a nature photographer, I love to capture images that portray...
read morePatterns In Nature – A Contemplative Journey
“Go to the limits of your longing. There you will find your creator’s thumbprint” – Rilke (paraphrased) Somehow, I’ve fancied myself as a blogger and chronicler of patterns in Nature, connections in Nature, and sustainability education. My goal has been to do my small part to help create a new Nature consciousness. While people comment positively about my writing, a common comment by people who visit my blog is : “I love the photography”. Yes, I am a Nature photographer as well as a writer. Indeed,...
read moreThe Pattern In Nature That Connects
“What is the pattern that connects? What pattern connects the crab to the lobster and the orchid to the primrose and all four of them to me? And me to you? What is the pattern that connects all living creatures? “ – Gregory Bateson – “Mind and Nature” Pause for a moment and consider Gregory Bateson’s famous question quoted above. As you ponder the question. consider how the atoms created by stars are...
read morePatterns In Nature – Kids and Cameras Can Help Build A Sustainable Future
My camera, my pen, and I just returned from a great winter trip of wandering, exploration, and discovery throughout parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. I had no specific location in mind. I simply wanted Nature to come to me so that I could embrace Her. Along the way, two questions were asked of me on separate occasions. What do you see and feel as you take a picture? What pictures are you taking? About the time these questions were asked, I came across posts by two of my favorite bloggers who provided answers far better than I. Kim...
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