Have you seen...

Avey's Run
Cincinnati Nature Center

Have you seen the dance,
quickly back and forth, over pools of quiet water on a sunny afternoon—
of strangely patterned shadows skipping onto rocks below,
slender dancers resting at the surface?


Water striders, insects in the family Gerridae, float and skate on top of still and slow-moving water, their feet wrapped in small cushions of air, trapped between tiny hairs (microsetae) covering their 6 legs. The second and third pairs, almost twice as long as the insect itself, row and steer, never breaking the surface, while the smaller first pair grabs and holds prey to be pierced and sucked dry for dinner.

The patterned shadows, dark circles rimmed in gold, of a mating pair, or the feet of just one--
suspended upon this illuminated stage.

(click photos to enlarge)

Water Strider and Shadow

"Have you seen...." is an effort to discover the unusual beauty in things not usually appreciated for their beauty. Like bugs.

More information about the Water Strider's unique floating and skating ability can be found here.

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Watercolor Painting

I spent an afternoon walking the gallery
and stopped for a moment to sit
on a simple bench looking out over a wide space,
where I could watch the artists working
on watercolor paintings.

Powel Crosley Lake
Cincinnati Nature Center

click photos to enlarge

The Artists at work

Ice gallery

The woods beyond our field are a frequent destination for my walks.
And, beyond them, stand the pines--where what had once been a Christmas tree farm, has now matured into a dense pine wood, with trees 30 feet tall. The few sunlit areas remaining between them are home to a nice tangle of multiflora rose, nature's barbed wire.
Unless I'm dressed for battle, I prefer to walk around these woods--
Last week, I walked through.


The red carpet of needles plunges deeply where a backhoe's steel fingers have left its bite, scooping a young tree years ago. Partially filled in with needles and cones, and now the winter's runoff, these large, round basins display unusual ice art.


The stiffness of an occasional leathery oak leaf, gives form to the pockets of air trapped within. Light and shadow play beneath the surface.


Back in the oak woods, the ice is thin and brittle, each surface in the many layers reflecting silvery leaves. Magnifying their details.



All is still in this frozen gallery.
I will return and admire the next display.
This is our vernal pool.