yesterday (sunday),
the sky at 11:20 am...
oOo
if you're not new here...and you've wandered the woods with me before...
then you know i collect bones, feathers, insect wings, rocks & stones.
you also know that months ago we found a dead Opossum and i buried him out back...
with plans to dig up the bones.
and i did.
but i was surprised to find that the skeleton was not in one piece.
the bones are scattered.
little by little i've unearthed some bones...
my latest find is one scapula...
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| views of the Opossum's left scapula |
i've learned from a 'bone expert' that it's not unusual for the bones to be scattered.
the shifting ground & insects tend to move them around.
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| raccoon prints all over the area i've been digging |
hmmmmm...it never occurred to me. i just assumed...bury the carcass...
and when i dig it up...VOILA! a opossum, minus the tissue, muscle, skin of course.
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| small red Azalea bush in bloom! |
this expert told me i have a better chance of keeping the bones together
if i bury the animal in a cardboard box with the top open.
so that's what i did with the little Mole i found.
while wandering....the trails out back...
i spotted snake skin...shedding.
then...i saw something fuzzy on the ground...not a foot away.
upon closer examination...i saw it was a little Mole!
dead. no bite marks. no obvious or visible cause of death.
it's unusual to see one. they live underground, making burrows & tunnels.
they're small...only about 4-6 inches in length.
they have no external eyes or ears.
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| underside of dead mole. mouth & nose to the left |
LOOK AT THOSE CLAWS!!
perfect for digging
(read more about this Eastern Mole here!)
so, needless to say, i buried him in an open top cardboard box...
and marked my calender on December 18th,
UNearth the MOLE!
what would a walk in the forest be without fungi!
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| a mushroom colony! |
and SCAT!
i always notice it. and if i happen to miss a pile...sam will bring it to my attention. ha!
just yesterday, while he was outside working on his truck...he made a special trip
into the house to tell me he saw a pile of shit poop. droppings. feces. scat.
aaaaaaah. now THAT's love. :)
first i snap a picture, then i look it up in one of my handy scat books...
i wonder if this was left as gift to milo? (her new friend, introduced in previous post.)
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| raccoon scat. blunt ends. brown to black. large seeds present. |
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| either Fox or Coyote. tapered ends. fur & seeds present. |
i tend to think Fox, only because we see the foxes more often.
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| flies feasting on (LOOSE!) scat of unknown origin. |
UGH!
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| Pileated Woodpecker |
i also came across ANOTHER Owl Pellet. left by our frequent night time visitor, the Barred Owl.
this pellet is the BIGGEST one i've seen yet!
bones. fur. claws. teeth. the undigested parts.
and finally...back out of the woods...
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| lizard on the house |
i did my first page in my "Art Journal"...over two days. nov 16th & 17th.
at the time i was feeling a little down, as it was nearing my brother's birthday (19 nov).
he passed away 3 years ago.
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| watercolor. real leaves.some glitter. |
(i'm aiming for once a month with my art journal entries.)
Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.
~Henry Ward Beecher
i leave you now, with a picture of the morning moon on the 19th of november.
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| 19 november 2011 at 6:55am |
have a good week. and if you celebrate, a happy thanksgiving!
gobble-gobble
be safe & stay cool.
laura
