free as a bird.

"A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a person. Kites rise against the wind, not with..."

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:39:08 -0400

“A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a person. Kites rise against the wind, not with it.”

- JOHN NEAL

(via Photo Gallery) Vintage seed catalog illustrations <3

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:16:16 -0400

(via Photo Gallery)

Vintage seed catalog illustrations <3

“Hang the eucalyptus upside down by tying it to your shower...

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:52:55 -0400

“Hang the eucalyptus upside down by tying it to your shower head with twine. When you run your shower, the steam will rise up towards the eucalyptus, filling your bathroom with the most refreshing, relaxing scent. Plus, the added greens are lovely on the eyes. You’ll definitely feel a little closer to nature.”

Straightened my hair (kinda) to see how long it was....

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:12:08 -0400

Straightened my hair (kinda) to see how long it was. Niceee.

Grow, grow!

“During the first years of the sixteenth century,...

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:19:43 -0400

“During the first years of the sixteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci made careful observations of the Black Kites, larks, and other species common to the Italian countryside, jotting down his ideas in a private notebook that came to be called Codex on the Flight of Birds. Leonardo’s designs for flying machines included a now-famous illustration of a primitive helicopter, as well as a flapping Icarus-style flier, but the most important pictures in the book may be a series of small birds sketched casually in the margins. They look like pigeons in flight, showing a variety of postures and depicting the birds with lines of air passing under and over each wing. Combined with his text on the “thickness” and “thinness” of air, these pictures make plain that Leonardo had begun to intuit the importance and function of airfoils.”

Thor Hanson, Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle.

The pithouhi secretes a powerful neurotoxin that covers...

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:49:31 -0400

The pithouhi secretes a powerful neurotoxin that covers it’s sleek feathers to help fight off parasites. It is the only bird that has evolved a way to make it. Its thought that they harnessed the ability to do this by a co-opting a chemical from certain beetles in their diet. It’s the same poison produced by dart/arrow frogs.

trashydyke: sabrina i luh you

Thu, 09 May 2013 20:39:39 -0400

trashydyke:

sabrina i luh you

Photo

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:45:45 -0400

Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle, is my newest read...

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:15:42 -0400

Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle, is my newest read thanks to a wonderful friend who sent it to me in a package. I cannot WAIT to start it. It’s been on my list for quite some time.

You can read a nice article about the book and it’s significance over at Scientific American.

(via Queen Anne’s Lace / candace jean) In Second Nature,...

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:02:54 -0400

(via Queen Anne’s Lace / candace jean)

In Second Nature, Pollan speaks about “weeds” a lot. In fact, he dedicates a whole chapter. He has changed my perspective on them. He says,

“a weed is simply a plant whose virtues we haven’t discovered yet. ‘Weed’ is not a category of nature but a human construct, a defect of our perception.”

Take the “weed” drawn in this lovely illustration above, commonly known as Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota). I saw this plant all the time as a child but never gave it much thought. Did you know that it is a wild carrot?! The root is edible while the plant is young (it becomes woody with maturation).

On another note, you should check out Candace Jean’s prints & products. I hope to purchase one to hang in our cabin. She weaves nature into her work so beautifully.

theuncarved-block: Sara and I planted a new set of tomatoes...

Sun, 05 May 2013 19:41:25 -0400

theuncarved-block:

Sara and I planted a new set of tomatoes (black krim) and this yautia was nestled in the middle of where our bed was supposed to be. We dug it up and transplanted it to a better spot!

You can eat the root (tuber) but it’s very beautiful to grow for the leaves also.

Lots of exciting things happening on my other blog! But, let’s be real, I just wanted to reblog this picture of my hot girlfriend. ;)

andyetmethinks: Aimee and Jaguar

Thu, 02 May 2013 21:12:31 -0400

andyetmethinks:

Aimee and Jaguar

(via Green Kitchen Stories » Veggie Tower)

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:34:00 -0400

(via Green Kitchen Stories » Veggie Tower)

You can’t hide behind social graces, so don’t try...

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:40:00 -0400

You can’t hide behind social graces, so don’t try to be all touchy-feely. Cuz you lie in my face of all places, but I got no problem with that really. What bugs me is that you believe what you are saying, what bothers me is you don’t know how you feel, what scares me is while you’re telling me stories, you actually believe that they are real.

And I got no illusions about you and guess what, I never did. When I said, when I said I’ll take it, I meant as is.

Just give up and admit you’re an asshole, you would be in some good company and I think you’d find that your friends would forgive you or maybe I’m just speaking for me.

red-lipstick: Jacques Hnizdovsky (Ukraine, 1915-1985) - The...

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:42:42 -0400

red-lipstick:

Jacques Hnizdovsky (Ukraine, 1915-1985) - The Sheep, 1961 Woodcuts

"For the most part, Americans who write about nature don’t write about the garden—about..."

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:39:13 -0400

“For the most part, Americans who write about nature don’t write about the garden—about man-made landscapes and the processes of their making. This is an odd omission. for although gardening may not first seem to hold the drama or grandeur of, say, climbing mountains, it is gardening that gives most of us our most direct and intimate experience of nature—of its satisfactions, fragility, and power.”

- MICHAEL POLLAN, Second Nature

pollyfern: I am selling all of these original paintings along...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:36:06 -0400

pollyfern:

I am selling all of these original paintings along with some others at a very reasonable price. I also ship worldwide. If you are interested in purchasing one of my illustrations then email me at pollyfernsergeant@gmail.com #painting #drawing #art #illustration #naturalhistory #pollyfern

Photo

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:34:11 -0400

Photo

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:33:41 -0400

nordravn: Welcome to the milking. by storeknut on Flickr.

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:22:18 -0400

nordravn:

Welcome to the milking. by storeknut on Flickr.