Poetry From The Born Naturalist

A Blue Jay Named Satan courtesy of Inge Curtis, HRC, VMN

I took a Child of Nature

and raised it for my own.

And by little acts of Kindness

seeds of Love were sown.

Those flashing Wings of azure blue

his wild and raucous sounds.

The worlds of sky and earth He knew

only by Love were bound.

Within His breast a wild Heart beat

unchained from worldly care.

Yet he loved a Boy, a selfish Boy

this Child of God so fair.

He gave to me his very being

his Love a precious thing.

Perched on my shoulder every night

a song of Life he’d sing.

Puffed up and vibrant He would fly

above my bed each morn.

And Tidings of a new day come

upon his Wings were born.

But now my Life is emptied

of this bit of little Bliss.

there is a dark and lonesome Void

left by Death’s cruel kiss.

He symbolized a link between

God’s natural world and mine.

But now to God I give Him

Oh Lord he’s wholly Thine.

His grave beneath the Willow lies

marked by the Laurel green.

A little bit of Life now stilled

Oh Death your aim unseen.

To be alone is not Life’s way

Through Love the World is made.

Yet for the gift of Life and Love

the Price of Death is paid.

 

Satan -A Blue Jay Photo courtesy of Bonnie(Marsteller) Pancoast
https://clydeccedm.wordpress.com/2016/07/15/
Title of article: A Story Of A Blue Jay Named Satan and Other Memories

The Lake at Tawlfen

The Lake nestled in the hills

  turquoise blue in emerald green.

A piece of heaven wedded to earth

  when at a distance seen.

Fed by the rains and storm clouds

  born in the sky above.

Droplets splashed into its’ bosom

  soft kisses of celestial love.

Peaceful and life giving it lies

  obeying the wind’ command.

It wavelets chase fallen leaves

  across its’ shoals of sand.

Shy wild creatures come and drink

  and see themselves reflected.

Then move back into woodland haunts

  there by their depths protected.

And deep below the surface

  another world is seen.

Long arms and fronds of plants

  fishes dark and lean.

Glimmering schools of life

  break as their ranks are tore.

By ravenous teeth and shuddering

  forms of hungry predator.

So it is in most things

  in the peaceful something mean.

  below the surface worlds unseen.

In the beautiful and obvious

“and see themselves reflected.”
Photo courtesy of Bonnie(Marsteller) Pancoast
           https://clydeccedm.wordpress.com/2015/10/26/
TITLE OF ARTICLE: THE SKUNK HOLLOW BOYS

The Milky Way

Courtesy of Texas Fish & Game Google article

“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

How I wonder where you are.

Now obscured by light pollution.

How I wish there was a solution”

Ramblin Clyde

• The first night we decided to fish at the dock. The sunset was spectacular. I remember later lying on the dock after midnight and looking up. I have never seen stars like that. The Milky Way in all its glory was splashed across the sky and every so often a shooting star fell across the canopy. It was a mystical experience. Then I noticed there were lights in the water! As schools of fishes swam by or as we fought fish we hooked, the water flashed with luminescence. Between the sky and the sea it was a show I will carry in my soul forever. To add to all this beauty the night exploded with sound. Coyotes started to talk with on another and the gulls flew over head in the darkness answering them.
• https://Clydeccedm.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/
• Title of Story: Treasured Island

The Demi God

By Clyde Marsteller, 1955, upon the occasion of shooting

“The Old Man of the Mountain”

 

The creatures of the forest

are silent and fearful.

For Death stalks the wooded glades

relentless and careful.

A movement now a flash

a sharp thunder is heard.

A wild death cry a thrashing form

to sight is bared.

Large or small none are excluded

rabbit,squirrel and deer.

From their wild haunts

by this pursuer are rooted.

Hiding,running,blindly fleeing

crouching close to the sod.

Quivering,dying, innocent victims

of the deadly Demi-God.

The majestic buck defiant

shakes his antlers proud.

courtesy of Google

His does unlike their Lord mill

in a frightened crowd.

King of his dominion he surveys

the familiar wood.

Unaware out there watching

the Demi-God concealed stood.

Then thunder, the buck sprang up

but the messenger flew true.

The valiant heart stopped by the

message struck through.

Destroyer decreeing that it die

your tools gun and rod.

Who is to argue? Not I

For I am the Demi -God.

 

https://Clydeccedm.wordpress.com/2015/08/29/ title of article : The Hunters

 

 

 

Starting And Keeping A Zoo

When I first conceived the idea of having a Zoo to entertain the children in my granddaughter’s 3 rd grade class at Poquoson ES I did not think what an awesome job and responsibility it would become.

I want to go through the experience before my memory fails me.

I realized that I would have to put any animals I collected to into suitable habitats or containers. If I was looking at long term containment I would have to provide environments close to the one I took the animals out of. Then it dawned on me I would have to feed them!

Terrariums were cost prohibitive. What to do? I settled on large plastic containers like the kind pretzels, Halloween candy, snacks come in. I also bought several dozen various sized storage containers.

Typical Critter Habitat-Halloween candy jar

Roly Poly Home

Slug & Snail “Gastropodium”

I made up a collection kit and started off on my grand adventure. I had chosen the three acre suburban tract belonging to our church. It had a lot of undergrowth and logs from Hurricane Isabel’s visit that the men of the church cut into pieces I could roll over easily.

Collection Kit

G3A

I worked the area around several of the “Isabel” logs, carefully cleaning the surface area around each and collecting what ever I uncovered and putting the animals in collection jars. Next I rolled over the logs and collected what I uncovered there. I wandered through God’s Three Acres (G3A) chasing after insects, lizards, beetles, spiders, and butterflies.

It was great being a kid again!

Betsy Beetle by Isabel log

Red Admiral Butterfly in G3A

Catching a Millipede in G3A

Swallowtail in G3A

Isabel Log

I uncovered a number of snakes under other logs, rocks and pieces of lumber scattered through out the tract.

Earth Snake on Isabel log

Once home I separated my catch and set up house keeping in our den.

Over the months I added to Zoo with frogs, toads and turtles and lizards along with more small snakes.

Zoo’s Green Frog

Leopard Frog

Mushroom -our Toad

Box Turtle

Broad Headed Skink

A 5 lined Skink

Fence Lizard- a Swift

Common Ground Skink

Dekay or Brown Snake

 

female rough earth snake

 

worm snake

ring neck snake

green tree snake

Male Black Racer

The Zoo was taking shape. I learned how to handle the animals by putting them into traveling containers ,ie; jars, plastic storage containers and various plastic food containers.

traveling habitats

traveling container for snails/slugs

Our Spotted Salamander- note Hissing cockroach on my sleeve and Betsy Beetle traveling plastic container

Patent Leather traveling container

The presentations evolved as I learned about the animals’ life histories. I divided the Zoo into two major elements: Decomposers and Predators. I quickly learned I needed at least two other VMN folks that were not afraid to handle the critters to help with the presentation .

The Zoo Cru was born!

Zoo Cru Jan & Patty with children at Poquoson E.S,

Meanwhile back at the den. I was learning how to adjust habitat and more importantly- how to feed my charges. Most of the Decomposers were vegans. The Predators of course were more tricky to please as they all ate PREY! Welcome to the world of crickets, termites, ant eggs, grasshoppers, and a worm farm.

Food purchases ran into apples, mushrooms, greens, Cheerios, honey, crickets and a constant search for logs & wood infested with termites. A Master Gardener friend of mine, Cpt Compost, provided me from his compost pile a bucket filled with earthworms ( it lasted the life of the Zoo)

The current Zoo animal levels have stayed the same from 2008 through 2013.

My total expenses for the Zoo and Insect Collection maintenance and upkeep for those 5 years was $1,937.50 .The costs from January 2014 to June 2014 ( when I had a stroke and had to give the Zoo program up) added an additional $180 for a total of $1,117.50

Food included Apples, Packaged Mushrooms, Crickets , Cheerios ,and various greens.

Termites were free.

Why Cheerios? All of the Decomposers loved Cheerios except the Gastropods. The cereal

is vitamin fortified and kept the little critters healthy (sugar content didn’t hurt either).

zoo termites

I can not guess the number of hours I spent in the field collecting, feeding, cleaning the habitats, cataloging, identification and listing of the Zoo animals and The Insect Collection.

They were priceless golden hours granted to me that filled my life.

Ramblin Clyde

clyde & zoo