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Beardy Guy Musings

Living and working in a tiny house the woods. Most of my time is a mix of experimenting with ways to live a low impact life. Writing about the climate emergency, tech and Apple.

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    Broom Forkmoss, Dicranum scoparium with a little cedar berry appearance. A macro photo of a mound of lush green moss. Each cluster of hairs

    Thuidium delicatulum, delicate fern moss or common fern moss. A macro photo of lush green moss that resembles a small forest of fern leaves

    A macro photo of lush green moss that resembles a small forest of fern leaves

    ID uncertain, possibly Entondon cladorrhizans flattened entondon moss Long tendrils of cedar like moss grow along a tree branch

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    I almost missed this fallen branch covered in Luminescent Panelus, Panellus stipticus. Such a fascinating world if we take the time to see it.

    A macro side view of cluster of Orangish cream colored mushrooms grow from a fallen tree. In the background green moss and more mushrooms are visible.
    A Top down view of a cluster of Orangish cream colored mushrooms growing from a fallen tree. The mushrooms are in the shape of a Half circle and are irregular in texture and variations of color. In the background green moss, lichen and more mushrooms are visible.
    A bottom up view of a cluster of Orangish cream colored mushrooms growing from a fallen tree. The mushrooms are in the shape of a Half circle and are irregular in texture and variations of color. As the photo is taken from below the underside of the mushrooms with gills or ridges are visible. In the background green moss, lichen and more mushrooms a
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    With last night’s rain and the soft light this morning the fungi, lichen and moss really popped out at me during my morning trail walk.

    Luminescent Panellus, Panellus stipticus and Eastern speckled shield lichen, Punctelia bolliana Small off-white to peach colored fungi near a cluster of cup-like lichen and green moss

    Sternum ostrea, false turkey-tail Fungi, dark brown at the center attachment to a tree. Rings outward gradually become lighter with the outer edges a light orange and white. They are in the shape of a semi-circle, somewhat resembling sea shells

    Tremella mesentercia, witch’s butter A bright yellow, semi-translucent, gelatinous fungi grows from a tree branch. Pale green lichen are also growing on the branch.

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    Seen on a morning walk, Campanula americana, American bellflower

    A blue flower with five pointed petals. The center is a white circle with a long, curved center pistil

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    This morning I discovered a small group of pawpaws growing just 150 feet from my cabin! 🤗 I planted 2 in a different spot last spring but these volunteers are growing in the other spot I was considering. Which leads me to think there must be more in the area that I have yet to discover. 🤗

    A small tree/shrub about 2 feet high with very large, dark green leaves. The leaves are smooth, elongated coming to a point at the end. Leaves are each 2-4

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    On my morning walk a couple days ago I came upon an Eastern Towhee singing in some cedar trees. Same again this morning but a different song. I took a few minutes to listen to the other songs in Merlin Bird ID and am reminded, yet again, that learning about my feathered neighbors is a never ending process. For every bird song I learn there are so many others that I do not know. And of course, as I learn some I sometimes forget along the way. I’ll only ever know a tiny fraction and even then I’m not learning what the song is about.

    Acknowledging the depth and complexity of the natural world is truly humbling.

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    From a recent morning walk. Some beautiful sun rays and a tiny little wildflower. The sun shining behind several trees casting light rays onto a gravel road that is bordered with a mix of trees and grass

    Dianthus armeria, the Deptford pink A very small 5 petaled flower. The petals are darker pink on the outer portions, gradually becoming lighter and almost white at the center. The background is blurred greed leaves of the forest floor.

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    A nice morning dog walk with all of the usual characters. I'm getting better at identifying bird song. Today: White-eyed vireo, yellow breasted chat, northern parula and cardinals.

    Also, flowers: Queen Anne's Lace A cluster of very tiny white flowers with a deep red magenta flower at the center

    Chicory and a green bee, perhaps Agapostemon virescens.

    A tiny green bee is collecting pollen from the center of a vibrant blue flower set against a blurred green field

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    Half of the world’s 10,000-odd bird species are in decline. One in eight faces the threat of extinction. This problem has been worsening for decades, which means scientists have been able to estimate roughly how many fewer birds are around today than, say, half a century ago. The numbers are startling.

    Bird Populations Are in Meltdown | WIRED

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    Orcas disrupt boat race near Spain in latest display of dangerous, puzzling behavior | AP News

    The behavior defies easy explanation.

    Yes, it’s the Orcas with their dangerous behavior that we should focus on.

    In other news, these are some of the whales that may go EXTINCT due to the actions of human beings:

    1. North Atlantic Right Whale (fewer than 500 left)
    2. North Pacific Right Whale
    3. Atlantic Humpback Dolphin
    4. Sei Whale
    5. Blue Whale
    6. Western Gray Whale
    7. Vaquita (a species of porpoise)
    8. Baiji (Possibly extinct)

    But, yes, let’s do go on about the Orcas.

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    Based on these findings, the authors warn that more than a fifth of ecosystems worldwide, including the Amazon rainforest, are at risk of a catastrophic breakdown within a human lifetime.

    “It could happen very soon,” said Prof Simon Willcock of Rothamsted Research, who co-led the study. “We could realistically be the last generation to see the Amazon.”

    Ecological tipping points could occur much sooner than expected, study finds | The Guardian

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    From my archive, a buffet of Purple Coneflowers being enjoyed by pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor and monarch butterfly. Native wildflower gardens always bring the prettiest critters. 🥰

    A black butterfly with white and orange spots along the edge of its wings rests upon a purple coneflower gathering nectar. Other purple coneflowers surround it and woods are visible in the background

    A monarch butterfly with its predominately orange and black wings rests upon a purple coneflower gathering nectar. Other purple coneflowers surround it

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    My walk this morning was another slow bird walk. Started off 300 ft from the cabin with the beautiful and distinctive call of the yellow-billed cuckoo.

    From there many of the usual characters chimed in. A wood thrush and ovenbird at the beginning. Not long after a bird song I didn’t recognize, a yellow-breasted chat. Very pretty song. And not long after I caught sight of one and was able to watch for a couple minutes.

    Birds observed with binoculars: bald eagle, yellow breasted chat, white-eyed vireo, a thrush, likely a Wood thrush (my best guess, no sound ID to confirm) or maybe an ovenbird.

    Songs heard: Yellow-billed cuckoo, northern parula, chipping sparrow, yellow breasted chat, white-eyed vireo, wood thrush, ovenbird

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    After breakfast this morning I had about 90 minutes before the rain was scheduled to come in so I got out for a walk with the dogs.

    There was a lot of bird song so I took the binoculars and went slow. They were deep in the woods, so I didn't see many but they were all around me: blue-winged warbler, Wilson's warbler, white-eyed vireo, red-eyed vireo, summer tanager, ovenbird, Carolina chickadee.

    Birds that I did get to see were: indigo bunting, chipping sparrow and a gray catbird

    Got back just in time to take a quick ride down to the creek. A peaceful twenty minutes before the storm listening to the birds and the light rain dripping through the forest.

    A few hours later an unexpected visit from a friend who I've not seen in awhile (Hi Bill!). We spent some time catching up on the porch and listening to the bird song. He has an uncanny ability to identify birds by their song and it's always a delight to visit with him. While we chatted another welcome visitor stopped by, a bright red summer tanager landed on a branch not too far away.

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    A few photos taken around the cabin yesterday. It's so easy to miss the beautiful but tiny critters.

    Camonotus castaneus, chestnut carpenter ant

    An orange ant is on top of a green bulb of an unopened flower. The ant is facing the camera, aiming towards the left bottom corner

    Augochlora pura, a solitary sweat bee found in the Eastern US. A small green bee is collecting pollen from a small white and pink aster with a yellow center

    Halictus ligatus, a eusocial sweat bee A small black bee with yellow striped abdomen is collecting pollen from a white aster with a yellow center

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    Observed on the morning walk: honeysuckle and Auricularia fungi.

    A pale pink flower with yellow anthers is lit by morning sun rays.

    An orangish brown fungi grows along a log on the ground

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    From the trail ride today: Polystichum acrostichoides, Christmas fern Tradescantia, Spiderwort

    A vibrant purple flower with 3 petals and bright yellow anthers

    A fat tire bike leans against a tree next to a trail in the woods

    A green fern photographed from above. The plant consists of six stems of leaves and the ground around it is a mix of decomposing leaves, soil, sticks.

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    My photos only show a small area along the trail but this hill is covered in Mayapples. It's quite something.

    A woodland trail through a large patch of Mayapple plants which grow low to the ground and look like small umbrellas. The trail is on a steep hill that slants upward towards the right.

    A woodland trail through a large patch of Mayapple plants which grow low to the ground and look like small umbrellas.

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    Working on getting my blackberries sorted for the summer. Under the layer of grass clippings are layers of all sorts of paper and cardboard and under that are many very happy worms loosening up the soil. Still have a bit of weeding and transplanting to do.

    Grass clippings are layered over hidden layers of cardboard between two rows of blackberry plants. In the background are a variety of trees.

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    Cofounder of Greenpeace and writer of the Deep Green column Rex Weyler helps us transcend the idea that we can fix the environment – or anything else – so we can finally learn to participate as members of a living world.

    An excellent discussion between Rex Weyler and Douglass Rushkoff on the current episode of the Team Human Podcast.

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