Clayton Ridge Outdoor Classroom

Two weeks ago the Clayton Ridge Sixth Grade finally got their outdoor class seeded with prairie.  The project took place two days before the first snowfall and was accomplished with the help of Clayton County Naturalists and Pheasants Forever.  The students will be using the leftover prairie seeds in their classrooms with hopes they can plant the plugs back into the prairie later next spring.

carolina wren

A Carolina Wren was spotted at the Osborne Nature Center last week. This bird is not typically found here often in the winter and I was delighted to see it flitting under the bushes and in front of my office.

Winter Poetry

Classroom programs are in fullswing-hence the delay in a blog post.  The naturalists are giving several presentations a day to the schools in Clayton County. This weekend I took some time away and visited a friends cabin.  The poem was later composed, recollecting my experiences that snowy weekend.

slabs of snow bellow off the stemmed oak branches
breaking like a snare, booming like a bass
they tumble flawlessly to the ground
succumbing to the weight that makes all things whole
startling, yet comforting music up on the ridge

dogwood branches bending to touch their toes
creating a webbed umbrella right under my nose
the skittish junco wears his arctic tuxedo,
dancing on the crystal ground
he feasts on the few seeds around

the snowfall is vastly thick
turning the valley into a milky way
like frosted sugar,
snow sweetens the appearance of every living thing

snowflakes,
quiet music on the ridge
each one crafted separately
inseparable in the joy they bring
facing up to the winter sky
snowflakes tickle my beard
glimmer in my transparent eye

silence is complimented by a curious bird
flitting beside me, he sings chickadeeedee
brash voice of the red bellied woodpecker
alerts a squirrel who is prancing in the snow below
a sudden bustling crash,
then a grumbling splash
echoes across in pine creek
has one of pine sentinels
succumb to its snow match?

with majestic black wings,
breaking the white snow-cladding sky
an eagle leaves the pines,
singing her shivering song.
sky is darkening and
the ghostly snow urges me along.

jubilantly, in this darkened coliseum
barred owls hoot.
the triumphant echo announces their gladiator presence.
I applaud back
while a nervous shrew scurries under my feet,
bid you well my friend.

a symphony of coyotes
turns this valley into a captive amphitheatre of luring beauty
I can not see the coyotes
Yet,
through the milky glow of the snowy nighttime woods
I feel their sacred song and I dance.