The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Rain, sun, wind...insects, birds, flowers...meteorites, rocks...seasonal changes...all are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
January 1, 2015
Sometimes I'm focusing on a particular animal or plant when I'm exploring nature.
Sometimes I notice the background too, like the edge of a farm in the Skagit Valley where the migratory swans are foraging some farmer's dormant winter field.
And sometimes I'm just looking off to the horizon. We can all do that wherever we are.
(All photos by me. In Lightbox...click to enlarge)
Here's a mountain in the Cascades in sparse low clouds across a tertiary sewage treatment pond I saw driving down the freeway.
Often the horizon is dwellings and power poles. Still there is nature here too.
There are times when the horizon is so close I can nearly touch it. The brush around this pond meets the sky on the other side of this small pond.
In the woods the horizon is hidden unless I look up. ;-)
The horizon can even be unreal, like these mirages today. A relatively warm ocean in contact with cold air refracts the light strangely. Weird formations!
At sunset the horizon becomes a wandering line marking the limit of our terrestrial world. I don't mind knowing how small I am in comparison. The horizon brings perspective, as well as dramatic beauty.
When you look outside right now, what's on your horizon? What natural skylines speak to you?
The Daily Bucket is open for all your nature observations. What's happening in your natural neighborhood today? First bird seen in your yard?
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"Spotlight on Green News & Views" is posted every Saturday at 1:00 pm Pacific Time and Wednesday at 3:30 on the Daily Kos front page. It's a great way to catch up on diaries you might have missed. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.