Beauty and the Beast

Wild Castor Bean

Vibrant gaiety beckons me

Leaves so pretty, draw near and see

Gleaming sword with edges fine

Where life and death intertwine

Seeds of promise in spiny case

Healing oil or deadly embrace

So admire but let my beauty be

Else, you become a felo-de-se*

The castor bean is an amazing plant. Common along roadsides yet prized by gardeners, the quick growing annual sports lobed palmate leaves varying in coloration. Flowers cluster on a single stem. The creamy white flowers on the lower stem portion are male. They unfold to reveal a cluster of stamens. Above are spiny capsules with bright red starry stigmas perched on each apex. It is inside these ovaries that the seeds develop. When ripe the pods pop open sending the seed flying through the air.

Castor Bean Blossoms and Seed Capsules

I can remember my mother warning me about the castor bean plants that grew wild along our country road, “Look but don’t touch!” Mom was right. It is perhaps the most poisonous plant on earth. All parts of the plant are toxic, but the seeds contain the highest concentration of ricin, a toxin that inhibits protein synthesis. A few seeds are enough to kill an adult. It must have been that particular quality that drew Homeland Security to the yard of a Utah gardener. (If you follow the link, be sure to view the video. It’s hilarious.)

Looking back, I also remember hearing of vile tasting castor oil given to school friends as a purgative for tummy aches. As a child, I couldn’t help but wonder how something “good for you” could come from a poisonous plant. Yet, the oil from castor beans has hundreds of uses in industry and personal care. It even finds its way into lipstick, personal lubricants, and shampoo. The leftover meal from oil extraction feeds swine. Most exciting is ricin’s use in chemotherapy where it has the ability to target tumors while leaving healthy tissue untouched. So, there you have it, beauty and the beast. Isn’t nature wonderful?

Young Castor Bean Plant

*felo-de-see: a person who commits an act that results in his or her own death

Sweet Satisfaction

A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.*

Elephant Ear Blossom

Recently I have been somewhat frustrated with the limitations of my camera equipment. I felt that I needed to upgrade, but when I made a list of all that I would like to have realized that it was probably pie in the sky, at least for now. I’d also been nursing a serious case of unfulfilled wanderlust. To cheer myself up, I decided to go out into the yard using just the kit lens shipped with my camera (an AF-S Nikkor 18-55 mm 1:3-5:6GII ED) to see what simple beauty I could capture.

The Center of a Hibiscus Flower

Spiny Orb Weaver

Jambolan Plum Fruit

Wart Fern Sori

Sweet Potato Leaves

Ground Orchid

Morning Sunlight Through Fan Palm Leaves

After a thoroughly enjoyable photo shoot in my own yard my whole outlook changed. I realized it’s my attitude that governs my satisfaction. What I have right now is sufficient to bring me all that I need. One of the main reasons that I love photography is that it focuses attention on God’s beautiful creation. The natural world exists not just in the grandeur of wilderness but also right in my back yard. The equipment that I have may not be what I want, but for now, it is more than enough. Appreciating that gives me sweet satisfaction.

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*1 Timothy 6:6-8 Message Bible Translation (Not what I use for study, but appropriate here. For a better translation of this passage see Blue Letter Bible.org.)

Check out Those Yellow Legs!

We have had a lot of rain recently in South Florida, so the local freshwater wetlands that support shorebirds are too full for them to feed. However, on a recent marsh visit a Greater Yellowlegs enjoyed feeding in an area close to shore.

Its long bright yellow stilt-like legs dashed back and forth carrying its owner in pursuit of small fish.

Occasionally, the Greater Yellowlegs stirred the water with its beak. Once it stopped to take a drink.

The behavior that interested me most, however, was its continual wing and leg stretching. First, it would stretch the right side…

and then a few minutes later, the right side. The bird repeated this behavior several times.

I’m not an ornithologist or even a dedicated birder, so my knowledge is limited. Africa’s Black Herons, our own Reddish Egrets, and even storks practice canopy feeding where they stretch a wing over their head, purportedly to create a shady place where fish gather and can be easily seen before becoming lunch. Could what I observed be a variation on canopy feeding or do Greater Yellowlegs just enjoy a good str-r-etch? I rather suspect this behavior has a greater purpose. If anyone reading has a clue to this fascinating conduct or even an opinion, please inform me. It sure was compelling to watch.

Wingy Dingy update: I contacted “America’s First Family of Birding,”Don and Lillian Stokes of Stokes Birds at Home regarding all of this wing stretching. They said, “After seeing the photo of the Greater Yellowlegs (on this blog), we have seen that action many times. It really is just a stretching, maintenance behavior. They can do that alot.”

Thanks to the Stokes for their help in solving this mystery. When you get a chance, check out their website, their field guides, and DIY Birdwatching Workshop episodes. If you’re at all interested in birdwatching, this is the place to get started.

The Resourceful Osprey

There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity.*

Male Osprey in Flight

The osprey is a remarkable bird. One of America’s largest raptors, the osprey lives on every continent except Antarctica. An osprey’s body is between 22 to 25 inches long, with a wingspan of 4.5 to 6 feet. Females are larger than males. Wherever shallow water, fresh or salt, and sizable fish abound you will find osprey. In the fall and winter, they migrate to warmer waters in the most southern states or South America.

Coming in for a Landing

An osprey’s diet consists of 99% freshly caught fish. After spotting a fish from an altitude of 50-200 feet above water, the osprey enters a steep dive at speeds up to 80 mph and enters the water talons first; submerging itself 3 feet or more as it grasps the fish in its uniquely designed feet. It then turns the fish forward in an aerodynamic attitude and climbs to a nearby tree to feast.

Osprey Nest

Naturally found nesting high in trees near water, the osprey’s flexibility leads them to build their nest of up to 1,000 pounds wherever they can find a solid support. They will even build their nests on manmade structures such as channel markers, utility poles, and cell phone towers. Ospreys generally mate for life. If an osprey pair cannot find a suitable nesting spot, they will delay breeding. Such adaptability has allowed them to repopulate at remarkable rates after near demise due to DDT poisoning in the 1960’s and 70’s.

Florida Bay Osprey Nest

Whenever my husband and I go outside, we naturally scan the skies for birds. Sighting an osprey is a special treat. Now that I know the secret of their success, I admire them even more. Their resourcefulness reminds me of the words of the Apostle Paul: I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.**

The Resourceful Osprey

Perhaps in the osprey there is an oracle for us during these stressful times. Do you agree?

*General Douglas MacArthur, US WWII general & war hero

**Philippians 4:12, The Holy Bible (English Standard Version © 2001 Crossway Bibles)