Nature

Man’s Best Friend

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“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you
more than he loves himself.”

Josh Billings

“Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so. And God … saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:24, 25, last part

Along with all the other creatures that God created on the sixth day of Creation, He made the dog. A person could write, and many have written, volumes on the origin of the dog, the many different species of dog, and the multitude of breeds. But I would like to talk about just one very special characteristic of a dog—its capacity to love under any and all circumstances.

The dog is a domesticated descendant of the wolf, specifically the extinct gray wolf. It is thought to be the first species to be domesticated by man. For hundreds—even thousands—of years, man has been selectively breeding the dog. The process of breeding brings forward various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and certain physical traits. Since dogs are natural hunters, certain breeds, like Pointers and Spaniels, are bred to make this trait stronger. Some breeds may be bred to make the hunting trait stronger, but also physical traits that allow them to go where larger dogs and man can’t go; for instance, Terriers, Beagles, Foxhounds, and the Dachshund. Other breeds are bred for their strength and ability to protect, specific behavioral traits like the ability to sniff out drugs and bombs, for search and rescue, as overseers of herds and flocks, as comfort/companion animals, to lead the blind, and assist the disabled.

Did You Know? A dog’s vision is dichromatic. They see yellows, blues, and grays, but have a hard time telling the difference between red and green.

I did say that I wanted to talk about the dog’s ability to love. I don’t think man especially bred or breeds the trait of love into dogs. I believe that a dog’s capacity to love unconditionally is a gift God gave to it so that we might learn from them how to love and give love. In this broken world marred by sin, marked by hatred, neglect, and abuse, it is incredible that the God who unconditionally loves us, the Father who promises to never abandon nor forget us, the Brother whose love for us is eternal, would offer mankind a living, breathing illustration of that boundless love.

We can see it in their eyes (most often brown, but sometimes blue, amber, or green), in the wiggle of their body (no matter how big or small) when we walk through the door, and in their tail. While a dog’s tail helps it to maintain its balance, its primary function is to communicate the dog’s emotional state.

Did You Know? Dogs can actually hurt themselves by wagging their tails too forcefully. What a wonderful welcome after a long day at work to come home and be met at the door by a creature that loves you so much, and missed you so badly, that it could actually injure itself by being so happy to see you.

Dogs exemplify the compassionate nature and unwavering dedication of God for man. It reminds me of the parable of the Lost Sheep. The Shepherd left the other 99 sheep in the fold and went in search of that one lost sheep until He found it and brought it safely home.

“This is the way the true Shepherd treats the lost sinner. He goes after him; He does not hesitate at peril, self-denial, and self-sacrifice. He is intent upon bringing the sin-burdened soul to repentance, to salvation, to peace, rest, and happiness in his Saviour’s love … .” Sons and Daughters of God, 277

But dogs also remind me of the importance of remaining committed to God. Take, for instance, Bobbie the wonder dog.

In 1923, the Brazier family and their dog Bobbie left their home in Edgerton, Oregon, to travel to Indiana to spend some time with relatives. During a stop in Indiana, Bobbie was chased off by a pack of dogs. For months they searched for him, but when hope of finding him faded, they returned to Oregon without their beloved dog.

Six months later, to their utter amazement, Bobbie showed up on their doorstep, having traveled almost 2,500 miles from where he was last seen. He was severely malnourished, his paws worn down to the bone, and he was covered in cuts and bruises, but none of this mattered to Bobbie. He was simply overjoyed to see his family again. Bobbie’s unwavering loyalty and determination to be reunited with his family is a reminder that love knows no bounds. His incredible journey is a testament to the power of love and loyalty.

When we realize that we are far from home, far from God, we must turn our back on where we are, and with steadfast determination, head for home. We may be tired and foot sore, but every mile that brings us closer to God is worth the struggle.

Dogs have earned the moniker “Man’s best friend” because when you have troubles, hurts, pain, fear, emptiness, and loneliness, he sits with you—sometimes on you—or he will lay his head in your lap or on your shoulder, he will lick the tears from your cheeks, and softly whine encouragement.

The Bible tells us that we have a Friend who loves us even more than this furry friend can, and that He will stand by us whenever we call upon Him.

“There is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24, last part

“He is our best friend. … We should ever keep Him in view.” Our High Calling, 55

Jesus is our best friend, and while we do not see Him, nor do we feel His touch, through this marvelous and amazing creature of His design, we can know that Jesus loves us, died to save us, and will never forsake us.

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:12

Sources: wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog

Friends in the Sky

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Nature! Open the door, step outside, and you’re in it, except that just what you’re in will depend on where you live. And that will determine what you see—that is, during the daytime. When the shades of night fall, if one can escape the bright city lights, it suddenly doesn’t matter whether the countryside is desolate or lush, humdrum or impressive. Upon gazing upward on a crisp, clear night one cannot but realize that words are inadequate to describe the grandeur of the stars, constellations, moon, and planets in the heavens above us.

But what do you see? And what do you hear? Do you have just a hazy, impressionistic idea of what is really up there or do you have a positive, distinct appreciation of the heavenly bodies? Do they speak to you in a language you can understand? Do you enjoy astronomy for the delight it really is, even if you don’t have a telescope or binoculars?

Star Friends

There is certainly a benefit to making friends with the stars and planets. They will always be there, wherever you are, and there is more to astronomy than just learning facts about this or that star or planet. They have their lessons for us as well, talking to us even though “there is no speech nor language.”

The stars, for instance, teach us the constancy and upholding power of their Creator. On a clear, moonless night, there are about 2,000 stars visible to the naked eye, all keeping their places, whether the North Star, the Big Dipper pointing to it, or the Southern Cross for those “down under.” By simple obedience to the laws of the universe, they maintain their appointed positions, shedding their light to gladden worlds without number.

As the earth rotates beneath these stars, they appear to curve through the sky in circles, completing their paths each 24 hours (really 23 hours and 56 minutes). This becomes obvious when one faces north. The North Star stays stationary, and should you watch for several hours you would see all the rest of the stars and constellations rotate in circles around it. As you take note of stars more and more directly overhead (and thus farther and farther southward), you find that they make bigger and bigger circles, until these circles start dipping below the northern terrain and start rising and setting like the sun.

As you continue to lift your gaze farther aloft, you find that the stars you are looking at rise and set farther and farther south on the horizon, until you get to those on the celestial equator which passes directly over our earth’s equator. By now, you had better either turn around, or have a very supple neck, because these stars pass to the south of those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, though they rise due east and set due west.

All the stars will always rise, pass over, and set in exactly the same place, but will rise and set at different times depending on the season of the year. Accordingly, we look for Orion during wintertime, because during that time of year it rises and is up in the sky during the night. Orion is still there during the summer, but it rises and sets with the sun, and therefore cannot be seen above the brightness of a summer day.

Our Creator must have been trying to tell us something about Himself when He said, “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.” Isaiah 40:26

Planet Friends

Wandering among the stationary* stars, we find the five visible planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, as well as the Sun. Though these by no means stay in the same place, they do teach us about keeping appointments because that is what they do. The appointment book in this case is the almanac, which tells you (not them) when and where to look for each one. If you know this, you can keep your end of the appointment by being there to look for each planet as it appears. As the planets and the sun move through the heavens, wandering among the stars, they all follow one common line called the ecliptic. If you go out at the same time on successive nights, you can note their movement along this line. Mercury and Venus remain close to the sun, traveling with it over the course of the year. Depending on their relative positions, they will always be seen just before sunrise or just after sunset, as morning or evening stars. On the other hand, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn travel in their own way and at their own rate and may happen to be visible at any time during the night. The fact that they are all along one line is also very helpful in finding these heavenly bodies that do not twinkle as the stars do. …

Why not make friends with the stars and planets? Watch them. Listen to them. By the way, April should be a nice time to see the planets in the morning. During the last week of the month get up early and step out into a spring dawn. If you have a low enough eastern horizon, you will see Venus, the morning star, just above it. Then as you follow the line of the ecliptic which slants sharply to your right, if the sky is still dark enough, you may be able to see Mercury, then Mars, and lastly Saturn overhead, all these planets keeping their appointments. Will you keep yours? Mark your calendar, step outside and look up. Why have only anacquaintance, with the heavens. Stop to listen, and continue to make friends in the sky.

What though in solemn silence all

Move round the dark terrestrial ball?

What though no real voice nor sound

Amid their radiant orbs be found?

In reason’s ear they all rejoice

And utter forth a glorious voice,

Forever singing as they shine,

The Hand That Made Us Is Divine —                          Joseph Addison, 1712

 

*Although we say stars are stationary, they really do move slowly both in relation to each other and to our view on earth as a whole.

From The Journal of Health and Healing, Vol. 15, No. 3, Mark Chuljian, CTL, HEW, 28, 29

The Rose

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Orange RoseRosaceae is a family of medium-sized, flowering plants. These plants can be woody trees, climbers, or herbaceous plants. Many familiar, edible fruits are a part of this family: pears, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, to name a few, and almonds, too. Also included are trees and shrubs such as meadowsweets, firethorns, and roses.

The rose family comes from the genus Rosa. There are 100 species of this perennial shrub found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. Roses come in many colors—white, yellow, pink, crimson, maroon, purple—with a delightful fragrance, depending on the variety of rose and the climate. The flower consists of multiple sets of petals, stems covered in prickly thorns (unless the thorns have been bred out), and oval leaflets that are sharply toothed on the edges.

The rose industry is divided into three main areas: fragrance, fresh flower/florist, and garden.

The Fragrance Industry

The Damask rose (R. Damascena) and several other species are specifically grown for the creation of attar of roses which is used in the production of perfumes. The industry is concentrated in the Mediterranean basin where the climate is the most ideal.

Different colors of roses have been assigned to communicate the feelings of the giver for or to the receiver of a bouquet of roses:

Red – love and desire

White – purity and innocence

Yellow – friendship and care

Peach – sympathy and genuineness

Pink – admiration and joy

Black – death

Red roses are most often given to express romantic love toward a girlfriend, fiancé, or wife. Giving three red roses conveys “I love you” to that special someone.

The Florist Industry

More than one billion stems per year are produced from more than 30,000 acres of greenhouses worldwide. The industry started in Europe and the U.S. in the late 19th century. However, the industry was later moved to Columbia, Ecuador, Kenya, and Ethiopia because of their climates. China and India are also major producing areas.

The Garden Industry

The garden industry has been popular since the Middle Ages, although the roses then were grown for their medicinal properties.

Most rose species are native to Asia, with a smaller number found in North America, Europe, and Northwest Africa. They hybridize readily resulting in the many different types of garden roses. Hybridization began in the 18th century in Western Europe. Today, there are more than 11,000 varieties of hybrid roses, and more are bred every year. An estimated 35 million units are sold annually in the U.S. alone.

Did You Know? The majority of the most popular, modern hybrids are protected by U.S. plant patents and cannot be propagated without prior consent from the breeders.

The roses most commonly sold in the U.S. are:

  • Hybrid Tea Roses – the classic, long-stemmed varieties
  • Grandiflora Roses – similar to the Hybrid Tea Roses, but with multiple blooms per stem
  • Floribunda Roses – compact and multi-flowered
  • Miniature Roses – often grown in containers as gifts
  • Climbing Roses
  • Landscape or Shrub Roses – the main component of today’s North American rose industry

Sources: Britannica.com/plant/rose-plant; Wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosaceae; ngb.org/year-of-the-rose; proflowers.com/blog/rose-color-meanings

The rose is a beautiful, intricately-designed flower whose fragrance is sweet and often intoxicating. But there is a rose that surpasses even this beautiful flower. Mrs. White calls Him the Rose of Sharon.

“We need Jesus, the Rose of Sharon, to beautify the character and make our lives fragrant with good works, so that we shall be a savor of Christ unto God.” The Review and Herald, August 14, 1894

Redback Spider

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I’m not exactly sure why I’m writing about spiders since I really don’t care for them, but I was intrigued when I read a recent story about a couple who bought a box of grapes at a grocery store on the border between Queensland and New South Wales, and brought a little something extra home.

The redback spider, a cousin of the black widow (hence its oft-used moniker, “the Australian black widow”), is one of the deadliest spiders in the world. Only the females are deadly, but they prefer to remain in their funnel-shaped webs. The bite of a male redback generally is only painful at the site of the bite. As deadly as the female redback can be, there hasn’t been a reported death from the species since 1979, thanks to an effective anti-venom introduced to Australia in 1956. Most redback spider bites occur during the summer months, when the arachnid is most active. The Australian Museum reports that approximately 250 serious bites requiring anti-venom treatment occur each year.

DID YOU KNOW? Dogs have a greater resistance to their venom, but cats, horses, Guinea pigs, and camels will most likely require anti-venom.

The body of an adult female redback is less than a half inch long. Her legs are slender, but the two front legs are longer than the other six. Her abdomen is round, deep black with a red longitudinal stripe on the upper surface and the familiar red hourglass on the underside. Juvenile females may also have white markings on the abdomen. They have two venom glands, one attached to each of its chelicerae (fangs).

The body of an adult male redback is significantly smaller than the female, measuring around a quarter of an inch long or a bit longer. He is light brown and has white markings on the upper side of his abdomen and a pale hourglass on the underside.

Redbacks prefer a drier habitat found in trash cans or sheds, outhouses, or under rocks, logs, tree hollows, and shrubs. They eat bigger spiders, like the trapdoor spider, crickets (the only reason I might like spiders), small lizards, and even an occasional snake.

The redback is nocturnal. Females stay concealed during the day, and then come out to spin their webs during the night. They usually remain in the same location for most of their adult life. Their webs are an irregular-looking tangle of fine but strong silk, and while the threads may seem random, they are strategically placed to support and entrap prey. The rear portion of the web forms a funnel-like retreat where she spends a lot of her time and where she leaves the egg sac.

Once alerted to some hapless creature’s frantic efforts to free itself from the web, the female redback approaches and sprays its dinner with a liquid glutinous silk to immobilize it. Once her meal is secure, she bites it multiple times on the head, body, and leg joints—liquefying its innards. She then wraps it in silk and takes it to her retreat at the rear of the web where she feeds on it over time.

Female redbacks live two to three years, while the males only live six to seven months. Neither can tolerate temperatures from below freezing to 104°F, but they need temperatures from 59°F to 77°F for a couple of months in order to breed.

Spiderlings live with their mom in her web for several days, then they catch a ride on the wind to establish a home of their own. They follow the light and climb out of the tunnel retreat to a high point like on rocks or logs. By extending their abdomens high into the air, they produce a droplet of silk which is drawn out into a long gossamer thread, and when long enough, the wind catches it and carries the spider away. This is known as ballooning or kiting. Soon the thread will catch on an object, and this is where, after falling to the ground, the spiderling will establish its own web.

BUT DID YOU KNOW? As spiderlings, they also eat each other.

Redbacks are widespread across Australia, but are also found in Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Japan, England, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran.

Sources: wikipedia.org/wiki/Redback_spider; newsweek.com/extremely-deadly-spider-found-box-grapes-grocery-store

All We Can Be – A story of two cats

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We have six cats, all rescues from the hard times of living on the streets. Animals have many things to teach us. With each rescue I have ever been surprised by how love can take over in what appears at first to be an indifferent cat. Here are two of their stories.

Tank lived next door to us. One day freezing rain was falling and I saw him high up on the windowsill of his house, trying to get someone’s attention inside to let him in. He was a very young cat, and I went out and got him and took him to his owner. I found out that they left him outside most of the time, even in severe winter weather. I would see him going back and forth in our back yard, but he would never come to me. During the time before winter of that year, I did not see him as much, but finally spotted him one day in the cold winter weather and snow outside of our window eating the corn and deer meal.

I know a cat will not eat this kind of food unless they are starving. He had been left outside to fend for himself, and I found that he had been coming and going back and forth under the abandoned house next door to us. He must have suffered terribly that long winter outside, but I knew I could not get him to come to me to rescue him.

As winter finally faded into early spring, he was still coming and going underneath the abandoned house. I began to give him food in the morning and evening, and eventually, he would sit on my lap under a blanket for a short time in the morning sunlight. Little by little I would call him when I brought him food and he would come. His owners knew he was living under the abandoned house, but they would not take him home. He needed to be neutered, but they would not do it. I asked them if I could have him neutered and the owner said I could.

I took him to the vet and then kept him on our front porch for many days after, secluded from our other cats. I invited his owner to come over to see him and when she did, she said I could keep him. Shortly after his operation he had a urinary blockage and had to be in the hospital for over a week to clear it up. When he was able to come home, and after he felt better, I introduced him to our other cats. He did not have an aggressive nature and got along well with all but Harry, another male cat, who was a bully. Tank and Jasper became playmates and best friends. Tank is now a happy kitty with no more food or shelter worries. He became a happy indoor cat and does not long to go outside again. He was so grateful to have a home.

As the days and weeks went by, Tank really began to change. He was so loving, and now, no longer afraid of me, he comes up on the bed at night while I am sleeping and lays his head on my shoulder with one paw on my face and goes to sleep. I remember the morning I first woke up and saw him peacefully sleeping beside me, amazed at what love could do and how it had changed him.

Jasper was found going back and forth from the abandoned house to get food, chasing all the other cats away. I had to take him in to stop this. He was not wild and let me pick him up. One November day, I realized I hadn’t seen him for a few days and prayed that he would come back before winter so I could rescue him. God answered and he has been part of the family ever since. He was people-friendly, and while we didn’t know his story, we concluded that he had gotten lost, because he appeared to have been on his own for a long time. He was raggedy with gray around his face and the vet thought that he was about five years old. Apparently not so. As soon as he got good food and care, the gray on his face all went away and he was playing like a kitten. He is the sweetest cat ever and so happy to be in his forever home.

Through Tank’s and Jasper’s reaction to kindness I have been reminded of the changes that can take place in us through the love of Christ. We can be wholly made new through His love, mercy and intervention in our lives. Through the love and care of Christ we can get through the trials of this world, and at last be forever home.

Nature – The Eyes Have It

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Have you ever really considered how the eye works?

According to the National Eye Institute, light passes through the cornea and is bent to help the eye focus. Some of this light then enters through the pupil. The iris controls how much of the light is let in, and that light passes through the lens. The lens works together with the cornea to focus light correctly on the retina. And finally, when the light hits the retina, photoreceptors turn it into electrical signals. These signals travel from the retina through the optic nerve to the brain, and the brain turns the signals into an image. And all this happens instantaneously and continuously. Whew! Did you get all that? Source: nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/healthy-vision/how-eyes-work

Of course, in nature, we find all kinds of eyes, each of which works in ways specific to the creature they dwell in. Let’s look at a few examples.

The eyes of a prairie dog are positioned on the side of its head. This appears to provide it with the ability to focus in a wide arc. The lenses of their eyes are also tinted amber, like having built-in sunglasses.

Good eyesight is essential for a bird’s safe flight. Birds have the largest eyes relative to their size, but have limited movement in the bony eye sockets. Eyes located on the sides of the head have a wide field of view while the eyes located on the front of the head provide binocular vision. Birds of prey have high-density receptors to maximize visual acuity. The placement of their eyes gives them good binocular vision enabling accurate judgment of distances. Nocturnal birds have tubular eyes, with less color detectors, but high-density rod cells that function better in poor light.

Birds’ eyes are protected by two eyelids, and a third transparent, movable membrane. The eyelids are not used for blinking. The third membrane (nictitating membrane) lubricates the eye as it passes side to side across it, much like a windshield wiper. This membrane also covers the eye in many aquatic birds when they are under water. When sleeping, the lower eyelid rises to cover the eye in most birds, but the horned owl is an exception. Its upper eyelid closes down to meet the lower eyelid.

Hippopotamus eyes, along with the ears and nostrils, are placed high on the roof of their skulls so they can submerge and still see above water, but when they swim underwater, nictitating membranes cover the eyes.

Most spiders can have eight, though some have six, eyes, each a single lens above the retina rather than multiple units like the fly or other insects. The specific arrangement and structure of the eyes is one of the features used to identify and classify the different species and genus. Most spiders’ eyes detect little more than brightness and motion, playing a pretty minor role in spider behavior. Species such as jumping spiders or wolf spiders have more developed eyes and can even perceive color.

But Did You Know? Cave spiders have no eyes at all.

One of the defining features of the common house fly is its compound eyes. Their eyes can often be so large that they take almost all the space on their head. These compound eyes comprise an array of tiny sensors—ommatidia—around 3,500 of them. The ommatidia are many tiny lenses all bunched together in a globular shape to form the eye. The large, round shape gives the fly almost a 360-degree view of its surroundings. It contains a corneal lens to focus light and pigments that sense color. The fly eye has the ability to process images at a speed more than six times faster than the human eye. That probably explains why they get away so often when we try to swat them. However, their ability to focus as clearly as the human eye has been sacrificed in order to have such big eyes. They also have excellent peripheral vision, few blind spots, and a better range of focus. And flies can actually see in slow motion. This ability has inspired scientists and engineers to develop cameras that mimic the eye of the fly in the creation of surveillance systems that can act just like the proverbial fly on the wall.

Human eyes, when working together, have a field of view approximately 200 degrees wide and 135 degrees tall, and when they work together correctly, they give you depth perception and 3D vision, as well as color vision.

Sight and vision, terms often used interchangeably, are not necessarily the same thing. Sight is what the eyes do and vision is the process that starts with sight and ends with the brain’s interpretation of what the eyes have seen in a way that it can use and understand. The human eye is one of the most important organs in the body.

The Bible talks about the eyes, too.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matthew 6:22

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.” Proverbs 4:25

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Proverbs 21:2

“The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Psalm 19:8

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help?” Psalm 121:1

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:7

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 21:4, first part

Yes, we need only to look at the eye, in whatever creature we see, to be assured of the truth in David’s declaration, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. And that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14

Sources: desertusa.com/animals/prairie-dogs; Wikipedia.org/Bird_vision; Wikipedia.org/Hippopotamus; Wikipedia.org/Spider_vision; grunge.com/801094/this-is-what-the-compound-eye-of-a-fly-actually-sees; my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21823-eyes; informationparlour.com/article-health-eye-defects-and-corrections-humans#

Spring

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It’s March and spring is on the way. I thought we could look at some of the things that start to happen in nature as winter’s cold hand finally lets go and the warmer breezes of spring begin to blow.

Crocuses, daffodils, and tulips begin to bloom in early spring. Hyacinths begin to bloom in mid-spring. And when late spring arrives irises begin to bloom.

The animals that have hibernated through the cold winter months start waking up. Soon bears, ground squirrels and chipmunks, groundhogs, hedgehogs, woodchucks, prairie dogs, skunks, bats, box turtles, bumblebees, garter snakes, snails, lizards, ladybugs, and moths will be popping out of their sleeping places to welcome the sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Did you know? In Florida, it rains lizards. When the temperature drops below 45 degrees F, the lizards undergo a temporary cold shock and fall out of trees and off walls and fences. But don’t worry, once the temperature gets warm again, they wake right up. Source: news.miami.edu/as/stories/2022/why-do-lizards-plummet-in-the-cold

Every spring, it is estimated that 3.5 million birds fly back home from the south where they have found food and warm temperatures during the winter months. These include meadowlarks, robins (though some robins do stick around), certain sparrows, bald eagles, ducks and geese, bluebirds, finches, and killdeers. Who hasn’t seen flocks of Canada geese flying overhead on their way to warm southern fields. Some birds fly as much as 1,000 miles to reach their winter home. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, when you hear the backyard birds—robins, sparrows, and the like—singing, that is one of the best predictors that spring is not far away.

“Bluebirds are a sign of spring; warm weather and gentle southern breezes they bring.”

Did you know? The Baltimore oriole and the meadowlark are related. The bald eagle cruises at a leisurely 30 mph, but can dive up to 100 mph. A Ruppel’s griffon vulture holds the record for the highest flying altitude at 37,000 feet (that’s seven miles). The Arctic tern flies 49,700 miles in a year during their round-trip to and from the Arctic to their breeding grounds in the Antarctic. The bird lives 30 years, so that is the equivalent of three trips to the moon and back!

My favorite spring song is from the spring peepers. Frogs! Tiny amphibians singing loudly around dusk.

The barren trees and bushes show signs of life—the eastern redbud, southern magnolia, flowering dogwood, rhododendron and azalea, lilac (my personal favorite), flowering cherry, crabapple, and forsythia. Oak, elm, maple, and sycamore will begin to leaf-out later in mid-April.

As winter’s cold begins to give way to warm spring temperatures, we can praise God for His marvelous handiwork.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1–4

Spring and summer bring the beautiful flowers of so many varying colors and green leaves that wave gently in the breezes, along with the fruits and vegetables that can be harvested and eaten during summer and fall or stored away for winter and spring.

Fall brings the bright red, gold, and orange leaves that signal the end of summer and the soon onset again of winter.

But even in winter, we are reminded that spring will soon come again by the beautiful evergreen trees—the spruce, cypress, juniper, fir, redwood, and cedar. The needles of the evergreen can change color in the winter, but they do not drop from the tree.

Did you know? The true definition of an evergreen is simply a tree that doesn’t lose its leaves.

“The beauty of [the man who loves God is] his well-ordered life and godly conversation [that] inspires faith and hope and courage in others. This is Christianity in practice. Seek to be an evergreen tree.” My Life Today, 50

Other sources: bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/trees/best-flowering-trees-shrubs; Audubon.org/news/9-awesome-facts-about-bird-migration; faunafacts.com/birds/birds-that-fly-south-for-winter

Nature – Dragonflies

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There are approximately 5,000 known species of dragonflies, identified as a part of the Odonata order of insects. Of those species, 3,000 extant species of true dragonflies are known. Most are found in tropical regions and begin life in the water. The nymphal stage of its development can last up to five years, but its adult lifespan is only five weeks to one year.

The adult dragonfly’s body has three distinct segments: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. It has an exoskeleton made of hard plates held together with flexible membranes. The head is large with short antennae, and is nearly all eye, a wrap-around compound containing more than 30,000 lenses providing a 360-degree field of view. Two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs are attached to the thorax. It rarely uses its legs for walking; instead they are used for perching and climbing plants.

Dragonflies are predatory insects with serrated teeth. Once they enter the larval stage, which can last for up to two years, it will eat just about anything—tadpoles, mosquitoes, fish, and even each other. It can eat hundreds of mosquitoes per day. Using its feet, it captures its prey while flying. In fact, it only eats what it catches while flying. It is such a proficient hunter that, according to a Harvard University study, it catches 90-95% of what it aims for.

Some dragonflies migrate—like the green darner and globe skimmer. Scientists have tracked their migratory habits by attaching tiny transmitters to their wings with a combination of eyelash adhesive and superglue. They found that they fly an average of 7.5 miles per day, although there was one over-achieving dragonfly that traveled 100 miles in one day. A globe skimmer dragonfly has the longest migration of any insect—11,000 miles back and forth across the Indian Ocean.

Dragonflies are technically cold-blooded, but they have ways to keep themselves warm or cool. Patrolling dragonflies use a rapid whirring movement of their wings to raise their body temperature. Perching dragonflies rely on solar energy and position their bodies to maximize the surface area exposed to sunlight. Other species use their wings as reflectors, tilting them to direct the solar radiation toward their bodies. Conversely, when the weather is hot, they position themselves to minimize sun exposure and use their wings to deflect the sunlight.

Modern dragonflies have a wingspan of two to five inches, but fossil records tell us that before the worldwide flood of Genesis, some dragonflies had wingspans of about 30 inches.

They’re strong too! About half of their body mass is devoted to flight muscles, giving them the ability to lift more than twice their bodyweight—a feat that no manmade aircraft has ever come close to matching.

Among the fastest of all insects, the dragonfly has been clocked at more than 25 mph. It can take off backward, accelerate quickly, and then stop in an instant, execute an unbanked turn as if on a pivot, somersault in the heat of combat, and fly virtually any maneuver using seemingly endless combinations of its four wings. Using wind tunnels, the United States Air Force has studied the amazing flight versatility of dragonflies hoping to uncover the secret to their incredible aerodynamic abilities.

“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ ” Revelation 5:13

Sources: smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/14-fun-facts-about-dragonflies; wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly; thoughtco.com/fascinating-facts-about-dragonflies

The Duck-billed Platypus

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The duck-billed platypus is a unique mammal, very unlike any other mammal. They make their homes in the freshwater creeks and rivers of Tasmania and the eastern and southeastern coasts of Australia. They grow to about 20 inches in length—15 inches of head and body and 5 inches of tail. Full grown they will weigh about three pounds. They are relatively long-lived, and live in the wild for an average of 12 years, 20 years in captivity. They are nocturnal, being most active from dusk to dawn, sleeping during the day.

Their thick fur is dark brown on top and tan on their bellies and repels water to keep them warm and dry even after hours of swimming. They have a soft, duck-like bill, and are similar to a beaver in that they have webbed feet, a paddle shaped tail, and spend much of their time in the water. However, unlike the beaver, they can only stay submerged in the water for a little over two minutes. They are excellent swimmers, using their front feet for propulsion and their back feet and tail for steering. When not swimming, the platypus retires to a short, straight resting burrow in the riverbank not far above water level, hidden in a tangle of roots. They sleep an average of 14 hours per day.

Their body resembles an otter. Both male and female are born with ankle spurs, but the male’s spurs located on the back of the ankles delivers a toxic venom comprised of molecules called defensin-like proteins, three of which are unique to the platypus. When stung by one of these spurs, a victim is effectively, and painfully, incapacitated. And while the venom might kill a small dog, it won’t actually kill a man, but it can be excruciatingly painful. Edema (fluid build-up in tissue) will rapidly develop around the wound and the pain can develop into a long-lasting hyperalgesia (heightened sensitivity to pain) that could persist for days or even months. The venom is only produced during mating season, so it is not to be a form of defense, but rather is used in competition with other males for mating rights. Interestingly, studies have found that the venom might be useful in the treatment of diabetes.

The platypus is considered a carnivore, eating insects, larvae, worms, shellfish, freshwater shrimp, and yabby (crayfish) found in the water. But what is fascinating is how it finds its food—a true miracle of God’s creation. When in the water, the platypus closes its eyes and ears, and flaps close over its nose, so it sees, hears, and smells nothing. Electroreceptors (which detect electric fields) are located in the skin of its bill with mechanoreceptors (which detect touch) uniformly distributed across the bill. These receptors detect the electrical impulse when muscular contractions cause a shrimp or yabby to move its tail. This is called electrolocation.

This mammal feeds from the bottom of the water bed. It scoops up the food along with bits of gravel and mud from the riverbed with its snout. All this material is stored in cheek pouches and mashed for swallowing. While the platypus is born with teeth, these fall out at a very early age, leaving horny plates behind upon which the gravel helps to grind up their food. The food is carried to the surface, where it is eaten. A platypus must eat 20% of its weight every day, so it spends most, if not all, of its time awake looking for food.

Unlike most mammals whose offspring are delivered by live birth, the platypus is a monotreme, a species of mammal that lays eggs. There are only five species of monotremes—the platypus, and the four species of echidnas. Mating occurs between June and October. Females have two ovaries, but only the left is functional. She lays one to three small, leathery eggs, similar to reptile eggs. The eggs develop in utero for about 28 days, and once laid, she will curl around them and they incubate externally about ten days more. Once hatched, the young platypus is blind, hairless, and extremely vulnerable. Being warm-blooded, the female feeds her young with milk. She does have mammary glands, but has no teats, so her milk is released through milk patches found in the pores of the skin in a manner very similar to sweating. She nurses in the burrow for three to four months, then the babies are ready to swim. They are considered fully mature by the age of two. There is no official term for the platypus young, but the terms platypup or puggle are often used unofficially.

The Aboriginal peoples used the platypus for food and fur until 1912 when it was prohibited by law.

As of 2019, with the exception of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California, all platypus held in captivity are exhibited in Australian zoos. Syd the platypus was one of three mascots for the Sydney 2000 Olympics along with an echidna and a kookaburra. Expo Oz was the mascot for the World Expo 88, held in Brisbane in 1988. The platypus also has appeared on Australian postage stamps and currency.

What a sense of humor our God has in creating the duck-billed platypus which looks like a duck, a beaver, and an otter combined into one mammal!

Resources: Wikipedia.org/wiki/Playpus; science.jrank.org/pages/5344/Platypus; Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution, part 1; The Dodo, Platypus Facts by Alina Bradford – Live Science Contributor August 04, 2014; kids.nationalgeographic/animals/mammals/facts/platypus

The Black and Yellow Garden Spider

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The Argiope aurantia (black and yellow garden spider) has distinctive yellow and black markings on the abdomen with a mostly white head and chest. Males range in size from 0.20–0.35 inches and females range from 0.75–1.10 inches and can be up to 2 inches across. They are found throughout the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America.

The spider eats flies, bees, and other flying insects that are caught in the web the female spins. The web can be as much as two feet across. When threatened, she will shake the web like a trampoline as a warning to not come near. If the warning is not heeded, she may bite. Her bite is harmless, much like a bee sting, however, if you are allergic, you should seek medical attention.

These spiders have amazingly efficient, even miraculous, chemical factories within their little bodies. They are capable of making up to seven different types of webbing and they have an inboard chemical plant that produces chemicals necessary for their survival.

The web is circular shaped made of sticky strands that are suspended on non-sticky spokes, which she uses to run along the web without getting stuck. The sticky webbing serves to catch an unsuspecting meal. It has a distinctive and conspicuous dense white zigzag structure in the middle called the stabilimentum. Because of this, they are often called zipper spiders. However, the exact function of the stabilimentum is unknown. Some speculate that since the web is very big, it might alert birds so they don’t fly through it.

When a bug is caught, the spider emits sheets of webbing to encircle the bug. Somehow it knows when to use sheets versus the fine strands of webbing that make up the web structure. All spiders are carnivores and prey primarily on insects, and will eat anything that doesn’t tear itself loose from the web. These garden spiders know that they have a potential meal when they feel vibrations in their web.

This garden spider mates in late summer or early fall. The male builds a small web near or inside the female’s web. He courts her by plucking strands on her web. Spider mating doesn’t always turn out so well for the male of the species, so when he approaches her, he comes prepared with a safety drop line at the ready, just in case she does not see him as the spider mate of her dreams and attacks him. However, once he is assured of her acceptance, he uses the two palpal bulbs on his pedipalps (located in front of his front legs) to transfer sperm to her. Once he has delivered both bulbs, he dies; and sometimes, she eats him.

The female lays her eggs at night on a sheet of silky material of her making, then covers them with another layer of silk, and finally a protective brownish silk which she then forms into a round, brown cocoon, like a ball with an upturned neck. This ball is about an inch in diameter. When depositing the eggs in the sac, she dusts each egg with a fine powder to keep them from sticking together. This is one of the chemicals made in the chemical factory within her body. That may not seem like much work, but considering that each female produces one to four sacs with as many as 1,000 eggs inside each, that would be quite a job.

The egg sac, or shell, normally stays intact all through the winter with the baby spiders emerging in the spring. As these spiderlings begin to grow inside this shell, they soon must exit it or die. At just the right time a fluid, called moulting fluid, is deposited at just the right place and a trap door is made in the shell that allows the spiderlings to crawl out. This is yet another chemical that is made in its chemical factory. This moulting occurs two or three times as the spiderlings are growing to adulthood.

As the spiderlings exit the egg sac in spring, some of them take up residence close to home, while others shoot out a strand of silk that is caught by the breeze, carrying the spiderlings to a distant new home.

What amazing little creatures these spiders are!!

They make seven different strands of webbing with the knowledge to know when and how to use each one of them. They make the powder that prevents the eggs from sticking together and make moulting fluid, with the knowledge of exactly when to deposit it inside the sac to make the trap door so the spiderlings can escape.

One has to ask if this could have evolved by chance over thousands of years. No, this is another creature that shows that it had an all-wise Creator who planned with infinite knowledge and care for all of its needs. What a wonderful Creator God we serve!

Sources: Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution, Volume 1 by Dr. Jobe Martin; NC State Extension Publications; wikipedia.org/wiki/Argiope_aurantia; nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Yellow-Garden-Spider; entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/SPIDERS/yellow-garden-spider