Category Archives: nature

Not too bright

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At Brookfield Zoo.

Yesterday I learned that koalas possess practically grooveless brains. With one of the smallest brain-to-body-mass ratios in mammals, koalas cannot decide or conclude; their cognitive abilities are all but nonexistent. Apparently, they can’t even recognize eucalyptus leaves as food if the leaves have been stripped from the branches.

But, gosh, are they cute.

After seeing the koalas, I had hoped to visit Hitchcock Poe* the raven (an animal so adroit, some call it a “flying primate”), but he was not in the enclosure in which I last encountered him, and he does not appear in the zoo’s list of animals. How weird would it be to email the zoo about him?

*Edited on August 14: Thank you for the encouragement. I spoke with someone in the animal care department: Poe the raven lives! According to an email reply from the zoo, he can be found in the Wild Encounters exhibit.

Pollinator pockets

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That green expanse behind the pollinator pockets is an anomaly. Most years, by this time, the lawns are shades of orange and brown — dormant or nearly burnt. Elsewhere, people are experiencing dangerous and damaging weather, I know; but here? It has mostly been beautiful, and I’ve only needed to water twice since May.

Thursday

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Recent acquisitions.

The drone of the cicadas has subsided, but the damage to the trees remains. The oaks, which are the hardest hit in our area, are susceptible to other issues, so the flagging certainly cannot be good for them. I am trying not to borrow trouble, though, so I will share that it was a delight to tend to the yards and gardens this morning’s cool quiet.

Respite

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Seen at Matthaei Botanical Gardens.

Most of the reasons I have been so busy since late April fall under the heading “Not necessarily my story to tell,” but the next few days should adhere to a more regular schedule of walking, studying, practicing, and reading. Of course, simply writing that sentence may ensure disruption. And so it goes.

Until the next alarum, then, I am finishing A Midsummer Night’s Dream today, having resumed my Shakespeare in a Year project, and I hope to finish Roxana Robinson’s biography of Georgia O’Keeffe over the next few days. My first music lesson since April is scheduled for next week, and maybe I’ll have time for my Latin studies, which have been too long neglected.