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 "Those who are inspired by a model other than Nature, a mistress above all masters, are laboring in vain" -Leonardo daVinci 

Studying nature is not like any other discipline. It is the oldest physical science that is right on the cusp of an art. Lessons learnt from nature are not as simple as those found on a school's lesson plan, but they are very much truths, with lifelong morals. Humans have been trying to learn how to think naturally since before history was written. Everyone seems to be able to only learn their own lessons. It also takes a lifetime of study.

While a wasp is usually a subject of fear for most, the innate natural design is impressive if you have a picture that can reveal it fully. This specimen died of cold exposure. A wasp body is build like a race car and is all about functional business.

 

Butterflies like this cabbage white have a lot more subtle charisma. Their body is designed like a billboard that communicates information about their unpalatability to predators. It is needed to get noticed by their own species. These insects need to produce more caterpillars quickly while the plants their larva eat are still around, usually mustard grasses.

While pictures are nice, they can never tell the whole narrative. This picture is not a good example of photography, but shows a male wood duck bravely facing down a dog (on a leash) while it tried to distract attention from the female hiding in a nearby new nesting site. This is not the typical behavior for these shy ducks. Once she had safely escaped, the male followed her, shrieking warnings the whole time.

Mergansers have been fishing in pairs, probably both as pair bonding and as a co-operative hunting tactic. These flashy birds to not stick around much.

Leaf litter is an important nursery for many insects. The distinct, musky odor of "stink bugs" usually begins to form this time of year as yards are cleared of this useful leaf resource. Alarm chemicals are released if their nursery is disturbed.

While winter is a calm and tranquil time for reflection, spring is all about action. Turf wars break out as territory is defended from all comers. This crow is loudly bossing a near by red tailed hawk to drive it away from a kill for the pair to then steal. These two species are old enemies, each capable to killing nestlings of the other. Even though they don't directly compete for food, or space, they clearly antagonize each other.

The hawk has sharp claws and beak, but the crow is much tougher and also more maneuverable. Crows can also work together to steal a hawk's kill. After driving off the hawk, they then caw to draw attention to it while it is trying to hide for another ambush. This forces it further away if it wants to eat.

Most Canada geese have already left the area for the summer, but some stay around, especially if they are fed. This pair get handouts of corn from people visiting the bosque.

While crows benefit from humans too, they like to forage when they can. This one is patrolling the river's edge to find exposed nibbles like clams, or insect larvae. Their inquisitive nature allows them to exploit many nooks and crannies.

 

 Black phoebes hunt by pouncing on small insects in flight from a stationary perch. They specialize in feeding on a resource few other birds can compete with. This methods seems difficult and hard work, but allows these birds to not worry about needing too think to hard, a blessing in a hectic world.

The kinglet is an absolutely tiny bird that also hunts small insects for food. The difference is this one stalks after the small insects resting on the short weeds. It seemed to be collecting spiders on this day.

Snapping turtles are big and slow, but can move impressively fast when the weather is warmer. This large female was starting to get out and about as the afternoons begin to warm her up to cruising speed.

People release large numbers of ladybirds to reduce aphids in their gardens. The benefits of this are questionable, at best. especially if they are released too early to find any...

The fresh grass shoots have encouraged rabbits into the bosque. This draws the attention of hawks. A Cooper's hawk is displaying it's fine needle talons while it waits to find a dove that is distracted by courtship.

 

 Coopers are probably too small to take down a rabbit. This kill was dragged off by a pair of nesting ravens that live in the cell phone tower next to Village pizza. I have christened the family "5G". A rabbit leg is probably a nice change from the pizza crusts this pair normally scavenges. Road kill such as squirrels have dispersed the flocks of crows along roadways and up into the mesa, each crow for themself.

With the temperatures during the day as warm as they have been feeling, it can often be surprising to see that the farmer's almanac lists the last cold frost as May 1, which is officially the start of the farming season in Corrales. If trees have active buds and flowers before the last cold frost, a whole year's crop can be lost. It is interesting how much ice controls nature's development, even in warm climates like New Mexico. The mud is used by many organisms to avoid the lethal effects of freezing and is one reason wetlands are so vital to an ecosystem. In this picture, the new cattails are protected from damage by a mixture of glycogen in their tissues and the weird, physical science of frozen water. While a lot is known about cattail removal, there is very little research about cattail rhizome survival in the literature.

This is why observation in nature is so interesting, and still the best teacher.