Wildlife may be closer than you think (Walden 153)

“It is remarkable how many creatures live wild and free though secret in the woods, and still sustain themselves in the neighborhood of towns, suspected by hunters only.” — Henry David Thoreau, “Brute Neighbors,” Walden

It bears repeating that Walden Pond was not a wilderness. A mile-and-a-half from town, it was bordered by a railroad and frequented by woodcutters and visitors from town, and was less thickly wooded than it is today. But it was rich with wildlife for Henry to enjoy.

Curious cows, horses, and dogs

I think the dog in the video knew what she was doing. After the black cow becomes startled, Lucy lies down and the cows (or steers more likely; can’t tell from the video) relax and come closer. Our boxer, Basie, used to do the same thing with small dogs who were afraid of her. But in the photo below, she stood quietly to sniff noses with the horses, who weren’t a bit afraid but eager to make her acquaintance.

Basie meets new friends, October 2002.

That Tree

January 19, 2013. Day 302. Photo by Mark Hirsch. See more photos (and larger versions) at Hirsch’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/photosofthattree

How many different ways can you look at the same tree? Photographer Mark Hirsch decided to find out.

He told NBC News, “I drove by that tree for 19 years and never took a single frame of it.”

“That tree” is a massive bur oak — more than 150 years old — which stands in a Wisconsin cornfield. Hirsch has been taking daily photos of the tree since March 24, 2012, when he challenged himself to photograph the tree every day for a year.

In an earlier post I talked about the benefits of getting to know a particular piece of land over time, seeing it in all seasons. This project is a wonderful example of that, especially because photography prods you to look closely at your subject and see it in new ways. One small photo is probably all I can reasonably claim “fair use” for, but I encourage you to visit Hirsch’s Facebook page to see the tree in all its moods and colors in the changing seasons.