http://reflecting.larryhollon.com on Creation and all living things Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:56:45 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Patrick Barkham takes a comprehensive look at the decline of butterflies in the United Kingdom. He says some species are at risk of completely disappearing. Causes are numerous: the practices of modern agriculture, development and loss of habitat, and global warming. Barkham explains the complex balance that makes survival possible, and ... http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=251 We woke up before dawn to hear owls very nearby. In the morning darkness I went out to locate them and spotted two very large hoot owls communicating with each other as they sat on the eave of our neighbor's house. I've never been that close to owls in the ... http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=241 It started as a beautiful spring morning and I took the newspaper out onto the deck where I found this newly emerged swallowtail drying and pumping its wings. He or she was outside. I've had six chrysalises set aside in the garage and they've begun to hatch, but this butterfly ... http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=222 Spring is arriving amidst up and down temperatures and false starts. Bleeding hearts have blossomed but the forecast is for a hard freeze, so they are likely to be nipped out of the bud. I discovered a hardy swallowtail survivor as well. It had formed a chrysalis last fall by ... http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=199 We had a warm Sunday. By midafternoon the temperature had reached 72F. For an early spring day it was balmy and wonderful. When my daughter stepped into the garage she noticed a newly emerged swallowtail. I had brought five chrysalises into the garage last fall and expected them to winter ... http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=157 In an interesting commentary in the New York Times today Michael Cannell writes that design thrives in hard times. It reminded me of the streamlining of locomotives, many of which were designed at the height of the Great Depression and were born of the hard times the designers, engine manufacturers ... http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=151 The photography on the website The Sky in Motion is very well-done. If you haven't found this site through Stumble Upon, check it out. Great work. http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=150 Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, is captured with stunning photography in the Cassini flyby. The Boston Globe has collected images, each of which is remarkable for clarity as well as for the information they convey about this intriguing satellite. One of my favorites is an image of sister moon Titan in ... http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=148 I've been taking the long Labor Day weekend to photograph hummingbirds and to get previously shot photos together. I've put together a selection on Picasa at this link. It's a challenge to capture these erratic, fast creatures but after reading several articles on the web offering tips about how to anticipate ... http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=143 I'm still on a personal quest to take a personal best, if not perfect, photo of a hummingbird. I'm not there yet. But we've got a few more temporary residents this year so I hope I'll have another shot. By our best count we think we've got three immature male Ruby ... http://reflecting.larryhollon.com/?p=140