Bobcat

Bobcats live alone, and are found throughout North America and Mexico, hunting mostly small prey such as rabbits and squirrels. They have soft pads on their feet which allows them to stalk stealthily through the forest floor. When they find their prey, they can spring from their hiding spot with a pounce that is over 10 feet wide and can knock over a grown human.

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bobcat/

Fire Pink (Silene virginica)

This Fire Pink, or Silene virginica, is native to Tennessee and the eastern United States. This flower which is 1 to 1.5 inches is commonly found in meadows, forests and rocky slopes. It is seen blooming from April to August, and is often visited by ruby-throated hummingbirds, who like to drink this flower's nectar and is one of its primary pollinators.

Fire pink is a member of the carnation family (caryophyllaceae).  The plant has a sticky-hairy glandular stem which traps smaller insects and leads to one of its common names catchfly.

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SIVI4

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/silene_virginica.shtml

Field of Flowers

The Earth laughs in flowers. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Leaf

The leaf is a food factory for plants, an oxygen producer for aerobic organisms and a key component in the production of water for the earth. The leaf is the keeper of chlorophyll, a chemical compound which traps the energy from sunlight and uses it to convert the carbon dioxide, which it has taken in from the atmosphere, to oxygen and hydrogen. In the atmosphere, some of the oxygen will react with the hydrogen to create water.  This is why places like Tennessee are so humid. The high amount of vegetation, means high water content in the air.  

If you look closely at this leaf, you can see rectangle or block like outlines within the blade. These outlines from the rigid rectangular structures of the cells which comprise a leaf.  When there are many put together, you can see the outline of their shape with the naked eye. To learn more about leaves go to: http://sciencewithme.com/learn-about-leaves/

The American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinch is one of the most striking birds in North America. With brilliant black and yellow feathers, these birds are immediately recognizable, especially in the summer months. The goldfinch, unlike most birds of its type, prefers to remain a strict vegetarian, eating only seeds for its entire life. To attract this handsome creature to your own back yard, plant native thistle or hang bird feeders full of sunflower and nyjer seeds. This way, you’ll get to enjoy the presence of the American Goldfinch all year long! For more information go to: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/lifehistory

Tree, gather up my thoughts...

Tree, gather up my thoughts
like the clouds in your branches.
Draw up my soul
like the waters in your root.
In the arteries of your trunk
bring me together.
Through your leaves
breathe out the sky.

J. Daniel Beady