Cool Wildlife Garden & Plant images

Published on May 12, 2011 by admin   ·   No Comments

Some cool Wildlife Garden & Plant images:

Spring Plant Sale


Image by CoDiFi
Photographs in this collection have been produced by Alison Lowrie, Heather Do, Liz Dolinar, and Adriana Haro at request of Michael Ashley for the UC Berkeley Anthropology 136e class, Spring 2011. The purpose was to digitally document the cultural heritage of Green Gulch Zen Center with the objective of gaining better insight into the Zen Center’s cultural history through the use of photographic technology.

Green Gulch Farm Zen Center (Latitude 37.86657, Longitude -122.56528), also referred to as the Green Dragon Temple, is located in Marin County, CA in a beautiful coastal valley overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Green Gulch, approximately a 10 mile drive north of San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, is located on 115 acres surrounded by hundreds of acres of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Green Gulch is a cultural heritage site constituting of one of the three centers that form the San Francisco Zen Center founded by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi [1]. In 1972, Green Gulch was purchased from George Wheelwright, co-founder of Polaroid, as a part of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s vision to obtain a farm near the San Francisco Bay area where a Zen Buddhist community could communally live and practice [2] [3]. At Mr. Wheelwright’s request, the San Francisco Zen Center agreed to continue to maintain the working organic farm, keep the trails open to recreational hikers, as well as help preserve the surrounding landscape [4]. Green Gulch now serves as a Buddhist practice center in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition, where their endeavor is to awaken the people residing, working, and visiting the center in the bodhisattva spirit – the spirit of kindness and realistic helpfulness [1]. There are a number of historic buildings on site, including the Zendo, the Wheelwright conference center, Hope Cottage and a number of smaller guesthouses. Additionally, Green Gulch is home to an organic farm and garden, numerous hiking trails and scenic outlooks and variety of native plants and wildlife. The center offers training and practice in Zen meditation through workshops and retreats, as well as apprenticeships emphasizing meditation practice, Buddhist teachings, and organic gardening and farming methods [5].

Photographs in this collection were captured on Sunday April 24, 2011, between 11:30 AM and 2:15 PM Pacific Time, under sunny conditions. Nixon D80 and two-Canon XSI cameras were used. A tripod was used for HDR shots. The photos were post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.

Description written by Adriana Haro, following Alonso C. Addison’s proposed virtual heritage metadata format in his chapter "The Vanishing Virtual" in New Heritage: New Media and Cultural Heritage, edited by Kalay, et al., and published by Routledge in 2007.

All photos Copyright ©2011 Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley CA Creative Commons creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
For more information contact Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley, CA, 94720 or visit www.codifi.info/licensing

Further information about Green Gulch Zen Center can be found at www.sfzc.org/ggf/

[1] www.sfzc.org/ggf/display.asp?catid=3&pageid=484
[2] Oda, Mayumi (2002). I Opened the Gate, Laughing: an Inner Journey. Chronicle Books.
[3] Richmond, Ivan. Silence and Noise: Growing Up Zen in America. Simon and Schuster.
[4] McCormick, Kathleen (2000). The Garden Lover’s Guide to the West. Princeton Architectural Press.
[5] www.sfzc.org/ggf/display.asp?catid=3,79&pageid=251

Original Filename: CAM10_AL_020.dng

Petirrojo en el jardín – Robin in the garden (HOW THE ROBIN HE WON THE COLOR OF YOUR CHEST) – Pit-roig al jardí – Erithacus rubecula


Image by ferran pestaña
HOW THE ROBIN HE WON THE COLOR OF YOUR CHEST (Google translate)
(Story of Selma Lagerlof, the Nobel Prize in Literature 1909)

It was at the time that Our Lord not only created the heaven and the earth but also all animals and plants, which gave its name at the same time.

From that time could tell many stories, and if all were known to us clarify many things in the world, now we can not understand.

It happened one day to find our Lord in Heaven, painting the birds ran out of colors in the palette, so that the goldfinch had been colorless not happen to be the good God had not yet cleared all the brush.

It was then when God gave the donkey’s long ears, because of its difficulty in retaining its name. Just forgot it was taken a few steps from the plains of Paradise, and three times was compelled to ask again what was his name. So God, a little impatient, took him by both ears, and said:

"Your name is: donkey, donkey, donkey.

And while he spoke he was pulling the ears of an ass, so that they were growing in order to hear better and not forget what he was told.

The same day he had to impose a punishment for Bee. Just was established it began to accumulate honey. And when man and animals perceived their delicate aroma came for testing. But the bee wanted to keep it all for himself and threw to all who came to the hive, by force of biting them with their poisonous sting. Seeing God, he immediately called the bee to impose a punishment.

"I’ve endowed with the power to collect honey," said Our Lord, which is the most gentle of creation, but I have not granted the right to be tough with your neighbors. So do not forget that every bee, which pique someone who wants to try their honey, with life atone for the bite.

Yes, this happened the day he became blind cricket and the ant lost its wings. Weird So many things happened that day!

God spent sitting majestically on his throne and kind, Believe that you created, encouraging all their breath, and by the end of the afternoon he came up with even a small gray bird.

- You call Robin! God said the bird, when he had finished. And by placing the palm of your hand, let it fly.

And when the bird had hovered for a while, watching the beautiful land where I had to live, she wanted to be seen himself. Then noted that it was completely gray, and his heart, therefore, the same color as the rest of his body. Robin turned and twisted looking in the water, but in vain: not a single feather found itself red. And the bird hurried back with our Lord.

God was sitting, kind and gentle in his throne. From his hands came off butterflies flitting around his head, the birds chirped in his shoulders and around his land sprouted roses, lilies and daisies.

The bird’s heart throbbed violently, full of fear, but by drawing airy circles, was getting closer and closer to God, until he landed on his hand.

Then the Heavenly Father asked what he wanted, and the bird replied:

"I wanted to ask you something.

- What do you want to know?

- Why call Robin if from the beak to the tip of the tail am completely gray? Why call Robin if I have no red spot on my body?

And the bird, with its large black eyes and pleading, he looked to the Lord, shaking his head from side to side. Around him he saw purple pheasant feathers sprinkled lightly golden, thick parrots with red ruffles, bed-crested roosters, butterflies, goldfish and roses sprang up everywhere.

And I thought the bird:

- I need so little, even be a drop of color on the chest to become a beautiful bird and look right to the name! Why do I call if I am completely gray robin?

Once he had thus spoken, the bird waited for the good Lord said:

"Oh, buddy, I notice that I have forgotten to paint red feathers in your chest, wait, this is a moment thing.

But our Lord limitóse smiled kindly and said:

"I called Robin, and Robin will be called, but you yourself have to come to earn the red feathers of the breast.

And the good Lord raised his hand and sent him back.

The bird flew thoughtful for Paradise. How could a bird as small as him, to earn the red feathers?

The only thing they saw was able to choose their nest in a thicket. Among the thorns of the dense bush built his nest. Seemed to expect a pink sheet adhere to her neck and give up his color.

Had passed an infinitely long time since that day, which was the most auspicious of all days of the Earth. Since then both men and animals left Paradise, spread around the world. And the men had advanced so that they knew till the land and sail the seas, manufacturing garments and ornaments and had long since learned to build large temples and cities as Thebes, Rome and Jerusalem.

And a new day dawned never be forgotten in the history of the world. On the morning of that day the robin was sitting on a bare hill, near the city walls of Jerusalem, having fun with her singing to their young, resting in her nest in low bushes.

Robin recounted their young what had happened the day of creation and spoke of the distribution of names, as I was telling about each robin since their young.

"You see," he concluded sadly, many years since the day of creation, many roses withered, so many birds hatched, so many that no one could count, and yet, the robins are still gray. Have not yet managed to earn a red stain.

The little ones widened their Piquitos and asked if their ancestors had sought to make some heroic deed to achieve the conquest of the beautiful red color.

"We’ve all done what we could," sang the bird, "but none of us has been a success.

Just the first robin bird said to another, who was his faithful portrait began to love him with all the heat he felt in his chest.

- Ah! He thought. Now I understand everything. Good God believes I love so ardently love the flame is able to dye the feathers of my breast. But he failed, and after he got none neither you nor I get it.

The tiny birds twittered afflicted, thinking that never teñiría the red feathers on his chest.

"We had also relied on our ridge-old told the bird in long sustained trills and chirps.

And the first robin sang so well that his chest was full of enthusiasm and hope.

- Ah! He thought. The feathers of my chest then stained with the ardor of my enthusiastic singing.

But he failed, as none have succeeded nor you shall miss it.

Again flowed a small plaintive warbling throats bare half of the young birds.

"We trust also in our boldness and our courage," continued the bird. And the first robin fought like a brave with other birds and his chest burned with bellicose enthusiasm. The feathers of her breast were stained in the heat of a fight, but did not succeed then none, or you shall miss it.

Twittered babes full of confidence that, despite everything, try to reach the coveted prize, but the bird afflicted replied that this was impossible. How could they reach it, if other famous ancestors had not been able to get it? What else could cause them to love and sing and fight? What would a. ..?

The bird did not finish his sentence, because the gate of Jerusalem, a crowd approached the hill where was the nest of birds.

Knights approached spirited steeds, warriors with long spears, assistants of the executioner with nails and hammers, priests and judges advanced with solemn step, women wept and, after all, a mass of common people and wild, nasty tramps dancing and shrieked.

The gray bird stood, timid, at the edge of the nest. Each time feared to crush the weak that was sheltering bush and kill their young.

"Take care she trilled to prevent the defenseless birds. Apretao each other and do not give away. Care, which is a horse that will run over us! There comes a soldier with spiked shoes. By moving beyond the whole savage horde.

Suddenly, the bird stopped their cries, he remained mute and motionless, almost forgetting the danger in what they were and, finally, Then he put into the nest and spread his wings on the little ones ..

- No, that’s too terrible! She trilled. I spare you that vision. There will be three criminals crucified. And spread their wings for the little ones could not see it. Received only thunderous blows, cries and the din of angry mob.

Robin looked after the horrible show, and his little eyes widened with horror. I could not take your eyes off the three unfortunate.

- How cruel men are! She trilled after a while. Not enough to be nailed to the cross those three things, but also have made them a crown of thorns. I clearly see blood pumping out of his forehead, a wound by the crown. And this man is so beautiful and looks so sweet, that everyone should love him. In view of their martyrdom seems to me pierce the heart with an arrow.

The bird penalty executed by wearing the crown of thorns was growing by the minute.

"If I was the brother of the eagle-tear thought the nails pierced his hands and with my sharp claws scare away all their executioners.

Robin saw the blood dripping from the front of the cross, and could not stay longer still.

"Though I am small and weak, we need to do something for this poor martyr-chirped to himself.

And left the nest and flew into the air. Charting flipped several times larger circles around without getting crucified him, it was a bird so shy that he had never dared to approach people. But little by little, began to take courage to reach the cross and his beak often took one of the thorns in the face of the crucified.

And while it did, a drop of blood splashed on the breast of the bird, red staining the delicate feathers of its throat.

And the crucified opened her lips and whispered the bird:

"In reward for your devotion you deserve what your race is all yearning from the day of creation.

When the bird returned to its nest, I twittered their children:

- Your breast is red, your throat feathers are more red roses!

"This is not only a drop of blood from the head of that bastard. Disappear as soon as I bathe in a stream or a fountain-the bird chirped in reply.

But even if the bird dived under the water, the color faded from his chest, and when they grew their young, the spot flashed red as blood, the feathers of their breasts, as even today shines in the all robin’s breast.

Translated by google

maintenance free garden


Image by Leo Reynolds
My nephew Paul (pudtiny on Flickr) has been busy making the back garden maintenance free so we can spend more time on Flickr. He’s removed the lawn, put down weed retardant cloth which will be covered with pebbles and created a wildlife pond. We will stand pots with flowers, shrubs and plants on the pebbles.

OK…the pond and pots will require maintenance but the benefits will be worth it.

Tags: Cool, Garden, images, plant, Wildlife