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To be sane in an insane world isn’t easy.
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[This small Ant may be biting the leaf to extract juices. Below the Ant is a small, bite-sized hole.]
Walking on a vertical leaf isn’t easy. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Compassion is that alive awareness that cares beyond the cadaverous uncaring.
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[This is a small Leafhopper on a cluster of colorful, wild Pigweed seeds. The Leafhoppers in Illinois are all relatively small. Leafhoppers have piercing-sucking mouth parts, which enables them to feed on plant sap. Pigweed is considered a weed and is a nuisance to farmers… but it is edible for humans and is full of nutritious vitamins.]
Down the Up-staircase. (Leafhopper on Pigweed) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The little contains the large. The large contains the little.
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[Scarlet-and-green Leafhoppers are active from spring through fall in open habitats with plenty of herbaceous, lush foliage. Scarlet-and-green Leafhoppers feed on the sap of vines and shrubs. They are relatively small… often considerably less than 1/4th of an inch long.]
Little insect; large beauty! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The fears and hopes that exist in one… may not at all be separate from what one is.
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[Marbled Orb Weaver Spiders make spiraling orb webs built on low trees, shrubs, or grasses. Marbled Orb Weaver Spiders make a retreat in curled leaves or, if the web is on a tree, under bark. This one was in our yard near the river bank and was tough to photograph from its top side (i.e., dorsal side); its eyes are pretty good a seeing approaching visitors and it would quickly retreat into a curled leaf! However, I was better able to approach it in the evening! Notice how it is simultaneously spinning web and tightening web with separate legs! (I usually can’t do two things at once!)
Additional note: I will be posting more spiders (and similar creatures) in the Halloween month of October. It is neat that they are part of an old Halloween tradition (that is fun for kids). However, it is unfortunate that many children grow up associating spiders with “being frightened” and as “terrible creatures to be horrified of.” As the late, superb naturalist, Steve Irwin often propounded, spiders and snakes can indeed be seen to be majestic, marvelous animals, truly beautiful in their own ways. We must, as Steve Irwin so graciously suggested before his untimely passing, be far better caretakers of Mother Earth.]
Different and colorful! Marbled Orb Weaver Spider. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Interesting marbled design! Marbled Orb Weaver Spider. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The lucidity of insight shatters through the shady recesses of the stale known.
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[Golden Mayflies do not feed. With Golden Mayflies, the young naiad nymphs eat diatoms and other algae from the bottom mud and submerged vegetation of lakes, rivers, and ponds.]
Resting Golden Mayfly. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Many are caught in the limitation and web of mundane time; very few, unfortunately, go beyond that barrier.
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[This spider, in our backyard (down by the river bank), won the lottery! This spider is an Orb-weaver that is likely a Barn Spider (due, partly, to the whitish hairs on its legs). Orb-weaver spider webs are dismantled (consumed) by the spider at the end of each night, and are rebuilt early the next evening; but this spider had too much to consume! She hit the jackpot! Count them all!
Additional note: I will be posting more spiders (and similar creatures) in the Halloween month of October. It is neat that they are part of an old Halloween tradition (that is fun for kids). However, it is unfortunate that many children grow up associating spiders with “being frightened” and as “terrible creatures to be horrified of.” As the late, superb naturalist, Steve Irwin often propounded, spiders and snakes can indeed be seen to be majestic, marvelous animals, truly beautiful in their own ways. We must, as Steve Irwin so graciously suggested before his untimely passing, be far better caretakers of Mother Earth.]
Orb Weaver Spider’s Bonanza Catch (1). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Orb Weaver Spider’s Bonanza Catch (2). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Concentration on a fixed (limited) point is hypnosis or egotism, not meditation; meditation is not being fixated by the limited technique (or blueprint) of others, but is a free, passionate awareness of the whole of everything beyond exclusion.
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[This aperture in the tree could be a scope for a gun barrel or a focal mechanism for shooting a camera; or it could be a place where lichens no longer exist (unless they’re on the far tree in the background). We will have more photos of interesting lichens in the future. (We will be visiting the tree in the background and some of the other trees in the area.)]
Tree Scope. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Let the lowly roots reach out through the water (and the boat) and flower into something truly lofty and sublime beyond all the endless mediocrity.
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[Watch the following YouTube music-video also.
Roots To Branches (Lyrics by Jethro Tull):
Words get written. Words get twisted.
Old meanings move in the drift of time.
Lift the flickering torches. See gentle shadows change
the features of the faces cut in unmoving stone.
Bad mouth on a prayer day, hope no one’s listening.
Roots down in the wet clay, branches glistening.
True disciples carrying that message
to color just a little with their personal touch.
Home-spun fancy weavers and naked half-believers
Crusades and creeds descend like fiery flakes of snow.
Bad mouth on a prayer day, hope no one’s listening.
Roots down in the wet clay, branches glistening.
In wet and windy priest-holes. Grand in vast cathedrals.
High on lofty minarets or in the temples of doom.
I hope the old man’s got his face on.
He’d better be some quick change artist.
Suffer little children to make their minds up soon.
Bad mouth on a prayer day, hope no one’s listening.
Roots down in the wet clay, branches glistening. ]
Roots to Branches (1). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Roots to Branches (2). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Thoughts are the conditioned, residual remnants of experience; deep insight and “being” go far beyond mere experience.
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[This insect is known as the Bee Assassin. These predatory insects are usually found on the leaves and stems of plants (as was this photographed specimen). Leaves and stems are not areas where honeybees usually tend to visit. Bee Assassin insects, in reality, mostly eat other types of insects, such as flies, beetles, caterpillars, and mosquitoes. Their front legs have a “stickiness” which enables them to easily catch insects. Bee Assassin insects, though they may look rather intimidating, are largely beneficial, as they help to eradicate many harmful garden pests.]
If you’re another bug, watch out for this one! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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There is no “we” and “them.” There is no “us” and “they.”
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[This is a unique form of Parasol Mushroom that seems to be almost glass-like with barely any top section; even from the top it looks like gills! The bottom photo is actually a shot of the top of this mushroom! These mushrooms grow at night and are gone by daylight. They are rather small sized mushrooms.]
Glass-like and diminutive. (1) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Glass-like and diminutive. (2) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Inner and integral happiness does not cost a dime!
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[This is a Black Swallowtail Butterfly resting on a Thistle Flower. Black Swallowtail Butterfly eggs are yellowish and ovoid shaped, and are laid on wild and cultivated plants of the carrot family, such as parsley, parsnips, celery, and carrots. There are two broods of Black Swallowtails annually in the North, and at least three in the South.]
Black is beautiful! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Most people, unfortunately, are content to remain in the limited… which is like staying in an enclosed, cold room.
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[This is a Painted Lady Butterfly, a Bee Assassin, a Green Tree Cricket, a Hover Fly, some Ants, and a Soldier Beetle on a Goldenrod Plant. The more the merrier!]
A big weekend party! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The implicate, illimitable order always exists beyond limited, crass confinement.
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[This is a Red-eyed Planthopper, Acanalonia conica. The Planthopper hops with gigantic leaps to get away from danger. This rapid form of transportation is only used when it needs to make a quick getaway, though. Usually, Planthoppers move very slowly so as not to attract any unwanted attention from birds or other predators. I noticed this one temporarily resting on our cement porch; then I quickly ran in the house to grab my camera!]
Planthopper. Enlightenment personified (1). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Planthopper. Enlightenment personified (2). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The epiphany of profound insight may occur when the mind is naturally quiet without effort.
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[A Bronze Copper Butterfly. Bronze Copper Butterflies like to frequent wet meadows. They hibernate in the egg stage.]
The Dalmatian of butterflies. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Real insight takes place in the present; it is never merely the result of old, stale, past knowledge and accumulation.
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[These acorns from an old oak Tree accompany a lone mushroom. If the acorns don’t grow into trees, they will decompose and will provide the mushroom with plenty of energy. Both the oak tree and the mushroom are sowing seeds for the future.]
Seeds of life! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Without motive, sit and perceive without all the separation that you’ve learned.
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[Purple flowers in a local park. I think they may be Phacelia flowers.]
Small Purple Flowers (Phacelia). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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A bad means used to get a good end is usually disorder and is not intelligent.
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[These are micro-mushrooms (super small mushrooms) growing on the bark of a living oak tree along with some lichens. These diminutive mushrooms were around the size of a question mark (such as within a standard newspaper article or magazine). Mushrooms are the fruiting body of a fungus. Lichens themselves are a type of fungus growing in a symbiotic relationship with a particular type of algae, the two together forming a single organism.]
Small but significant! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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If there were many dark rooms and closed doors between you and the light of truth, would you merely be content — as so many are — to remain in limited enclosures?!
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[This butterfly is a Red-spotted Purple. In Red-spotted Purple butterflies, there are up to 3 generations within a year. They prefer open habitats, such as meadows, forest edges, open woodlands, and areas along rivers.]
Berry eater and flower greeter. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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I’d rather be emaciated physically, than starved of real insight and compassion.
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[These are Fairy Mushrooms in a rural yard. They were growing in a large ring… and were rather large relative to other mushrooms in our area. Note how the two photographed are fused together as one… a true marriage bond! (Actually, clusters of mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of one larger organism down below in the soil; so they truly are one!)]
Home grown. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Home grown (2). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The learner is the learned; the painter is the painted; the criminal is the crime; the doctor is the healing.
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[The approaching meeting. This is an inquisitive Grasshopper and a Green Tree Cricket on a Wild Sunflower.]
The Meeting. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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What separates your face from your hands is what separates you from others.
Nothing!
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[The two larger insects are Tarnished Bugs. These insects remain active from spring through fall. Tarnished Bugs extract juices from the leaves, young stems, flowers, and fruits of more than 200 plant species. They are small insects, around a quarter of an inch long.]
Not tarnished in my eyes! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Though everything has marginal boundaries and borders… see everything as “all one” unbroken whole!
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[A Dingy Cutworm Moth and a Ladybug (and other small insects) on a Wild Sunflower plant. Dingy Cutworm Moths are considered pests to crops, such as soybeans, while Ladybugs eat smaller insect pests, such as aphids, and are very beneficial.]
The Lady and the Tramp. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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It is likely that the mind cannot fully go beyond nightly anxieties about the future if it continues to feel that it is something separate from what they are.
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[A diminutive fly of the order Diptera resting on a very small, rain-laden Viola flower. Viola flowers tend to attract many small insects, while larger insects ignore them completely.]
Rain dodger! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Love the truth more than man-made fabrications and constructions. Look effortlessly (now and then) without separation and learned patterns.
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[These are Sulphur Butterflies (specifically, Alfalfa Sulphur Butterflies). They like to land on wet river bank soil to absorb needed moisture and minerals.]
A male and two females. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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It’s not how far or how many you’ve gotten in life… it’s how deep!
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[Grasshoppers would have made Jack’s job a lot more difficult with climbing the beanstalk! There would be grasshoppers flying everywhere!]
Grasshoppers and the beanstalk? Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Don’t let life’s great mystery pass you by!
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[Painted Lady Butterflies mating. They are discreetly using leaves for privacy. The Painted Lady Butterfly larva builds a webbed nest on the food plant, usually Thistle.]
Two as one. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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It may be a losing battle — getting this sick world well — but, like a good surgeon, we’ll keep fighting anyway! 😉
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[These are Ladybugs having an important conference. Both the adults and the larvae are predators, mostly of aphids; therefore, they are very beneficial in gardens. Ladybugs are common on plants and often overwinter as adults in large swarms under fallen leaves or bark.]
Ladybugs in an important meeting. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The dichotomy — between the “perceiver” and “that which is perceived” — is essentially (psychologically) illusory and nonexistent.
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[Group of Monarch Butterflies on wild flowers, gathering nectar and preparing for migration.]
Preparing for migration. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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You can say “Namaste” until you are blue in the face… but unless you live like all life forms are not separate from your actual self, it is rather meaningless.
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[This huge wasp is a called the Giant Cicada Killer. The adults feed on nectar; the larva feed on cicadas. Several females use their “bushy” legs to make nests of branching tunnels in light clay to sandy soil. Front legs are used for digging; the hind legs are used for kicking out dirt. Females hunt cicadas one at a time; each victim is stung and brought back to the nest. One to two cicadas are placed in each cell; one wasp egg is laid on the last one. When this wasp was being photographed, I got quite close to it. It was aware of my presence, but seemed to be indifferent of me… seeming to know that it was equipped to attack if I truly threatened it. I used to keep bees, so was not intimidated by it; though I was glad that it respected me as I did it.]
Huge Wasp indeed! (1) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Huge wasp indeed! (2) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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One should always think of and help oneself first… and oneself, by the way, is the whole of humanity and life.
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[This is a young Bullfrog, probably a female, in the security of a pond. Amphibians (and all vertebrates) evolved from fish… and this young frog has very fish-like eyes! The round disc behind the eye of the Bullfrog is the eardrum. For Bullfrogs, the eardrum is larger in males than it is in females. In males it is larger than the eye. In females, the eardrum is the same size or smaller than the eye. Female Bullfrogs grow to be larger than males. This one is very young… so it probably won’t croak soon. 😉 ]
Not green due to envy! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Insight is correct action to help life.
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[An elusive jumping spider. She jumped from one leaf to another plenty of times and was difficult to photograph. All those eyes signaled me out too easily! I finally got a shot and left her be!]
Enough eyes to see everywhere! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Interestingly, when thinking occurs, thought reacts as a virtual copy (in the form) of one’s own physical voice (as you tend to hear it). One can intelligently go beyond virtual “copyism.”
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[This wild plant became eaten by a small — but voracious — caterpillar culprit. However, he is not the only one responsible. Look very closely and you may see other cohorts involved with the crime… and (just like criminals) they’re good at hiding!]
Crime Scene. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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An insect’s priorities don’t include understanding the whole. Go beyond an arthropodan mentality.
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[Green June Beetles are metallic bronze-green underneath. Like other scarab oriented insects, Green June Beetles lay their eggs in the ground and their larvae develop as c-shaped grubs within the soil. Following having pupated underground, they emerge as adults in the summer and actively fly, feed, and reproduce from June–September.]
Green in Yellow. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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To be perceptive means to be observant, to be sensitive; and one isn’t fully perceptive if one does not have deep sensitivity and love for all living things.
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[Milkweed plants feed so many insects, yet seem to prosper and continue to do very well! True energy machines! These are nymph stages of the Large Milkweed Bug. Both the adults and young nymphs of the Large Milkweed Bug sip nectar and sap from plants and their flowers… but seem to do no significant damage. In the fall and winter they over-winter in the cottony growth of the milkweed pods. It would be nice if our homes were so edible and accommodating!]
One big happy family! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
It’s sweet when your home is what you can eat! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Normality is a common type of insanity.
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[Leaf beetles, Diabrotica barberi, and Ladybug beetles on a wild sunflower plant. Some species of Leaf Beetles are very destructive to corn crops. Ladybugs, on the other hand, eat many insect pests, though these are additionally getting the abundant nectar from this wild flower. (One can’t blame them for liking sweets!]
Can you count how many there are? Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Really… happiness is an inside job!
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[This butterfly is a Silver-spotted Skipper. Skippers have some characteristics of both butterflies and moths. They tend to have large, rather stocky heads, thick-oriented bodies, and relatively short wings, spanning up to 2 inches. The antenna are set far apart on the head and end in a curved hook. Adults love to sip nectar (as this one can be seen doing with its long proboscis.]
Like a moth to a candle! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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I’m not interested in just nonchalantly passing through life while having a lot of mundane, but essentially superficial, experiences; I want to delve deep and (no matter what the answer entails) find out about the true essence of the whole and about existence.
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[This is close up study of an adult Mayfly resting upon an outside-oriented window pane. Though the immature “nymph” stage usually lasts around a year (living underwater), the adult stage of this order of insects usually only lives from a few minutes to a few days, depending on the species. The primary function of the adult is reproduction. Eating (for such a short adult span of time) is unnecessary; the mature adults don’t even possess functional mouth parts. Often, they emerge as adults at the same time; that way, predators get satiated and can only eat so many at once, enabling the others to survive (though their time is not long).]
An adult Mayfly: Short-lived but beautiful! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Fingers apart are still — and will always be — fingers together!
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[These caterpillars — lined up and looking like puppies for sale and selection at the local pet store — are Milkweed Tussock moth (Euchaetes egle) caterpillars. They are eating and resting on a Milkweed plant. Caterpillars often look a lot different in appearance during each successive molt. Some species have completely different colors, or length of setae (fur-like covering), or may or may not have antennae or horns, for example. The variation between instars is one of the factors that makes it challenging to identify caterpillars.]
Milkweed Tussock moth (Euchaetes egle) caterpillars. This is no puppy mill! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Real passion in life cannot merely be taught. Real passion is not for one or two things, it is for the whole!
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[This slender insect is a Conehead Katydid. The Conehead Katydid feeds on flowers and foliage, such as shrubs and trees. Males chirp during the day and sometimes at night with a “tsip-tsip” sound; close-up, the call resembles a continuous, second-long buzz repeated every 2 seconds.]
Katy did it! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Go to nature… where there are no politicians!
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[This is a group of Hover Flies feeding on nectar from a Goldenrod plant. Many people mistake Hover Flies for bees; they are not bees and do not carry stingers. I love the way that they can hover in one spot (in mid-air), remaining (except for their wings) perfectly still! Adults drink nectar. The larva preys on aphids and the larvae of scale insects. It is considered to be extremely beneficial due to the eating habits of the larvae, aiding in eliminating harmful insects that attack ornamental plants and commercial crops. Often they get quite sociable and will land on you without fear.]
After the gold! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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A true teacher is a “learning assistant” and fellow learner… not a manipulator or puppeteer!
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[This is a red Harvestman… often called a Daddy-longlegs. They have no venom and are harmless to human beings. Harvestmen have what are called Chelicerae, which in spiders are hollow in order to deliver venom, but in Harvestmen they are primarily used to grasp food; no venom is involved.]
Not a Mommy-shortlegs! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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It’s good, if you are human, to leave the superficial and the shallow (and the crowd)… and, instead, go deep. However, if you are a duck, leaving the group and going into the deep (on your own) can get you eaten by a northern pike or a muskellunge.
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[The real Duck Dynasty! These are young (immature) wild Mallard Ducks. Fortunately, the one going off on his own (into the deep) quickly came back and joined the group. Almost all domestic ducks are derived from wild Mallard Ducks. Mallards are “dabbling ducks”—they feed in the water by tipping forward and grazing on underwater plants. They almost never dive. (Fortunately, unlike some people, when I shoot ducks I only use a camera!)]
The real Duck Dynasty. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
The real Duck Dynasty (part 2) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Don’t compare yourself with others… be what and who you are (in wise harmony with the whole).
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[Buffalo Tree Hopper… nicely camouflaged in (of all things) a tree. They feed on the sap of flowers, vegetables, shrubs, and deciduous trees, but do little damage due to their very diminutive size.]
“Time is a tree (this life one leaf)” — E.E.Cummings. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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One doesn’t (personally) care about the latest (current) fashions or trends; one cares about lasting and eternal truths that remain forever.
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[A Fire Beetle and a Sulphur Butterfly (i.e., Alfalfa Butterfly) contemplating their next move.]
Sulphur Butterfly and Fire Beetle. The Important Conference (2). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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In a big way, you can’t distance yourself from your anxieties and fears; you are your anxieties and fears.
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[Praying Mantis head study. The two large, compound eyes of Praying Mantises operate much better than the eyes of most insects; dragonflies also have excellent eyes. A mantid can see to a distance of 50 feet. Between the two large compound eyes, there exists three simple eyes (and the middle simple eye is larger than the other two). Sometimes, right after mating, a female Praying Mantis will bite the male’s head off and eat him. (Males usually don’t live long after mating anyway… and the extra protein is excellent nourishment for producing plenty of viable eggs.) What a way to go! Actually, in the wild, scientists believe the male partner gets munched on less than 30% of the time.]
Praying Mantis Head Study. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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One has to be gutsy when looking for the truth… not molded to find comfortable answers that one is merely desiring to find.
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[A Ladybug resting in the center of a wildflower as a very diminutive insect ascends toward it.]
The Center of attention. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Be an oasis of goodness and order in a world that contains a lot of conflict and darkness.
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[A land slug crawling on a white mushroom covered in dew. Slugs love moisture, such as dew in the mornings or rainy days; on dry days they often hide under logs. The slug may eat the mushroom without problems; however, that is not the case if a human would eat this mushroom. It is likely a mature form of Chlorophyllum molybdites, a mushroom that is not edible by humans. However, it sure looks rather impressive (and edible). Stick with purchasing mushrooms from the grocery store! Leave the wild mushrooms to the slugs and wild creatures of nature!]
Slow but successful! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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True joy exists far deeper than superficial desires.
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[An avian friend… a small bird in a wooded area by a river. It is a Cedar Waxwing fledgling. Cedar Waxwings eat a lot of fruits and berries.]
Avian friend. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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To hate others involves despising images that are part of one’s own consciousness. Intelligently go beyond hate.
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[This is a Robber Fly. They thrive along woodland edges and are voracious predators. I often see them flying around looking for insect prey to snatch up. They can go after wasps, bees, flies, and even larger insects such as dragonflies.]
Quick and agile! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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I’ve seen the sunset from an eternal shore.
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[This is a Tree Cricket. Tree crickets are found around the world, in a variety of colors; they live in trees, shrubs, bushes, plants and grasses. If you’ve ever been outdoors in summer or autumn, day or night, there is an excellent chance that you have heard the loud and beautiful trilling songs of male tree crickets.]
Jiminy Cricket! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 