natureswondersbyclyde

     By August, varying-sized, green mats of algae, duckweed and water stargrass float together on the surfaces of certain ponds and still backwaters of creeks in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Algae grows in long, matted strands, and duckweeds are tiny, flat plants that grow in colonies on water surfaces.  Stargrass colonies root in muddy bottoms.  Each plant's long leaves undulate in currents and the single yellow flower barely emerges from the water's surface to be pollinated.       Together, those mats of algae, duckweed, and stargrass in bloom, look like tiny islands in the water, and remind me of lawns with dandelion flowers flourishing in them.  And, those mats of small, aquatic plants create niches that several kinds of small creatures use for a variety of reasons.      Certain kinds of attractive and entertaining damselflies and dragonflies rest on those mats, after aerial feeding forays on small, flying insects.  And some of them spawn their eggs into those protecti

     A half-acre pond at the end of our suburban street in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania harbors at least three adult red-eared sliders, which are a species of freshwater turtles.  I see their heads poked out of the water to breathe and look around.  And I see them basking in sunlight on the stony shores of the pond.      As store-bought, baby turtles, the above-discussed turtles were eventually released into that pond by people who didn't want them anymore.  Those reptiles adapted to life in that impoundment, survived northern winters and grew to adult size, with a top shell length of about seven inches, or a bit more.       Red-eared sliders are native to the southeastern and southcentral United States.  But today, they are flourishing throughout much of the world, because of the pet trade, and being released into, and successfully adapting to, impoundments and slower waterways, where they are better off.       Baby red-eared sliders are cute and appealing.  They are green with

     In August each year, I like to visit several sunny meadows, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, that have moist soil, to enjoy their variety of lovely blossoms.  Each grassy pasture has a unique community of flowering plants that prefer damp soil, so no two meadows are alike.  Some pastures only have a couple kinds of blooming plants in August, while other meadows have several.  And some meadows have more flowering plants of a type than others.        Those bouquets of lovely blooms attract a diversity of pretty bees, butterflies and other kinds of pollinating insects that add to the beauties and intrigues of the flowers.  The blossoms and sap-sipping insects, together, are another example of life adapting well to human-made conditions and activities.  Seeing them, I feel God's nature is still prevalent on Earth.      Each of these grassy, flower-studded pastures has a clear stream running through it, which waters  livestock.  And those streams are home to minnows, damselflies

     When driving through Lancaster County farmland during August and September, I sometimes see flocks of purple martins, barn swallows and tree swallows, all swallow species, lined up on roadside wires, sometimes in mixed gatherings, or careening swiftly over fields after flying insects to eat.  Occasionally, I see some swallows sitting on the blacktop of hardly-used, rural roads, as they do on mud flats and beaches.       And, often at the same time, I see swarms of pretty butterflies of at least a few kinds, particularly cabbage whites and yellow cloudless sulphurs, fluttering among the innumerable, lovely flowers of alfalfa and red clover plants in hay fields.  Sometimes those fields shimmer with interesting butterfly activity, as those beautiful creatures sip sugary nectar from alfalfa and clover blossoms.  Sometimes, whole fields seem to be moving with butterflies in flight, as their hordes flutter from bloom to blossom.       These two groups of adaptable wildlife are the most