Photo by Joel Henry from Unsplash
Photo by SGR from Unsplash
Photo by Maurito Nixon from Unsplash
Photo by Maurits Bausenhart
Photo by Ian Dooley from Unsplash
Blessings…
Celestial,
Earthly, Oceanic,
Terrestrial, and Personal…
Blessings!
Copyright© 2924 by Cheryl Batavia
May nature’s blessings fill our hearts with joy.
May we live in harmony with nature.
May we cherish and preserve nature’s gifts.
Zoos of yesteryear…
grim prisons for animals
innocent of crimes.
Entertainment for people…
Animal exploitation.
Zoos of the present…
appropriate habitat,
animal rescue,
endangered animals raised
to be returned to the wild.
Forward-thinking zoos
enlightening the public,
classes for students,
funds raised for wildlife preserves.
Golden Rule for animals!
When my daughters visited from Texas recently, one of our excursions was to Zoo Tampa, rated the number five Zoo in the US. We participated in a “Feed the Rhino” experience and learned about how Zoo Tampa’s breeding program is helping to prevent extinction of the Indian Rhino. The “Feed the Rhino” animal encounter and photo purchases also raise money to support this program. Katey Batavia, Ellen Maher, and Cheryl Batavia.
Cheryl feeding collard greens to a young Indian Rhino. Notice the prehensile lips and short horn that distinguish Indian rhinos from African rhinos.
We enjoyed a ride on the old-fashioned carousel. Katey posed on a carousel animal.
On “safari” through the African animal enclousure, we relaxed on a tram riding past elephants, giraffes, storks, and painted dogs.
West Indian Manatee entering the viewing area. We also saw a beautiful manatee mother and calf in the aquarium/reptile exhibit. Zoo Tampa has a manatee rescue program for manatees injured by boat propellors. In spite of boating laws to protect them, some accidents still occur.
American flamingos wowed us in the Florida native animal area. They now live in the wild in Everglades National Park after a hundred-year absence from Florida in the wild. They unexpectedly reappeared about twenty years ago. There is speculation that they came from South America. Photo by Karolina Bobeck from Unsplash.
Endangered Florida panthers are featured in the Florida exhibit. Florida panthers are being bred in captivity and are rarely seen in the wild. Bobcats, also featured in the exhibit, have adapted to living near people and are a common sight in suburban Florida neighborhoods.
A sun bear was a delight to watch as he played with a toy that dispensed a snack.
Afternoon meeting on the primate island.
Ellen and Katey. Photo by Cheryl.
Heading home from Tampa. Sunset from the St. Petersburg Skyway Bridge. Photo by Katey Batavia.
We had a great time at Zoo Tampa! Rhino photos by zoo photographer, other uncredited photos by Ellen and Katey.
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
Two years ago my daughters and I visited a lovely Florida zoo for rescued animals. If you missed that post and would like to check it out, click here:
Animals at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park & Poems about Some of the Animals
What a delightful visitor! All the rain has made it difficult for landscapers to keep up with mowing. This gopher tortoise noticed and paid us a visit. Robert found the tortoise grazing on our weedy, overgrown lawn next to the woods.
Gopher tortoises build extensive networks of underground burrows which they use for many generations. Other small animals also use these burrows. Many houses are being built in our largely wooded neighborhood, and the habitat of these endangered tortoises is rapidly disappearing.
Just last year,
I used to pass by
endangered
tortoises
sunning in the empty lot
next to their burrows…
half asleep,
but prepared to scoot
underground
if threatened.
I watched them from a distance
and gave them their space.
Tortoises
are now displaced by
a new house
being built
over their ancestral home…
time to dig again!
Recently,
while returning home,
I saw two
tortoises
in the middle of the road,
so I stopped the car.
Hard to tell
what was happening…
Was it love?
Was it war?
I carried them to safety…
empty lot nearby.
One tortoise
pursued the other
through the trees,
out of sight…
so focused on each other,
they paid me no mind!
Tortoises,
time to dig again…
a new house,
underground.
Sunning in the empty lot…
but prepared to scoot!
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
Photo by Dawn McDonald from Unsplash
“Hey, there, you carrying
the tortoise! Hello!”
The boy was walking
toward the Gulf of Mexico.
“Don’t put that tortoise
in the water, please!
It’s not a sea turtle
that travels the seas!”
“That’s a gopher tortoise,
endangered, protected by law…”
Read the rest of this poem in
Earthly Days!
Available on Amazon,
Barnes & Noble,
and other online retailers.
Gopher Tortoises Displaced is my first garland shardoma.
A big thank you to David, who blogs at The Skeptics Kaddish, for talking me into writing a poem in this form. It was great fun writing this, David! ❤
A garland shardoma has seven verses. Each verse has a syllable count of 3/5/3/3/7/5 and is unrhymed. The seventh verse is composed of lines taken from the other verses.
Humpback Whale. Photo by Cheryl Emerick from Unsplash
A hungry humpback named Harry
said: this krill shortage can be quite scary.
It’s just climate change; don’t be alarmed…
Your buddy Harry’s found a salmon farm.
We can outsmart the humans…Don’t worry!
A gourmet menu we will enjoy
when new fishing strategies we employ.
Fishing in shallow waters we can do.
Dolphins fish together…we can too!
Now don’t you think Harry’s a smart boy?
Forest Chimpanzees. Photo by Andrea Acanfera from Pexels
Some chimpanzees left their forest home.
The scorching Savannah they did roam.
Scarce resources required large territories,
more walking upright with fewer trees.
It would get even hotter in years to come!
Global warming? We’ll shed some hair!
Hungry? More termite fishing…Who cares?
Thirsty? There’s a river…We’re in luck!
We’ll dig a little hole and filter out the muck.
We’re Savannah Chimps and proud of living here!
Marine Iguana, Galapagos. Photo by Michael Gerrard from Pexels
Darwin studied iguanas; so fascinated was he
with the only lizards that swim in the sea!
Hypothermia, though, is a threat…
Global warming makes rocks hotter yet!
Iguanas can adapt remarkably…
Marine Iguanas shrink in el Nino.
Amazingly, in la Nina, they regrow!
Bone is reabsorbed to shorten their spines;
bone is regrown in cooler times…
Can they survive climate change? We don’t know!
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
Animals in many places are responding to climate change by changing their behaviors. Warming seawater has resulted in a decrease in the number of krill, a tiny shrimp that is the primary food of humpback whales.
One group of whales have adapted by finding a new food source, salmon fry from a hatchery in British Columbia whose mission is to replenish the dwindling salmon population. One whale changed his diet from krill to salmon fry. He feasted when the salmon fry were released from their net enclosures.
Humans then started transporting the fry a mile away to release them. The whale followed the boat and adapted by learning to fish in the shallow water. Then he recruited a team of his buddies to fish in teams as dolphins do. I guess the hatchery will have to produce a much larger crop of salmon fry to feed the hungry humpback whales and still have enough salmon for human fishermen!
A group of forest chimpanzees migrated to the savannah of Senegal. The climate was hotter, there were fewer trees, and sources of food were far apart. The chimps responded to the heat by growing less body hair. They established larger territories. Because there were fewer trees, chimps spent more time walking upright than their forest relatives, who usually travel by swinging through the treetops.
Because there was less fruit to serve as a source of water, they had to find fresh water sources. To purify mucky water, they learned to dig holes in sandy riverbanks. When the water filtered through the sand, the holes were filled with clean water for the chimps to drink.
As a source of protein, the savannah chimps use twigs to fish for termites, spending much more time in this activity than forest chimps do. In the middle of the day, when weather is hot, these chimps seek shelter in caves, as early humans once did.
As the climate warms, the savannah will become many degrees hotter. Water sources will dry up. Life will become even more difficult for the savannah chimps. Will they be able to survive?
Marine Iguanas, famously studied by Charles Darwin, live in the Galapagos Islands, a harsh environment. To survive hot weather, they shrink their bodies. In cooler periods, they regrow to their usual size. Too long in cold water, iguanas face hypothermia, which can be fatal. Can marine Iguanas survive global warming?
For more information, watch the PBS video on YouTube, “Earth is Changing (and Animals are Adapting in Surprising Ways.)” Evolution Earth
https://to.pbs.org/44Cuts5|#EvolutionEarthPBS
Earthly Days is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
in both softcover and Kindle version.
My thanks to da-AL for inviting me as her guest on “Happiness Between Tails.” I hope you enjoy her informative and engaging post and my new poem, “Carbon Farming & Climate Change.” Check out the fascinating video about how carbon farming can restore worn-out soil, produce healthy food, reduce carbon dioxide in the air and water pollution from run-off, and combat global warming.
Earthly Days is now available on
Amazon &
Barnes & Noble
Ruins of Great Western Iron Smelting Furnace, Tennessee, 1855-1856. The furnace burned charcoal, and temperatures in the furnace reached 3,000 degrees F. Photo used by permission of the photographer.
Where there is sunshine,
let there be solar farms…
Let there be light!
Solar farm in Germany. Photo by Marcus Spiske from Unsplash
Where there is wind,
let there be turbines…
Let there be energy!
Wind Turbines. Photo by Jason Blackeye from Unsplash
Where there is flowing water,
let there be hydroelectric plants…
Let there be power!
Vintage Hydroelectric Plant, West Virginia. Photo courtesy of the photographer.
Where there are ocean waves,
let there be wave-power generation…
Let there be electricity!
Gulf of Mexico, Florida Beach. Photo by Eve Ellen Maher
When people travel,
let them drive electric cars…
Let there be zero emissions!
Charging station in the Netherlands. Photo by Fer Troulik from Unsplash
Where there is imagination,
let there be innovation…
Let there be clean energy!
Photo by Alessandro Bianchi from Unsplash
Wherever children have dreams,
let their dreams be fulfilled…
Let there be clean energy for all!
Photo by Nathan Dumlao from Unsplash
Although we might like an instant, one-size-fits-all source of clean energy, it may not exist. It seems that we need to work with mother nature to develop solutions using local resources. It also seems that reducing the use of fossil fuels will be a gradual process. We will continue using some fossil fuels for quite some time.
Mine cave-ins, black lung, oils slicks, acid rain, micro-plastic waste in our food supply and our bodies, toxic petrochemicals in insecticides and household cleaning products, landfills filled with non-biodegradable plastics, water pollution, smog, and climate change are a few of the problems associated with fossil fuels. Fossil fuels threaten our environment and pose risks to our health.
Clean-energy solutions have problems too. Dams can disrupt ecosystems and cause extinction of species; solar panels require rare minerals to manufacture them and have a limited lifespan; some wind turbine designs are hazardous to birds.
Heat pumps, geothermal heating systems, and river turbines are examples of clean- energy systems that may be useful in certain locations. Older river turbines were hazardous to fish, but newer designs don’t harm them.
Electric cars, one important clean energy measure, currently have a top range of 300-500 miles. There are insufficient numbers of charging stations at the present time. Batteries have been manufactured with toxic ingredients that present disposal problems. Scientists are currently developing batteries with cheaper, non-toxic chemicals and greater range between charges. A too-rapid increase in the number of electric vehicles would overburden energy grids.
Atomic power plants, which use nuclear fission, are subject to melt-downs and radiation leaks. Fission has great destructive potential. Nuclear fusion holds promise for the future as a safer alternative, if it can ever be made practical.
There are no simple fixes. Solving our problems requires dedication and commitment. It requires cooperation among many professions and among all nations.
Atomic Power Plant, Belgium. Photo by Frederic Paulussen from Unsplash
*My thanks to Robert Snyder for consulting on this article. There are many YouTube videos about developments in clean-energy technologies.
Copyright © 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
Vacant wooded lot next to our house before Hurricane Ian. Live oaks and native cabbage palms grew there. Purple Ruellia, probably planted by a homeowner twenty years ago, grew naturalized along the edge of the woods.
September 28, 2022. Hurricane Ian, the worst hurricane ever recorded in Florida, threw the trees from the wooded lot next door onto our yard and house.
Early October, 2022. Fallen trees were cut back to the property line. This is the horrific scene by moonlight…a battered, leafless oak tree and a tangle of fallen trees and broken branches.
December, 2022. Oak trees all over our region, stripped of their leaves by Hurricane Ian, were blooming and sprouting new leaves two months ahead of their usual schedule. The fallen trees were still alive and sprouting hundreds of new branches. Sun-loving wild shrubs were growing on the formerly shady wooded lot.
July, 2023. Nature has blanketed the fallen trees and broken branches in green vines. Beautiful Saint Augustine grass that was barely surviving in the shade of the trees has appeared in our side yard. Purple Ruellia flowers are reappearing along the edge of the former woods.
Nature has a long timeline. If no one builds a house on the lot, it will again be filled with oak trees. It might take 50 years! The largest and most beautiful oak tree that used to be there was probably much older than that!
July, 2023. Broken trees are cloaked in green leaves. Our house has a new roof. Exterior wall cracks have been repaired and walls are freshly painted. Interior hairline cracks still need repair and touch-up paint. It is difficult to find someone to do any work. Contractors continue to be very busy, even with some out-of-state companies still working here!
Our roads have traffic signals again, but, almost a year after Ian, there are many missing street signs. It is easy to get lost! We are still in suspense about how much our homeowner’s insurance may increase due to Hurricane Ian.
Mostly, we are grateful to be living in a comfortable, air-conditioned house as summer heat sets new records here and worldwide. Many people are not so lucky.
Now, is the time to address global warming! If I weren’t convinced of that already, the worsening storms, wildfires, heat waves, and floods occurring around the world this year would convince me!
Profound are Nature’s powers to renew,
to hide, to heal, to grow, to colonize.
Transforming somber earth to verdant hue,
so silent does she photosynthesize!
But Nature’s timelines stretch so far ahead,
while human lifetimes pass so fleetingly.
Short-sighted humans know they’ll be long dead
before young oaks achieve maturity!
A green world is a legacy to leave.
Blue skies and seas, life-giving trees, clean air
the younger generations will receive.
Now, show the children just how much you care!
May Mother Nature, gowned in green and blue,
sustain the generations after you!
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
Gulf of Mexico, Englewood Beach, FL. Photo by Eve Ellen Maher.
We exist, submerged
in the womb, that inner sea,
until our first breath.
In our veins flows blood
with the sea’s salinity…
seas…where life began.
Water in our cells,
water in our mother’s milk,
water in our tears.
We are of water…
bodies more than half water.
Water sustains us.
Water in rain clouds,
streams, rivers, lakes, seas, oceans,
aquifers, ice caps.
Beauty of water
soothes our spirits, inspires us…
Water refreshes.
Every living thing
needs clean, life-giving water
for body and soul!
Boat wake in Biscayne Bay near Miami, Florida. Photos by Eve Ellen Maher.
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
Mother Earth. Image by Vogue 0987 from Pixabay.
We find ourselves now
in daunting circumstances…
No time to give up!
Optimism propels us…
Innovation and effort!
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
Image by Jasmine 777 from Pixabay.
For a cautiously optimistic view of saving our planet, go to YouTube and type “Chasing Carbon Zero/PBS/NOVA/Full Documentary.” in the search bar. This worked for me. (When I tried posting the URL, there was a message that the video was unavailable.)
Photo from NASA.
Arctic terns at Ten Thousand Islands, one of the largest mangrove forests in the world. The green shrub on the left is a mangrove, and the green in the distance is a very large mangrove island. Photo by Ellen Maher.
Rocky
mangrove island,
safe perch for arctic terns.
Inches above the waves, they find
refuge.
Osprey, also called a fish hawk, feeding its chicks. Photo by Richard Lee on Unsplash.
Mangroves
create islands,
green in a sea of blue.
Ospreys soar majestically in
blue skies.
Anhinga, also called a snake bird for its long neck. Photo by Mac Weaver from Unsplash.
Streamlined,
anhinga dives
to fish underwater,
spreads water-soaked wings to dry in
sunshine.
Great egret flying and two snowy egrets wading in the water. Photo by William Foley from Unsplash.
Snow white
egrets stand motionless,
fishing in the shallows,
alert, their long, sharp beaks poised to
spearfish!
Pelican in Everglades National Park near Ten Thousand Islands. Photo by Ellen Maher.
Sunset,
pelican flies
at Ten Thousand Islands.
Seeking a little bedtime snack,
he dives!
Pelican flying near Ten Thousand Islands at Everglades National Park. Photo by Ellen Maher.
Pristine
mangrove forest.
Ecosystem threatened
by global warming’s rising seas.
Fragile!
Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia
Gulf Coast Poet 