Being an ardent lover of mother nature, I believe that my love has grown over the years by everyday learning. There is so much to know about nature that its never ending process. I realized a quick way to do this ... anything new I would come across I would immediately research on it and find out in detail and this greatly enhanced my knowledge and love towards nature. The best way to feel nature to me is to bike through the woods with a camera, a small book to note down my observations and a bag of knick knacks to eat and music. What a pleasure and relaxation it is when we combine the three senses of hearing, seeing and taste as beautifully explained in sanskrit as strotam (hearing), darshana (seeing) and rasa(taste). And to mark it every biking trip I make I encounter some living thing which becomes a new learning for me....
Today's biking trip was particularly exciting as it was in the evening at 6pm I set out just when it was the bearable time of the texas heat... I biked all along the sam houston trail which further led to cimmaron trail which would continue to complete the 25 mile long trail in Irving, an suburb in Texas. As the sun was dipping down, the sky burst into various hues of orange and red..lighting up all of the trail, flowers to leaves all reflecting back the orange hue and changing the brightness with every minute towards sunset.. I stopped at various locations to enjoy the changing images of the sunset.. My first halt was to the calls of a flock of bright red cardinals on their way back home.. fiery red plump birds ..well as rightly named as angry birds!!
My second stop was at a small slow moving man made lake side where I could see numerous turtles swimming in the waters. Call it adaptation or habit... the moment they saw humans standing by the side of the lake they would come rushing with mouth's wide open.. Thats the favourite spot where many animals lovers like me would feed the turtles with sea weeds and other turtle feeds. This was an perfect example of how humans are not considered as a threat and we still are accepted by the nature and its residents. The most interesting part was that the shells of the turtles were covered with healthy growing moss/algae, setting an example for symbiosis where in the turtles get their backs cleaned and fishes get their food..
This was an interesting picture I found on the web..A rockstar turtle!!!
After a short break as I was rushing back to the end of the trail before the dusk falls in...I had an unexpected stop...as in the middle of the road was an strange looking animal, more like a reptile..busy burrowing the edges of the trail. As I observed closely I was excited as it was an nine banded armadillo!!! It was such a visual treat to see the armadillo busy burrowing its way...
The word armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish. Some interesting facts on armadillo:
Today's biking trip was particularly exciting as it was in the evening at 6pm I set out just when it was the bearable time of the texas heat... I biked all along the sam houston trail which further led to cimmaron trail which would continue to complete the 25 mile long trail in Irving, an suburb in Texas. As the sun was dipping down, the sky burst into various hues of orange and red..lighting up all of the trail, flowers to leaves all reflecting back the orange hue and changing the brightness with every minute towards sunset.. I stopped at various locations to enjoy the changing images of the sunset.. My first halt was to the calls of a flock of bright red cardinals on their way back home.. fiery red plump birds ..well as rightly named as angry birds!!
Male Cardinal
My second stop was at a small slow moving man made lake side where I could see numerous turtles swimming in the waters. Call it adaptation or habit... the moment they saw humans standing by the side of the lake they would come rushing with mouth's wide open.. Thats the favourite spot where many animals lovers like me would feed the turtles with sea weeds and other turtle feeds. This was an perfect example of how humans are not considered as a threat and we still are accepted by the nature and its residents. The most interesting part was that the shells of the turtles were covered with healthy growing moss/algae, setting an example for symbiosis where in the turtles get their backs cleaned and fishes get their food..
This was an interesting picture I found on the web..A rockstar turtle!!!
After a short break as I was rushing back to the end of the trail before the dusk falls in...I had an unexpected stop...as in the middle of the road was an strange looking animal, more like a reptile..busy burrowing the edges of the trail. As I observed closely I was excited as it was an nine banded armadillo!!! It was such a visual treat to see the armadillo busy burrowing its way...
- Armadillos are often used in the study of leprosy, since they, along with mangabey monkeys, rabbits and mice (on their footpads), are among the few known species that can contract the disease systemically.
- The nine-banded armadillo also serves science through its unusual reproductive system, in which four genetically identical offspring are born, the result of one original egg.
- The armadillo is also a natural reservoir for Chagas disease.
Armadillo encounter was the last part of my biking trip and the trip ended with a perfect weekend dinner of dosa's (Indian version of pancakes) and masala lassi( spiced buttermilk) and with fond memories of small wonders of the nature!!
