“To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Nature" (1836)
Nature gives us new aspects and reinvents itself every day. On the other hand -- and in contrast to anything man can build -- it lasts forever, in an endless cycle of life, renewing itself year after year, decade after decade -- if we let it be. Every year snowdrops and migrating birds returning home herald the end of winter, cuckoo flowers and dandelions tells us that summer is approaching. Berries, mushrooms and colourful leaves celebrate autumn coming and remind us to prepare for winter -- which comes with storms and snowy sheets to cover the landscape so it can rest. And then the cycle of nature and life starts again -- over and over.
Nature, big and small, flora and fauna, is amazing. It can be sublime or cunning and funny. It might be beautiful in colour, shape or texture. All we have to do is pay attention and every now and then bend down, or crane our neck to have a closer look, or sit still for a while. And as man protects more willingly what he knows and loves, take your time to study the beautiful things right there before your toecap and you will find a lot that is fascinating enough to appeal to your protective instinct.
A field might just be a field to us and woods just an accumulation of shrubs and trees -- for a bug or a blooming weed it is the universe.
I hope you enjoy the faces of nature shown on the following sites as much as I do when I go and take my camera for a walk. My gallery will be updated regularly, so please stay tuned.