May 26, 2025

Green Marvel (Acronita fallax)

Night light a bit too bright

Misguided moth settles on the screen

Night flight, viburnum bite

Interrupted by the porch light scene

Black and white fringe delights

Bordering a mint-chocolate-chip green

Moss-like during daylight

Bulb out! Return to woodland canteen.


A naturette poem.

A form I invented to celebrate tiny bits of nature.

Rhyme, lines and syllables are:

6AA, 9B, 6CC, 9B, 6DD, 9B, 6EE, 9B

This one is inspired by my love of and curiosity for moths. And what lands on the screen door on those warm evenings when I leave the porch light on.

May 26,2025

The pretend lichen

Attracted to the false moon

Front door deception

—————————————————————

A haiku (5-7-5 poem).

Inspired by my fascination with moths which I call the “butterflies of the night”. I was so taken and thrilled by seeing this mint green one on my screen door.

This is Acronicta fallax – the Green Marvel moth.

First in a series I’m calling the Blurry Nighttime Photos Series.

April 2, 2024

Snow fleas (a type of springtail insect with an antifreeze like protein that makes it more tolerant of cold than other insects) on the melting snow along a trail

Snow Fleas


Melting snow where trees grow

Reveals more than long soggy trails

Antifreeze-filled snow fleas

More precisely known as springtails

Numbers grow, blacken snow

As they jump from the dampened trails

Harmless things, have no wings

Warm snowy days reveal springtails.


Naturette Poem. A poetry form I invented to write about a tiny detail of nature. 

The 8-line poem has the following rhyme scheme and syllable count:

6AA

8B

6CC

8B

6DD

8B

6EE

8B

April 1, 2024

Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)
a spring ephemeral.

Bloodroot


Under trees, through soil heave

Tender little buds folded tight

Leaves hug stem, as this gem

Opens into the warm sunlight

Natural birth, close to earth

Revealing petals of pure white

On display, just a day

early spring woodland delight


Naturette Poem. A poetry form I invented to write about a tiny detail of nature. 

The 8-line poem has the following rhyme scheme and syllable count:

6AA

8B

6CC

8B

6DD

8B

6EE

8B

October 26, 2021

My Bedroom Windows Are Never Closed


My bedroom windows are never closed

I won’t miss a moment of nature

Every season full of sights and sounds

My blanket layers always in flux.


Spring brings the early birds’ dawn chorus

April showers and peepers return

Vixens cry for their mates in the dark

My bedroom windows are never closed


Lightning bugs blink against summer screens

Katydids sing from oak tops at night

Cicada buzz loudly fills warm days

I won’t miss a moment of nature


Great horned, barred and screech hoots fill fall nights

Sun rises reveal jewel-toned forest

Southbound Canada geese honk above

Every season full of sights and sounds


Woodpeckers tap winter’s leafless trees

Moon shadows dance from a clear night sky

Woodstove heat meets snowflakes drifting down

My blanket layers always in flux.


A cascade poem