LAKOTA WISDOM PRAYER, THE PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY SWARMS

posted on Facebook by a teacher colleague who is Native American, Rose Kreuger

Painted Lady butterfly 

John Walker

Interesting old map of the Spanish ranchos

On my lawn daisies

now thought to be Van Gogh's last painting "Tree Roots", July, 1890

Four Directions Prayer

Great Spirit,
Thank you for this day,
for the breath and life within me,
and for all of your creations. 

As I face South, I allow the spirit of All Possibilities to
wash over me.

Wherever I have fear or doubt, I trust that answers will
come...

The West is the direction where the White Buffalo lives.
White Buffalo stands for strength, bravery and courage.

As you breathe in, allow the power and energy of the White
Buffalo spirit to wash over you and awaken your warrior
within.

The North is the direction where the black-tailed deer lives.
This is the direction of the spirit energy of humbleness and
humility.

As you breathe in, allow your soul and spirit to be touched
with humbleness,
knowing that all we are, and all that we have, comes from
the Great Spirit.

The East is the land of the Eagle—the symbol for wisdom
and discernment.

I ask the spirit of the Eagle to be with me.

Sharpen my eyes and ears to hear your direction on my path.
Guide my steps, my actions, and my every word.

Great Father Spirit and Mother Earth.

Thank you for your beauty, and for all you have given me.
Help me to remember to love and feel compassion for all
creation.

Help me to walk my path with joy and love for myself, for
others,
for the four-legged, the winged ones, the plants and all
creation.

Remind me never to take from you more than I need,
me to always give back more than I take.

--Lakota Prayer

Sepulveda Basin Birdwalk, October, 2018

Balboa Park rests in a low area of the San Fernando Valley, the empty lakebed and flood plain for the dammed Los Angeles River, controlled by Sepulveda Dam.  Most of the time, it's dry, except for the controlled drainage from the river trickling through.  

Thus it's the south San Fernando Valley's  locus for outdoor play, agriculture, and wildlife. The flattened lakebed displays chaparral and riparian vegetation, which catch stomach-turning amounts of litter from wind and stream overflow.   And for some years now, it's home to numbers of the city's homeless.  

Cottonwood tree is changing

Mounded, tangled, stained quilts tumble in micro-glens of shelter heaped with debris beneath the beautiful old cottonwoods.

When I bird watch alone there, I walk the north side of the park, near the lake, but avoid the south side, where most of the homeless linger, concerned with safety.

Today on the bird walk, conflicts about the presence of so many homeless in our wealthy city burn in my gut while I attend to the joy of seeing so many bird species.  I wish I were a better example of the charity St. Francis modeled. The birds themselves have done what the homeless do, survive as best they can.

We see a small flock of Canada geese, which live in the park near the golf course.  My husband once killed one with an errant drive, suffering pangs of guilt for months afterwards. They arise from the water as we approach, forming the v-formation beloved in countless wildlife painting.

Great and Snowy Egrets behind Sepulveda Dam, an "elegance of egrets"

I'm reminded of the amusing and odd collective nouns used, mostly in novels, for animals.  A group of geese on the ground is called a "gaggle", but in formation, a "skein". Most familiar, "a murdur of crows", I think.  Some of the terms are poignant, amusing. 

I marvel at the group of egrets, finding later that the English literati have not coined a term for them.  I begin to think:

"an elegance of egrets", "an elite" of egrets? An "attenuation" of egrets?    

Nutmeg Mannikin

I have never heard of this bird, as the guide identifies it.  That's because they are Asian, sold as pets, abandoned by owners grown weary of the responsibility of caring for them.  They are tiny and elusive, and flourish in the leathery tall bushes growing along the river.

Western Bluebird

A delight to see the bluebird this clearly in my binoculars, the best sighting ever.  Two males flew down onto the grass from a nearby tree, the sun shining on them so the blue color shown with an iridescence more beautiful than stained glass.

Say's Phoebe, illustration by David Sibley

Say's Phoebe - note crest and plumped body

Seeing a Says Phoebe supplied the name of a bird I'd seen a few months ago hiking in The  Pinnacles National Park. 

We also saw a Cassin's Kingbird, very similar to a Western Kingbird.  The Western has white tail feathers on each side of the tail, while a Cassin's has a white tail tip.

Cassin's Kingbird

Western Kingbird

10-5-2025 AUTUMN BIRD WALK: SEPULVEDA BASIN

My bird book has sightings going back to 2015, and I know I've been birding in the Dam since  since we moved to Valley Village in 1995.  I had a very good day yesterday morning.  Our guide was perhaps one of the best I've ever had, impressively identifying songs, finding birds camouflages in bushes that I'd never be able to.  

With SFVAS, Alexander guide: South side of Burbank Blvd. 

 

Western bluebird – small flock at beginning of walk, seen there in past years, walking towards lake from amphitheater parking lot 

 

Yellow-rumped warbler – most common bird, migrating now, used to be called Audobon’s warbler

 

Mourning dove – has long narrow tail, it was thought that these birds slept alternating tail/head in groups, giving us the term “dovetailing” 

They are at our bird feeder every day, once I saw them with their ruffs puffed.  Sounds like an owl.

 

Song sparrow – common at our feeder, energetic ground feeder

 

Osprey – at very top of a dead tree, present for perhaps ½ hour

Two viewings, white head with black eyestripe, also saw in flight

 

Cedar waxwing- one brief long view after hearing distinctive high “scree” - I’ve never seen them in LA except in our neighborhood tree,

and not in October, only in February or so

 

Acorn woodpecker – in several palm trees near soccer fields 

 

Cassin’s kingbird-good views several times perching in dead trees

Belted kingfisher – several sightings of birds fishing swooping over  the lake, very fast flight, and an excellent silhouette view

 

Red-tailed hawk- one view circling overhead, fine view of coloration and tail for some minutes, a warm creamy-pale honey tone, / noted wing position, slightly v-d upward, unlike vultures commonly seen high and circling; another view in tree: it flapped its wings and then was clearly visible in tree high up for 5 minutes or so, cream breast with spots covering breast and lower breast at the point where it narrows to legs. The tree view added a lot to my memory bank for this bird sighting.

 

Cooper’s hawk- heard distinctive attack call twice, saw one being chased by raven/crow, also flying across low treetops – good views/see one around our neighborhood occasionally, due to the bird feeder

 

American kestrel – perched for a long time on engineering tripod in mowed field, flew off and returned with something in mouth

 

Brandt’s & Pelagic Cormorants mixed group, perched in tree, then another view fishing -I saw one with a fish in its mouth flapping and splashing.

Pelagic Cormorant – smaller,                                 

White outline around beak, this species is ranging north as weather becomes warmer.                                    

                  

Green heron – several sightings sitting in low branches beside lake or on shoreline, blending with shrubbery – one view was excellent – could see colors on head and greenish color, they look grumpy

 

 

 

Great blue heron – one flying, one perched on shoreline

 

Great egret, perched, flying, several birds observed, repeat observations

 

 

 

 

Snowy egret – perched, flying, then a view of 4-5 perched on trees on island in lake, other multiple sightings

 

California towhee – saw several of these, common in our garden

 

Birds I did not see but guide Alexander ID’d:

 

Orange warbler – have seen in yard last year

Black and gray warbler – have seen elsewhere

Ruby kingbird – have seen elsewhere and in yard

Sora – supposedly rare and difficult to see – hides in bankside brush

Savannah sparrow – both of these at our feeder

White-crowned sparrow – seen at feeder

 

Commonly seen, or birds I have not learned

 

Black phoebes - yard bird

House finches - yard bird

Vultures

Gulls

Mallards - ubiquitous 

 

Lorquin’s Admiral – first time I’ve ever seen one in Southern California – I have seen them while hiking in the Sierras, delightful sighting – its wings were open, getting warmed up for the day. Thrilled to see this!

 

PETER DOIG: Memorable Figurative Artists, considered late in his career

 

"Concrete Cabin", 1994

Unité d"Habitation, landmark Le Corbusier Brutalist apartment block in Marseilles

Like discovering Snow White's coffin after 100 years, barriers of trees (time) obscure the magnificent failure of urban housing, the only real option left to shelter the explosion of population until it destroys the Earth.