Nature’s Tranquility

Experience the world outside

By Robert Clark

Photography by Robert Clark

A passing shower in summer leaves a sparkling display of water drops like diamonds on the leaves of a Japanese maple. How can these drops stay in place without falling off the leaf? It comes down to the surface tension on the leaf. Water adheres weakly to a waxy leaf surface and strongly to itself, so water clusters into drops. Surface tension gives them their near-spherical shape because a sphere has the smallest possible surface area to volume ratio. Forces such as wind or jolts to the leaf overwhelm the surface tension and cause the water drop to slide off the leaf.

Our recent social situation due to COVID-19 is undeniably one we have never faced before. All around are “new normals” with social distancing, self-quarantine, and working from home. Media outlets state that massive changes will develop out of this moment in time — how we relate with each other and function in our careers.

Our recent social situation due to COVID-19 is undeniably one we have never faced before. All around are “new normals” with social distancing, self-quarantine, and working from home. Media outlets state that massive changes will develop out of this moment in time — how we relate with each other and function in our careers.
Our recent social situation due to COVID-19 is undeniably one we have never faced before. All around are “new normals” with social distancing, self-quarantine, and working from home. Media outlets state that massive changes will develop out of this moment in time — how we relate with each other and function in our careers.

Wrapped up in these new norms is a strong desire to “just get out of the house” and experience the outdoors, which offers much needed tranquility and hope. There is no better way to move beyond these times than to experience the natural world around us.

Research proves absorbing more vitamin D (sunshine) helps build our immunity to sickness. It’s free and healthy! Let’s get out and enjoy what sunlight gives us in the Columbia area. Experience the rivers, lakes, gardens, and wildlife. Make it a daily routine to observe something new in nature; study what’s around you, and take note of a certain flower or animal’s uniqueness. You won’t be disappointed — you’ll learn something new, appreciate what you see, and sooth your soul in the process. You’ll forget about all the changes we are experiencing, but the best part is you won’t forget the beneficial sunlight.

A green anole rests on a palmetto frond. Anoles have the ability to adapt their coloration to the surrounding environment. Male anoles are highly territorial and defend their space with a display of their pink throat fan. Anoles are common in suburban areas, and we have all discovered them sunning on our homes’ steps and railings. Fossils of anoles date back 50 million years in certain parts of the world.
The national bird of America, a bald eagle courses over the Broad River in Columbia searching for fish. The constant supply of food along with undeveloped, old-growth river flood plains provide the eagle with a suitable habitat. Removed from endangered and threatened wildlife lists, the bald eagle now soars in increasing numbers. Photography by Jay Browne.
The whitetail deer is a frequent visitor to yards and fields. This particular deer seems happy to sample a yard’s menu of the day.
Katydid on a morning glory. We’ve all experienced the deafening sounds of katydid mating calls on humid summer evenings. The calls are produced by rubbing wing sets together. Have you noticed a tempo as the mating sounds of the males reverberate back and forth in the trees? It is said if you count the number of calls within 15 seconds and add 37, you get an accurate number of the ambient air temperature in Fahrenheit degrees.
Rainfall from a summer rain glistens in the limbs of a crepe myrtle tree. The bark of this tree peels during the growing season, providing us the sight of the beautiful reds and oranges of the tree’s outer bark. The first crepe myrtle tree in America was introduced in Charleston in 1790 by the French botanist André Michaux.
Rainfall from a summer rain glistens in the limbs of a crepe myrtle tree. The bark of this tree peels during the growing season, providing us the sight of the beautiful reds and oranges of the tree’s outer bark. The first crepe myrtle tree in America was introduced in Charleston in 1790 by the French botanist André Michaux.
Perched in a tall oak, a barred owl surveys the landscape for prey. A native to eastern North America, the barred owl prefers deciduous and bottomland hardwood forests to raise their young in tree cavities and snags, and is the most prolific owl in suburban area habitats.
The setting of a full moon at sunrise reveals a male brown thrasher singing and defending his territory at the top of a tree. A relative to the mockingbird, brown thrashers are common in the eastern United States and feed on a diet of acorns, insects, and berries.
On a bluff along the Saluda River, two large trees dominate the forest. Recent studies indicate the largest 1 percent of trees in older forests comprise 50 percent of forest biomass, or carbon absorption.
Tree cavities are the result of a previous “injury” to the tree from a broken limb or wound. The cavity causes little harm to the stability of the tree, as the tree heals the cavity with a protective cover of the cambium layer. Found within the city limits, this twin cavity tree supports a “natural wildlife condo” where 85 species of birds, as well as many mammals, can seek protection and raise their next generation.
Sunset colors paint the Congaree Creek’s water surface in Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve near Columbia. The preserve is a historical gem as pottery, arrowheads, and tools used by Native Americans dating back 12,000 years have been found within the preserve. Today visitors can walk along paved trails to discover nature at its finest.
Sunset colors paint the Congaree Creek’s water surface in Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve near Columbia. The preserve is a historical gem as pottery, arrowheads, and tools used by Native Americans dating back 12,000 years have been found within the preserve. Today visitors can walk along paved trails to discover nature at its finest.

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