Artist, biologist finds inspiration in nature

The natural world has always intrigued Eamonn Leonard. As a child growing up in Huntsville, Ala., he would often seek refuge in the outdoors which led to an ever-growing fascination with the plants he found there.

"I have always liked plants and being outside. I grew up in big family, I am one of six so it was always noisy inside," he said with a laugh. "I would escape to the yard and I started noticing all the different plants and trees. I became curious about what they were."

That led to Leonard developing a passion for gardening that took him through his high school years. He went on to study horticulture in college, eventually signing on as a biologist with the local branch of the Department of Natural Resources.

"I've been with the DNR for 11 years. It started with a coastal habitat mapping project, which was basically mapping different plant communities in the 11 coastal counties. It was a planning resource for conservation and prioritizing where we focus our efforts," he said. "If you didn't have a map, you would have no idea where to do that. And this got me involved more with invasive species management."

It's become a focal point of his work. Leonard shares information on how these plants impact the native landscape. He also offers lectures and programs through his side project, Coastal Wildscapes, that helps locals learn more about what is best to plant in yards.

"I really do what I can to promote the use of native plants as opposed to nonnative plants, even if they are not invasive. While they are not harmful, the native plants benefit wildlife, especially the pollinators and the birds. We want to re-create the natural food web in home landscapes wherever possible," he said.

His passion for plants also led to other endeavors. In a round-about way, it helped Leonard discover his artistic side.

"I was pretty active with the Catholic church downtown and we wanted to build planters for the front ... but we didn't want them to get stolen so I thought it would be great to use concrete because it's heavy," he said. "That was about six years ago."

"Building the planters for the church really set me on the journey to do more. I just kept playing with it and it's really always changing. I make small planters for window seals, I do stencil work for the pots too," he said.

Nature Is Mighty

Nature is mighty

Nature is strong

Nature is usually always right

Nature is rarely ever wrong

Nature is beauty

Nature is moody

Nature is smart

Nature always has the greater part

Nature is blue

Nature is green

Nature is every color possibly seen

Nature is true

Nature is beaming

Nature is dreaming

Nature is in every place

Nature is always with grace

Nature is true

Nature is you

Nature is me

Nature will forever be free.

The Beauty of Nature

Nature is the masterpiece of god. Nature, like the coin, has two sides, both beauty and disaster, but I prefer to concern natural beauty, because I believe that there are more beautiful things in nature than disasters. Wherever we are, as long as we observe nature attentively, where natural beauty exists.

A lot of natural phenomenons bring new hope and gain to people, so there are a lot of writers and poets and painters who like to sing the praises of nature. When spring is coming, someone says that “the ten thousand things of creation come to life”; when it snows, there is a saying “a timely snow promises a good harvest”. When I see a rainfall, first I think of a beautiful sight, and it needn’t worry about the rain would cause flood so quickly since that there are few opportunities of flood. And if we worry about every natural phenomena would occur disaster, consequently, we would have no happiness.

And nature also can give us beautiful environment in which we can enjoy ourselves. Take our campus for example. Our campus is like a garden, especially including some wonderful sights. When I am in depression or in trouble or in some other bad position, I often find some silent and beautiful places to ponder upon my problem. As a result, fortunately, through this I often can get out of trouble. As a matter of fact, no matter you are happy or sorrow, nature is the honest friend of you, because it can listen to you heart everywhere as you like.

Therefore, we see a rainfall, we think of amrita; and we see the sun, we can bathe in sunshine. Just like me, see the good side of one thing first, and then consider its bad aspect. Effectively, I am always positive to life. However, nature has its own rules so that we cannot dominate its way; there are also some nature disasters like earthquake, flood and drought, etc. So it reminds us to not only recognize the beauty of nature, but also the disasters of nature.

Carnac, France: traditional and beautiful place is exactly the same

A prehistoric stone enclosure at Carnac that may have been a sacred area. (Susan Spano)

I love the green nature

　　
　　This is the story of a reformed beauty queen — a girl who was once drawn to her local drugstore by the allure of a magazine ad and its promise of magical ingredients, snazzier packaging and better results. No longer... And here's why:
According to a 2005 survey of 2,300 adults by the Environmental Working Group, the average woman encounters 168 chemical ingredients in her beauty regimen everyday. And let's not forget about the men — they're slathering themselves with an average of 85 chemicals everyday, too.
With 90% of the 10,500 different chemicals used in personal care products never evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration for safety, it's impossible to have peace of mind when our skin is potentially absorbing chemicals that might cause cancer, reproductive problems or other health concerns. Plus, some of these chemicals can harm the environment, too. Even the drugs and personal care products that disappear down the drain can harm fish and other wildlife at the other end of the pipe.
So you may be asking: What's the big deal? Beauty products contain small amounts of toxic chemicals. Even "active ingredients" that promise the most benefits for your beauty make up just 1% of most products.
The big deal is that we're using these products regularly, essentially creating a stockpile of some chemicals in our bodies (stored in fat cells) that may only cause harm after years of use. Some preservative chemicals used in cosmetics (like parabens) have been shown to mimic the hormone estrogen, contributing to breast cancer risk. Pregnant mothers can pass along the effects of some chemicals to their unborn offspring, like testicular abnormalities in little boys or obesity in teenage girls. And don't think that spending more money is the answer — endocrine-disrupting chemicals are found in both drugstore and high-end department store brands.
These are frightening claims that have inspired me to pursue preventative measures now in my 20s, rather than allow this ticking time bomb to explode years down the road, potentially affecting me or my future children.
Thanks to information from expert sources like The Green Beauty Guide ($10.50 at amazon.com), The Essential Green You! ($6.40 at amazon.com), and Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products ($11.50 at amazon.com), I've compiled my top takeaway points from these books to show you how to embrace the green in your beauty regimen. I call them my 8 Commandments of Natural Beauty.

Nature photography

　　
　　The Complete Guide to Nature Photography - Professional Techniques for Capturing Digital Images of Nature and Wildlife by Sean Arbabi is a new book published by Amphoto Books. To be released in December, The Complete Guide to Nature Photography guides readers through every stage of shooting landscapes close-­‐ups, and animal portraits, from packing your gear bag to selecting sites, deciding on a composition, getting a perfect exposure taking macro images, and processing your digital images afterward Using his own exceptional work as examples Arbabi discusses each type of nature subject and how to approach it. An assignment at the end of each chapter gives readers a step-­‐by-­‐step opportunity to practice one of the chapter’s key concepts. Packed with 250 of the author’s beautiful images of nature and wildlife, The Complete Guide to Nature Photography will hit bookstores in the US on December 6th and most international locations around early February.

The natural landscape of the piece of magic stone

　　What a huge week we’ve had here in the wide world of photography, and Toad Hollow Photography has been very busy compiling this very comprehensive list of tutorials, great photography and interesting blogs to share. You will find some great links here taking you off to see some fabulous works by some truly talented people. We hope you enjoy visiting these links as much as the Toad did in bringing them to you.
Check out the Toad’s photo blog and gallery of Canadian Fine Art and Landscape Photography.

　　Rodeo Beach Sunset by the_tahoe_guy, on Flickr
TUTORIALS
Getting The Perfect Portrait Every Time – a great piece from master photographers outlining tips and tricks on how to achieve that perfect portrait, every time you get behind the lens. David Ziser hosts this fabulous tutorial, making it widely available for everyone to enjoy and gain some behind-the-scenes information from.
Make Your Own Canvas Portrait – a short but awesome post on how to create your very own canvas portraits. Even if this is something you don’t have an immediate plan for, this great post is highly informative and left me personally with a lot of new creative ideas.
Lighting Basics: Hard Light and Soft Light – an absolutely detailed and highly informative article on different lighting, how it effects photography and how best to employ it. This is an in-depth article, sure to shed some light on this subject for most photographers, if you’ll pardon the pun.
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Learning to See (Part 3) – seriously profound, this series of pictures and accompanying story will leave you feeling something, no doubt about it. Master photographer and writer Tom Dinning shares a personal story that is punctuated with the most incredible imagery, sure to move all those who take it in. As the story unfolded, I had a strong sense I knew where we were going with it, but each and every word, each and every picture, was taken in like the finest square of chocolate or a sip of the finest whiskey.
Pyestock – The Gates Of The River Styx – easily one of my picks of this week, Mark Blundell roars onto the photography scene with this picture that will leave you with as many questions as answers. Incredible photography and processing merge to create this absolutely incredible piece. A great accompanying write-up explains the setting, leaving the viewer yearning for much, much more.
The House of the Crazy Man – our very own @astaroth delivers a profound, moving, dramatic and highly emotional piece that will take your breath away!! An absolutely incredible set of photographs of an abandoned and dilapidated building forms the imagery that is encapsulated in some of the most incredible writing I have seen this week. Guaranteed to move you, this series is a must see!!
Waterfall – a gorgeous and brooding image from the studio of A.D Wheeler shares a view of a waterfall and an older building on the side of the river. A beautiful and detailed photograph, this is absolutely amazing.
In The Pond – a montage of one of my favorite subjects; frogs. Barbara Youngleson shares a truly wonderful image, full of color and wonder that is sure to delight everyone.
Open Doors – textures, tones and a strong visual interest that is partly a result of a slightly minimalistic scene… a great photograph from the studio of Steve Beal shares a not often seen picture taken in an abandoned factory.
Dance Images – wonderful photographs of dancers in action are the prime subject of this post. Frank Doorhof captures and shares a truly stunning and evocative set of pictures with a captive audience.
Sure Footed Fellow – this picture showcases a shaggy mountain goat captured in Banff National Park. A fabulously composed image from the studio of Jeff Clow reveals a truly wonderful creature enjoying it’s life in a natural habitat.
Blue Door – personally, one of my favorite subjects is doors. If they have character and drama, all the better. Rich Helmer delivers such a piece in this post, full of great textures and contrast, creating a piece that is just fabulous.
Cloud To Ground – another great photograph from the studio of storm chasing Mike Olbinski. Mike’s work in this genre of photography is truly second to none, and in this shot we have all the inherent drama of the power of Mother Nature at work.
Conception of Peace in the Distance – a masterful picture from the studio of Gareth Glynn Ash shares a minimalistic view of a shoreline. Processed in dramatic black and white, with a brooding sky to add drama, this picture is a wonderful work.
Inveraray and Oban – a stunning series of HDR photos taken of a small town in Scotland provides a truly wonderful subject. Great colors and details adorn the set, creating a chance for everyone who visits to get to see a truly wonderful part of the world.
The Day Is Done – a gorgeous sunset creates spectacular splashes of color, using a train bridge as a silhouette and leading lines producing a great photo. Chris Frailey captures and shares a truly beautiful picture, one that immediately introduces a strong sense of serenity.

　　In Through the Out by CJ Schmit, on Flickr
Red-Tail Hawk at Bolsa Chica Wildlife Sanctuary – a powerful and commanding photograph of one of Mother Natures beautiful birds sitting on a tree, like a sentry. Jay Taylor captures and shares a truly breathtaking picture of this amazing bird, one well worth the time to view.
Click Here: 94 Photography Links That Rock

This post will bring you beautiful nature

　　This post will bring you beautiful nature pictures from the portfolio of Sebastian Kubatz. We live in a beautiful world and we have so much beauty around us. Sometimes we don't realize the beauty of nature while walking on streets, roads or beaches, but many photographers save those moments in beautiful pictures for inspiration.
Sebastian Kubatz is also one of them who like nature. He's Grown up in Leipzig and now studying Media Engineering at the University of Applied Science Mittweida, Sebastian is in pursuit of ambitious photographs. Living in a very monotonous landscape. He prefer traveling the world for new spots or portraying people that come across.

The Antarctic

　　For most purposes, the Geographic South Pole is defined as the southern point of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface (the other being the Geographic North Pole). However, the Earth's axis of rotation is actually subject to very small 'wobbles', so this definition is not adequate for very precise work; see Geographic North Pole for further information.

　　The geographic coordinates of the South Pole are usually given simply as 90°S, since its longitude is geometrically undefined and irrelevant. When a longitude is desired, it may be given as 0°W. At the South Pole all directions face north. For this reason, directions at the Pole are given relative to "grid north", which points northwards along the prime meridian.[1]
The Geographic South Pole is located on the continent of Antarctica (although this has not been the case for all of Earth's history because of continental drift). It sits atop a featureless, windswept, icy plateau at an altitude of 2,835 metres (9,306 ft), about 1,300 km (800 mi) from the nearest open sea at Bay of Whales. The ice is estimated to be about 2,700 metres (9,000 ft) thick at the Pole, so the land surface under the ice sheet is actually near sea level.[2]
The polar ice sheet is moving at a rate of roughly 10 metres per year in a direction between 37° and 40° west of grid north,[3] down towards the Weddell Sea. Therefore, the position of the station and other artificial features relative to the geographic pole gradually shifts over time.
The Geographic South Pole is marked by a small sign and a stake in the ice pack, which are repositioned each year on New Year's Day to compensate for the movement of the ice.[4] The sign records the respective dates that Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott reached the Pole, followed by a short quotation from each man and gives the elevation as 2,835 m (9,301 ft).[5]

Nature, in the broadest sense

　　Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. It ranges in scale from the subatomic to the cosmic.
Hopetoun Falls, Australia 　The word nature is derived from the Latin word natura, or "essential qualities, innate disposition", and in ancient times, literally meant "birth".[1] Natura was a Latin translation of the Greek word physis (φύσις), which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord.[2][3] The concept of nature as a whole, the physical universe, is one of several expansions of the original notion; it began with certain core applications of the word φύσις by pre-Socratic philosophers, and has steadily gained currency ever since. This usage was confirmed during the advent of modern scientific method in the last several centuries.[4][5]

　　

　　Bachalpsee in the Swiss Alps
Within the various uses of the word today, "nature" often refers to geology and wildlife. Nature may refer to the general realm of various types of living plants and animals, and in some cases to the processes associated with inanimate objects – the way that particular types of things exist and change of their own accord, such as the weather and geology of the Earth, and the matter and energy of which all these things are composed. It is often taken to mean the "natural environment" or wilderness–wild animals, rocks, forest, beaches, and in general those things that have not been substantially altered by human intervention, or which persist despite human intervention. For, example, manufactured objects and human interaction generally are not considered part of nature, unless qualified as, for example, "human nature" or "the whole of nature". This more traditional concept of natural things which can still be found today implies a distinction between the natural and the artificial, with the artificial being understood as that which has been brought into being by a human consciousness or a human mind. Depending on the particular context, the term "natural" might also be distinguished from the unnatural, the supernatural, or synthetic.

All things because the most beautiful heart

　　

Beautiful Nature Photography by Amazing Photographers
Some of the most amazing nature moments and glimpse catched by amazing photographers. This collection includes photography of trees, waterfalls, rainbows, fields, forest etc. All images are collected from Deviant Art.
All amazing Photographs are properly linked back to their sources, Click on the images to get to their sources.

Orange is a color that comes into its own this month

　　
　　Orange is a color that comes into its own this month: Glowing pumpkins, crisp leaves, dazzling marigolds, and for those of us lucky enough to live around here, fluttering butterflies — Monarchs to be precise — making their unlikely journey south for the winter.
One October of my childhood, a number of the evergreen trees in our yard burst into a blaze of orange as a swarm (no, really, that’s their collective noun) of Monarch butterflies arrived to rest for the night. We spent a wide-eyed evening watching these fragile creatures, and imagining how many times those paper wings would pulse in the 2,000 mile journey to sunny canyons in Mexico.
This year, when we have poured more sand than rain from our gauges, and we ponder the effects of a devastating drought on livestock and land and people and wildlife, it has been especially sweet to see those familiar little wings dipping and soaring and swooping on their timeless trail south.
Each flash of orange reminds us that nature has a grand way of carrying on through the worst of times.
When you need a little good news, don’t forget to look outside. It might be fluttering by

Nature, Discovery News etc: Krikey and Holy Captain Jack Sparrow, It’s a KRAKEN!

　　

The kraken that demolished a sailing ship in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was bigger, but the one in the news today is a pretty tall tale too. Krakens don’t all you forever-adolescent monster fans know, is a mythological beast, more squid than octopus but it’s a myth so it’s your pick. It was huge. Old woodcuts show ships foundering in their arms. Then along came a paleontologist from Mount Holyoke College to tell a meeting of the Geological Society of America that by a long tentacle of inference he thinks a 100-foot long beast of krakenish appearance once broke ichthyosaurs’ necks and ate them, back in the Triassic. The evidence lies in Davey Jones’s locker – lined up vertebral disks, in regular patterns and rearranged from their natural sequence in a living creature. Today’s they are in Nevada, stranded by geological uplift of a vanished sea. They are strange – who’s to say they cannot be a deliberate mimicking of the suckers on its arms by a colossal cephalopod at the entry to its abyssal lair? A self-portrait, if you will. Octopi are darned smart for a spineless creature, squid maybe too, and a big one might have done this.

　　Hmppphhhhtt. Sure. It’s possible. But possible means maybe and maybe usually means probably not in my book just because the cosmos has more maybes than realities. One does not pass up a story like this easily. But, one ought to call around just to be sure there aren’t other experts giggling at the notion. A few did. The story, if one has to write it, ought to be the persistently deep mystery of this one fossil bed, as illustrated by the lengths to which some (one) expert went to make sense of them. This is a stab in the dark.
Still, hard not to get on board with the imagery this fabulation inspires.

I want to say everyone should love our environment

　

　I wanted to share my enthusiasm and hope for our unique and wonderful Eastern Panhandle community. I recently traveled throughout southern West Virginia. Returning home to our little corner of the world made me appreciate everything that we have here. I send my hearty thanks to those individuals who are trying to revitalize downtown Martinsburg. It is rewarding to come home to our cozy community.
If there is one important lesson I learned from my trip - it derived from the profound sadness of viewing the stripped and barren landscape of "mined" West Virginia. Talking to my fellow West Virginians throughout our state made me more aware of how precious our unpolluted, healthy and pristine environment is here. The daily sight of ugly stripped barren land and constant water troubles are part of everyday living for many our southern West Virginia neighbors.
Residents who live near mining areas have health burdens that are sad to witness. Everyone has remembrances of how vital and healthy their neighborhoods were before mining came to town. There is no pride left among those who remain. Many wish they could leave, and most eventually do.
My thoughts and prayers go to my friends and family locally in Gerrardstown, who may be doomed to the same plight due to the company that plans to operate an industrial quarry mining operation on North Mountain in an incompatible residential location.
There is alternative progressive economic development besides mining in which West Virginia should invest. Citizens and our environment should not be continually exploited for the enrichment of out-of-state mining entities.
West Virginia is at a crossroads. If residents do not have the promise of healthy water and air along with a peaceful homestead, there will be no future growth for our state. Either elected officials will work with the citizens and protect our residential communities or we can continue to watch as towns become empty shells.

Drifting at sea

　　At long last, here is an account of our Saturday at Preseli – spent sea kayaking and coasteering!
We started our morning by kayaking. When we arrived at the harbor a salty, chilly breeze was whispering past us, but we were kept warm by our wet suits and our anticipation of adventure.

　　Ready for Kayaking
Following a brief “how to” session (during which I may or may not have been guilty of splashing my flat mates a few times), we headed out into the sea. We tried our paddles at “rock-hopping” – essentially surfing a wave between rocks – explored the coast, peeked into some caves, and were visited by some seals.

Everybody is going green

　　Everybody is going green. And its our responsibility is to take care of our green nature. So I have also started my mission to make this earth more green. You can be a part of it also and the most easy and quick step will be making your Desktop Wallpaper Eco Friendly. In this Article I have collected some High Quality Beautiful Nature Wallpaper for all of my Readers. Go Get them, Grab them, Download them all and start spreading “Go Green” Slogan.

　　

Welcome to my Beauty of nature blog

Welcome to Beauty By Nature Day Spa, a complete beauty and health integrative center located in Markham,Ontario. We offer a range of services, to help our patients to achieve healthy skin and physical well being.
Our Mission
At Beauty By Nature our highest priority is the rejuvenation of your body and spirit.We are dedicated to helping you look and feel Robust,Natural and Expensive by integrating aesthetics with personalized care,exellent service and healthy aging strategies. We believe that what begins with quality aesthetics care becomes the change of your live from within.