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Dark Matter and Other Wonders of the Universe

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Open Letter from Vera Rubin: Dark Matter and Other Wonders of the Universe (in which the poet imagines to be the astronomer Vera Rubin)*             As a child, I wondered how the moon knew to follow us home. I wondered if bright burning comets visited other worlds like ours. There were nights, when I was certain The tolling of a distant galactic clock woke me— The stars outside my window had spun across the sky. In truth, everything: our planet, the window, and I had moved. Yet I perceived myself as still, and safe in bed. These thoughts made me dizzy with desire To see it all spinning, and spinning From a distant place outside our galaxy.   To watch the heavens is to be an astronomer. Copernicus looked with naked eye, and Galileo proved with telescopic observations, The Earth orbits the Sun, not the other way around. Johannes Kepler observed the planets Farther from the sun orbit slower Than planets closer in, but why? Sir Isaac Newton late
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This blog post first appeared on Curtis Buffer News blog Dec 2020 Thanks to all of you who have stopped by to offer encouragement and help over the past year as we continue our invasive remediation work along Rock Creek. I feel like we could use one of those “Under Construction” signs as we clear new areas of vines and other plants damaging or killing trees.  Ballroom covered in knotweed and vines Ballroom after cutting vines and knotweed We now have a crew of 8 volunteers! We’ve made more progress than we ever thought possible in one year, especially with a pandemic raging. We started the year at the upper reaches of the creek in the arboretum where a combined sewer overflow directs street runoff into Rock Creek. We’ve installed erosion markers which we are monitoring to see the effects of storm damage. Each month we assess the water quality and flow so we can get a fuller picture of the health of the stream over time. We also did our first detailed annual wildlife habitat survey. A
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Pierced My Heart

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Photo @ KristenLange Two red tail hawks Spiraled and screamed Into a sky so blue It pierced my heart
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Winter Solstice Mystery

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Winter Solstice Part of my soul is sad at Solstice That part which craves the darkness And the mystery The flickering light of candles The creak of oaken pews Silence that holds a secret, and a Longing to touch the infinite
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Beach Walking

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Beach Walking I’ve forgotten how, To walk on the beach. Finding that line Where the sand is firm, But not so hard it hurts my feet. Sand—fresh washed by the sea. “I agree,” I say to no one. Permanence is an illusion.
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The Monarch Butterfly's Mulit-generational Migration and the Bicycling Biologist Sara Dykman

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The Monarch Butterfly’s Multi-generational Migration Overwintering It’s March 2017, in the volcanic mountains of central Mexico. Millions of monarch butterflies cling to the branches and trunks of the towering Oyamel pine trees. These butterflies are about to begin an amazing journey. Sara Dykman, a biologist and founder of Beyond A Book is migrating with them—on a bicycle! Sara and four generations of monarchs will travel approximately 10,000 miles from Mexico, across the USA to Canada, and back again in nine months. Weights and Measures Sara feels a kinship with the monarchs by bicycling. She’s using her legs to pedal while the butterflies use their wings to fly. With all of Sara’s luggage—tent, sleeping bag, camera, computer, phone, clothes, toothbrush, stove, pocket knife, tools, and more—her bike weighs about 32kg (32000 grams). A monarch weighs up to 0.75 grams and they don’t carry any luggage.    Mass Migration Sara knew it was time to leave when mi
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