Tim Loftus
@timloftus.bsky.social
Writer, Nature-Lover
www.TheSpruceTreeJournal.com
www.TheSpruceTreeJournal.com
Red-bellied Woodpecker feeding on Poison Ivy berries.
Oxford, MA
Many birds and some animals eat Poison Ivy berries as part of their general diet and aren't affected by the toxic oil in the plant - unlike humans. Remember the rhyme: Leaves of three, let it be/berries of white, take flight.
Oxford, MA
Many birds and some animals eat Poison Ivy berries as part of their general diet and aren't affected by the toxic oil in the plant - unlike humans. Remember the rhyme: Leaves of three, let it be/berries of white, take flight.
December 3, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Red-bellied Woodpecker feeding on Poison Ivy berries.
Oxford, MA
Many birds and some animals eat Poison Ivy berries as part of their general diet and aren't affected by the toxic oil in the plant - unlike humans. Remember the rhyme: Leaves of three, let it be/berries of white, take flight.
Oxford, MA
Many birds and some animals eat Poison Ivy berries as part of their general diet and aren't affected by the toxic oil in the plant - unlike humans. Remember the rhyme: Leaves of three, let it be/berries of white, take flight.
THE SPRUCE TREE JOURNAL
A place of refuge, a time of peace, a message of hope.
Here's a link to the November 2025 issue:
conta.cc/4qwGaNf
A place of refuge, a time of peace, a message of hope.
Here's a link to the November 2025 issue:
conta.cc/4qwGaNf
November 2, 2025 at 3:35 PM
THE SPRUCE TREE JOURNAL
A place of refuge, a time of peace, a message of hope.
Here's a link to the November 2025 issue:
conta.cc/4qwGaNf
A place of refuge, a time of peace, a message of hope.
Here's a link to the November 2025 issue:
conta.cc/4qwGaNf
I went to church the other day, where the glory of the heavens outshone the pallid paintings from any chapel ceiling, where the trees were my stained-glass windows, and a granite glacial erratic on the edge of the pond was more welcoming to this penitent hiker than any cushioned pew could ever be.
October 24, 2025 at 11:05 AM
I went to church the other day, where the glory of the heavens outshone the pallid paintings from any chapel ceiling, where the trees were my stained-glass windows, and a granite glacial erratic on the edge of the pond was more welcoming to this penitent hiker than any cushioned pew could ever be.
White Pine needles, an unexpected aspergillum filled with Earth’s gentle, healing rain, blessed me whenever I brushed by the boughs. I entered the forest this morning with a heavy heart and left in peace. (And quite wet.)
September 24, 2025 at 10:07 PM
White Pine needles, an unexpected aspergillum filled with Earth’s gentle, healing rain, blessed me whenever I brushed by the boughs. I entered the forest this morning with a heavy heart and left in peace. (And quite wet.)
In Irish Gaelic this little Ladybug is called Bóín Dé (BOH-een jay). The literal translation into English is “God’s little cow.”
September 18, 2025 at 11:18 PM
In Irish Gaelic this little Ladybug is called Bóín Dé (BOH-een jay). The literal translation into English is “God’s little cow.”
This photo is of a honeybee collecting pollen. You can see one of her "pollen baskets" on her hind leg.
September 18, 2025 at 1:05 PM
This photo is of a honeybee collecting pollen. You can see one of her "pollen baskets" on her hind leg.
See, there's enough to go around.
September 17, 2025 at 12:46 AM
See, there's enough to go around.
Pine Warbler.
Sometimes the light, the setting, and the model are all in rhythm together.
Sometimes the light, the setting, and the model are all in rhythm together.
September 11, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Pine Warbler.
Sometimes the light, the setting, and the model are all in rhythm together.
Sometimes the light, the setting, and the model are all in rhythm together.
I found these beauties during my Daily Woodland Zen Walk this morning. No names or description to box them into some anthropomorphic idea of classification. No pre-conceived definition of what they are or what they aren’t - just letting their essence tell me about themselves.
September 6, 2025 at 8:27 PM
I found these beauties during my Daily Woodland Zen Walk this morning. No names or description to box them into some anthropomorphic idea of classification. No pre-conceived definition of what they are or what they aren’t - just letting their essence tell me about themselves.
Early this morning, not long after the sun had crested the horizon, I stopped along the path to listen to a particularly melodious Carolina Wren. But something else was in the air. A scent. It was the silent Sweet Pepperbush blossoms; their fragrance was their own songs passing through the trees.
August 11, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Early this morning, not long after the sun had crested the horizon, I stopped along the path to listen to a particularly melodious Carolina Wren. But something else was in the air. A scent. It was the silent Sweet Pepperbush blossoms; their fragrance was their own songs passing through the trees.
Need a diversion today - to spend a few moments demagnetizing from the news or from doom scrolling on the internet?
Check out the July 2025 issue of The Spruce Tree Journal. It’s a place of refuge, a time of peace, and a message of hope in this crazy world.
Tim
conta.cc/4kqPiib
Check out the July 2025 issue of The Spruce Tree Journal. It’s a place of refuge, a time of peace, and a message of hope in this crazy world.
Tim
conta.cc/4kqPiib
July 9, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Need a diversion today - to spend a few moments demagnetizing from the news or from doom scrolling on the internet?
Check out the July 2025 issue of The Spruce Tree Journal. It’s a place of refuge, a time of peace, and a message of hope in this crazy world.
Tim
conta.cc/4kqPiib
Check out the July 2025 issue of The Spruce Tree Journal. It’s a place of refuge, a time of peace, and a message of hope in this crazy world.
Tim
conta.cc/4kqPiib
Oh, how I wanted to stop and sit in silence among the huge ferns – even if only for a few moments. But alas, this time and place had already been claimed by an army of mosquitoes who feasted upon the blood of this trespasser, who quickly found his way to a more welcoming part of the forest.
June 7, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Oh, how I wanted to stop and sit in silence among the huge ferns – even if only for a few moments. But alas, this time and place had already been claimed by an army of mosquitoes who feasted upon the blood of this trespasser, who quickly found his way to a more welcoming part of the forest.
I called him Dutch. Everyone did. It was a signature name, like Elvis or Cher, because there was only one Dutch in Spencer, Massachusetts, and he was the chief of police. Check out the full piece on The Keepthings Instagram or Substack site.
thekeepthings.substack.com
Instagram @TheKeepthings.
thekeepthings.substack.com
Instagram @TheKeepthings.
June 5, 2025 at 11:24 PM
I called him Dutch. Everyone did. It was a signature name, like Elvis or Cher, because there was only one Dutch in Spencer, Massachusetts, and he was the chief of police. Check out the full piece on The Keepthings Instagram or Substack site.
thekeepthings.substack.com
Instagram @TheKeepthings.
thekeepthings.substack.com
Instagram @TheKeepthings.
This morning during my Daily Woodland Zen Walk, I experienced the season’s waning end of Canada Mayflower blooms with the start of Pink Lady Slippers in the same forested patch.
Just for today, why not align to a few of the thousands of wondrous seasons of the natural world?
Just for today, why not align to a few of the thousands of wondrous seasons of the natural world?
May 25, 2025 at 6:18 PM
This morning during my Daily Woodland Zen Walk, I experienced the season’s waning end of Canada Mayflower blooms with the start of Pink Lady Slippers in the same forested patch.
Just for today, why not align to a few of the thousands of wondrous seasons of the natural world?
Just for today, why not align to a few of the thousands of wondrous seasons of the natural world?
Today, while standing still in the forest, watching and listening, I caught sight of this little fellow. The breeze was in my favor and it never knew I was there.
May 20, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Today, while standing still in the forest, watching and listening, I caught sight of this little fellow. The breeze was in my favor and it never knew I was there.
Early this morning, the fragrance of honey unexpectedly surrounded me. It was from a Honeysuckle bush in full bloom just beyond the bend of the path and out of my sight at that time. The sweet scent transported me back to a time when my daughter Caitlin and I started the first of our many beehives.
May 11, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Early this morning, the fragrance of honey unexpectedly surrounded me. It was from a Honeysuckle bush in full bloom just beyond the bend of the path and out of my sight at that time. The sweet scent transported me back to a time when my daughter Caitlin and I started the first of our many beehives.
I love listening to the music of this waterfall – as if it were singing just for me. It will be this vision and this song I will hear as this weary body drifts off to sleep tonight.
May 8, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I love listening to the music of this waterfall – as if it were singing just for me. It will be this vision and this song I will hear as this weary body drifts off to sleep tonight.
During my Daily Woodland Zen Walk, I paused at a patch of Common Blue Violets and thought of these words from Mary Oliver:
“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”
“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”
May 4, 2025 at 5:05 PM
During my Daily Woodland Zen Walk, I paused at a patch of Common Blue Violets and thought of these words from Mary Oliver:
“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”
“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”
During my Daily Woodland Zen Walk, I paused at a patch of Common Blue Violets and thought of these words from Mary Oliver:
“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”
“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”
May 4, 2025 at 5:04 PM
During my Daily Woodland Zen Walk, I paused at a patch of Common Blue Violets and thought of these words from Mary Oliver:
“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”
“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”
The sweet, intoxicating perfume of apple blossoms always brings me back to my halcyon single-digit years when I’d sit high up in the apple tree just off the north side of my parent’s property. Even as a young nerd, I sensed the magic, even if I couldn’t articulate it as such then.
May 3, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The sweet, intoxicating perfume of apple blossoms always brings me back to my halcyon single-digit years when I’d sit high up in the apple tree just off the north side of my parent’s property. Even as a young nerd, I sensed the magic, even if I couldn’t articulate it as such then.
Exploring a vernal pool the other day with my grandson, Jack. We found spring peeper polliwogs, an eft, and midges (that just kind-of look like mosquitos).
April 26, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Exploring a vernal pool the other day with my grandson, Jack. We found spring peeper polliwogs, an eft, and midges (that just kind-of look like mosquitos).
The birth of a photographer.
With my five-year-old grandson Jack at Old Sturbridge Village.
With my five-year-old grandson Jack at Old Sturbridge Village.
April 25, 2025 at 11:13 AM
The birth of a photographer.
With my five-year-old grandson Jack at Old Sturbridge Village.
With my five-year-old grandson Jack at Old Sturbridge Village.
Like Noah’s epic journey through watery desolation to a time of rebirth, it seems as if winter’s ark has finally opened its door freeing the warblers – their brightly colored feathers appearing as springtime ornaments throughout the budding trees.
Here’s a photo of a Palm Warbler.
Here’s a photo of a Palm Warbler.
April 19, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Like Noah’s epic journey through watery desolation to a time of rebirth, it seems as if winter’s ark has finally opened its door freeing the warblers – their brightly colored feathers appearing as springtime ornaments throughout the budding trees.
Here’s a photo of a Palm Warbler.
Here’s a photo of a Palm Warbler.
At only about 5 inches long, Brown Creepers are nearly impossible to see, blending in almost perfectly with tree bark as they poke around the crevasses looking for spiders and other bugs to eat.
Note the spider silk in this Brown Creeper’s beak. It will be used in nest building.
Note the spider silk in this Brown Creeper’s beak. It will be used in nest building.
April 16, 2025 at 7:28 PM
At only about 5 inches long, Brown Creepers are nearly impossible to see, blending in almost perfectly with tree bark as they poke around the crevasses looking for spiders and other bugs to eat.
Note the spider silk in this Brown Creeper’s beak. It will be used in nest building.
Note the spider silk in this Brown Creeper’s beak. It will be used in nest building.
Shared some river time with this mink today when I was out for my Daily Woodland Zen Walk. I watched it swim through the water to the opposite bank where it explored every nook and cranny among the fallen logs.
April 14, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Shared some river time with this mink today when I was out for my Daily Woodland Zen Walk. I watched it swim through the water to the opposite bank where it explored every nook and cranny among the fallen logs.