Jewel # 375 (Sept. 27, 2019)

 

Tip-Up Sandpiper                  Large Beak Spoon Bill Sandpiper

   

 The Greater Yellowlegs Sanpiper                     Red-headed Sandpiper

And they shall be Mine saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

Make up MY JEWELS.

Malachi 3:17

To my dear Grandchildren

Charming Sandpipers -  Part 2

Of the Lord God, and through Him, 

and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever.

Romans 11:36

In the last issue we looked at the lovely sandpipers in general.  Here are some interesting facts about a few of them.  The one named spotted is one of the best known all along the Pacific coast.  It is usually seen running along the shore, stopping now and then to teeter up and down several times, then running again.  This has given it the nickname “tip-up.” 

The large-beaked-spoonbill and the broad billed are among the great migrators.  Their large beaks contrast with the small beaks of others.  The westerns, also migrators, are very pretty with white breasts and underparts and mottled dark and light brown wings, tan heads and sharply pointed beaks.

An unusual one that doesn’t migrate is named eastern.  It spends winters and summers in the midwestern United States in deep woods, wading in shallow ponds and swamps, stirring up food with its feet.

The greater yellow has long, colourful legs, making it nearly a foot tall.  Another tall one is the nine-inch stilt, living along the Atlantic coast and in Texas.

Among the shorter ones is the least, probably given this name because it is so small.  It is quite pretty with black wings, speckled top and tail feathers and white underparts. Its head, with a sharp, black beak, fits snugly into its round little body.  It often stands a long time on one leg, with the other tucked under its bodying and completely hidden.

The one called purple is really black with gray and brown markings.  Its winter home is in Central America, but it migrates far north in spring and summer.  Then there is the red-headed, with a long, black beak and pretty, reddish feathers so smooth against its small skull that it looks almost bald.

A provision the Creator made for many birds is in Delaware Bay, near Washington, D.C.  This is where great numbers of horseshoe crabs migrate each spring and lay millions of eggs, which many birds eat.  Great numbers of sandpipers find this a good stopping place when migrating north, including the semi-palmateds.  Feeding on this tasty treat, they fatten up for the last lap of a several-thousand-mile migration.  Many other kinds of birds join them in this feast.

We must stop here, although there are many more interesting species.  These are all examples of God’s creation, placed on the earth by Him and dependant on Him for their short life span.  

They do not know of God’s care over them, but we can know about His care over us and thank Him for it.  The Bible tells us, “The Lord is good, and a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him” Nahum 1:7.      

      

Do you know His care, and do you trust in Him?

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 374 (Sept. 18, 2019)

             

Western Sandpiper                                 Spotter Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

make up MY JEWELS.

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren

Charming Sandpipers  (Part 1)

Thou art worthy, O Lord . . . for Thou hast created all things, 

and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.

Revelation 4:11

When we look at the great variety of birds the Creator has placed on the earth, it is not difficult to understand the above Bible verse and see that He had real pleasure in creating them.

There are many millions of sandpipers in many varieties throughout the world.  They are found mostly in North America and Europe but some live in other countries also.  The one most often seen in Europe is known as the common sandpiper, and the two most common ones in North America are the spotted and the western.  Some of them are given nicknames such as “stilts,” “shanks” and “peeps,” because of their special habits.

Most sandpipers migrate, spending fall and winter in warm southern areas and flying thousands of miles to northern Canada, the Yukon and Alaska in spring.  As an example, over six million of the western species leave South America in May for northern places where they nest, raise their young and find abundant food provided by a kind Creator.

Some of these fly along the Pacific coast, others across Midwestern states, but the greatest number prefer the Atlantic coast.  Whichever route is taken, many stops are made along the way for eating and resting.  They fly in great masses, but not in formation like geese and ducks.

Sandpipers find much of their food in water or on sandy shores, eating mostly at night.  Food includes many kinds of small sea life, such as clams, mussels, a small fish now and then, and many insects caught while flying over the seashore.  Large groups often stand perfectly still on the sand, heads pointed into the wind, and many, if not all, stand with one leg tucked up under their feathers.  They are also interesting to watch as they run rapidly in a group, feet in shallow water, some stopping now and then to poke their beaks into the sand or water to snatch a tasty bit of food.

Sandpipers usually nest on the ground, scraping out a shallow round spot and lining it with grass.  Two or four eggs are laid, with both parents taking turns incubating them.  By late fall, parents and young are ready to make the trip south to their winter homes.

In the following issue we will look at a few of the interesting varieties in more detail.  Meanwhile, if you are near a sandy lakeshore or ocean beach, keep your eyes open and you may see them.

We have already mentioned the Creator’s pleasure in placing these bird on the earth.  Another Bible verse tells of His watchful care over them: “Thou hast made . . . the earth, and all things that are therein . . . and Thou preservest them all” (Nehemiah 9:6).  

Have you thanked Him for His watchful care over you?

Love you all - Grandpa       

Jewel # 373 (Sept. 10, 2019)

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make make up MY JEWELS.

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren

The Stately Moose

"God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind . . .

and God saw that it was good.” 

Genesis 1:24-25 

Moose are often seen on roads and in towns of Alaska, but they keep more hidden in forests on both sides of the Canada - U.S. border.  They can be found all the way from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast.

The moose is the largest American animal.  A full grown one will be about seven feet high and weigh 1500 pounds or more.  Its antlers are immense, rising from the top of the head and spreading six feet wide or more.   They look like two gigantic hands turned upward like an armour of spike-like "fingers”.  They are a vicious weapon when a moose defends itself.

Because of its great size and strength, a healthy moose is not like to be attacked by other animals.  But if one is sick or weak from age, it is apt to become a victim of a hungry grizzly bear or pack of very hungry wolves.

The upper part of a moose’s muzzle extends three or four inches over its chin.  This muzzle has huge nostrils.  A short, coal-black triangular beard hangs from the neck.  The ears are large and, in contrast, its tail is just a short stub.  Its coat is a deep brown colour.  Sadly, the young calves are often the victims of wolves and other creatures when the parent are not close by.  Only about half of these younger ones make it through their first year.  But the mothers try to keep them from wandering off and have been seen helping them cross ponds too deep for their short legs by giving them “piggyy-back” rides all the way over.

Favourite foods include leaves and twigs of trees, as well as water lilies and other water plants.  This is why they are often found wading in ponds or along lake shores.  

Unlike most wild animals, a moose crossing a road or railroad track (sometimes alone and at other times a large group) usually pays no attention to traffic.  It may even stop in the middle of a road or railroad track to watch a truck, car or train approaching.  Experienced drivers of trucks and private cars, as well as engineers of trains, are always alert to this when going through moose country, and many drive more slowly so they can stop in time to avoid a collision with them. 

How interesting to look on these and other examples of the marvels of God’s creation and have the assurance that He has pleasure in creating and watching over them.  Psalm 36:6-7 tells us, “O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast.  How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God!”  Another verse tells us, “His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He sees all his goings” (Job 34:21).

What does He see as He looks on you?

Love you all - Grandpa  

Jewel # 372 (Sept. 2, 2019)

Chrysalis - - - - Butterfly                                                                        

And they shall be Mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up MY JEWELS.

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren  

Butterfly and Moth Facts - Part 2

The Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our corrupt body, that it may be . . . like . . . His glorious body  Philippians 3:20-21

In the last issue we looked at a pair of lovely moths and a pair of beautiful butterflies, but these are only examples of the hundreds of thousands the Creator has made.

What do they look like when they are first born?  They actually hatch, for they come from tiny eggs laid by the females.  There is a great variety of moth and butterfly egg shapes—some are smooth,  others are covered with hair, some are flat, and still others are round or oval.

These usually hatch in just a few days, but instead of a pretty butterfly or moth coming out, it is always a caterpillar (larva) that hatches.  This is the part growers of vegetables and flowers don’t like, for the caterpillars immediately start eating leaves, flowers and buds.  They can do a lot of damage, but quite often they eat invasive or useless plants too.  Some of the caterpillars become food for many birds and other insects.  And some caterpillars are camouflaged to protect them from their bird and insect enemies. 

As the caterpillars grow, their skins become too tight and split, to be replaced by looser coverings.  This may happen several times.  They finally attach themselves as cocoons to leaves or plant stems with a silk-like thread drawn from their heads.  In Japan, silk moths are raised from cocoons in great numbers for their silk threads, which are used to make silk clothing.

Before very long, the caterpillars reach a changing point in their lives.  Some make burrows in the ground that they can crawl into, and others crawl into curled up leaves.  Still others stretch-out on a plant stem and spin a silk covering around themselves and the stem.  In contrast to this, others do not make this kind of a cocoon but just attach themselves to a twig with a few strands of their silk thread, forming what is called a chrysalis.  It may have patterns that make it look like a leaf or some other part of the plant.

Inside the cocoons or chrysalises, these creatures begin to change from a caterpillar to a moth or butterfly.  In the spring they come out of their temporary homes— this time having wings, which at first are wet and soft.  But before long their wings begin to unfold, and now they are no longer caterpillars but fully developed moths or butterflies.  When fully dried they fly off and are the rest of their lives beautiful specimens of God’s creation—no longer pests.

The beginning Bible verse tells of a  wonderful change promised to each of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Saviour.  As we think of lowly caterpillars becoming something beautiful, how much greater will be a Christian’s change in that wonderful time!  

Will you be included in that change?

Love you all - Grandpa               

Jewel # 371 (August 23, 2019)

Cecropia                                    Luna

Monarch                                        Swallow Tail

“And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

Butterfly and Moth Facts (Part 1)

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.” Psalm 111:2

Butterflies and moths are often mistaken for one another, but there are several marked differences between them.  One way to tell them apart is that butterflies have a pair of black antennae that look like thin pieces of wire with black balls on the ends, while the antennae of moths are feathery and pretty.  Another way to tell them apart is to watch the as they land.  A butterfly at rest holds its wings upright over its body, while a moth lands with its wings wide open.  A butterfly has a tapered body, while a moth’s body is usually thick and hairy.  Another difference—butterflies are day fliers, while most moths fly only after dusk.

Butterflies and moths are often extremely pretty.  One moth in the eastern United States, called cecropia, is a beautiful blending of deep brown, tan and white over its large wings and oddly checkered body and is one of the largest in North America.  Another is the luna.  Its wings are a light green, but entirely circled with a dark brown border in front and light tan elsewhere, including its body.  The name luna (relating to the moon) tells us that it is active only at night.

One of the most outstanding and best-known butterflies is the monarch.  Great colonies of these, hatched during summer months in the United States and Canada, make quite a sight migrating in the fall to several places in California and Mexico, beautiful in their black-bordered, deep-orange wings and black bodies.  Their parents had flown in the opposite direction in the spring, but died before the fall.  How do you think the young ones know where to migrate or what direction to take without their parents to lead them?  This is just another example of the Creator’s care over all things He has created.  David wrote in Psalm 145:9, “The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.”  Incidentally, these young monarchs, fully grown through the winter months in the south, will return to the same northern spots the next spring, hatch new babies there and die.  This same pattern continues year after year.

Another lovely butterfly is the swallowtail, common in many North American gardens.  Its wings are a delicate yellow, bordered and marked in black when seen from above, but from below, the border has a front band of black, then deep blue, followed by more black, with a row of bright-red curved crescents.

David, who wrote many of the psalms, enjoyed thinking about creation, as the opening Bible verse shows.  He knew who made the world and everything in it and that it is only by the Lord God that all living things have been brought into the world and are cared for.

(To be continued)

Love you all - Grandpa    

Jewel # 370 (August 14, 2019)

Horny-toed Lizard                    Jumping Spider                                     Anableps 

Eyespot Grasshopper              Butterfly fish

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

Are Those Really Eyes?

“The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down.” Psalm 146:8.

The eyes of  many animals, birds and insects can perform in remarkable ways.  One of the most outstanding animals with unusual eyes is the horny-toed lizard, which makes its home in the deserts of Arizona.  It is an amazing creature not seen by many people.  This is a strange little fellow with a wrinkly brownish-tan body, capped with a pair of reddish ears on top of its horny, grim-faced head.  It also has two big areas of red flesh around its dark eyes.     

On occasions this lizard curls up into a wrinkly ball, its body resting on legs pulled underneath itself.  It confronts an enemy by sitting upright, and with its head raised, it will suddenly shoot out a series of dark red globs of blood over its head in such an amazing manner that the attacker is frightened away.  The bloody shots may shoot up six feet or more and can have a bad smell that makes the enemy leave it alone.

Another interesting example is the strange-looking jumping spider which has two big black eyes above its jaws and three secondary pairs of eyes as well.  It appears that the bigger eyes look ahead, and the smaller eyes see only what is behind.

A small fish called anableps spends much time at the water’s surface.  The upper half of its unusual eyes sees things in every direction above the surface, while at the same time the lower half sees only things below the surface.  Thus, while resting right at the surface, it can keep fully alert to everything in front, behind, above and below it.

The eyespot grasshopper has been provided with light-green round spots on the back of its dark brown body that look like huge eyes.  These keep enemies away that otherwise would attack it.  Something similar takes place with the silk moth, coloured mostly in bright red.  When a bird sneaks up from behind, it is suddenly frightened away when the moth, sensing it approach, opens its wings and two snake-like “eyes” are exposed.

The pretty yellow butterfly fish is often the target of larger fish.  On swimming closer, the larger fish discover two big, white-rimmed, coal-black “eyes” with a partly open mouth below then and turn away in fright.  But actually these are only markings.  The Creator provided these to preserve this pretty little fish from hungry enemies.  The actual eyes on the from of the fish are concealed by wide black stripes.

These are just a few of the many wonders of God’s creation.  Perhaps in the delights and wonders of heaven, we who know the Lord Jesus as our Saviour will hear from His lips about many other created wonders.

Will you be there?

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 369 (August 5, 2019)

“And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

What Goes On Inside a Beehive?

“We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her Children.”

1 Thessalonians 2:7

A beehive may hav 20,000 to 40,000 or more bees, including the all important queen, a few male (drone) bees and workers.  The whole activity of a hive centers around the queen.  She often lays 2000 eggs or more daily.  In addition to the queen’s area, the section of the hive set aside as a nursery is also very important.  Here the queen deposits the eggs, one to a cell.  While she does this, “nurse” bees feed her bee milk from glands in their heads and keep her spotlessly clean.

The nurses also take care of the eggs until they hatch into grubs.  Then they prepare “royal jelly” which is fed to the grubs for two days.  After this the diet is changed to a mixture of pollen and honey, called “bee bread.”  When a grub grows large enough to fill its cell, it weaves a silken web around itself, and a nurse makes a wax cover for the cell.  Twenty-one days later a fully developed bee comes out.

What responsibilities these nurse bees have!  Although they have no leader, each one seems to have its own duties and knows just what to do.  Such wonderful instincts were given to honeybees when the Lord God first created them, and they never change.

The hive workers also take nectar and pollen from the outside workers, called “foragers.”  They change it into honey, royal jelly or bee bread, as required, using special chemicals in their bodies.  Other workers are used as guards at the entrance of the hive.  In hot weather they all  work to make air conditioning by continually fanning their wings to circulate the air.  When it gets cold, they group together and do activities that raise the temperature to just the right degree.  Who do you think taught them to do these things?

Some of the eggs produce male bees, called “drones.”   These drones do not work and are fed by the workers.  Once a year the queen chooses one of them for a mate.  The workers then get rid of the remaining drones, killing then or driving them out of the hive.

At the end of two or three weeks, nurses give up their inside work and become foragers.  Their life span in this activity is only a month or so.  During this time each bee collects enough nectar to make a teaspoon and a half of honey.

The beehive and its busy bees provide an amazing display of God’s creation.  It shows us His power in preserving His works over the ages of time.  The activities of the bees are also an example for all of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour.  We see how the bees work together and are never lazy.  This is just what the Bible  tells us to do:  “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Hebrews 10:24).

If you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, how good it is to encourage and work with others in ways that are pleasing to Him.

Love you all - Grandpa