Good Planets are Hard to Find, June Edition # 2

How cunningly nature hides every wrinkle of her inconceivable antiquity under roses and violets and morning dew! ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fragility and Durability; two sides of the same coin. The most transient, delicate butterfly emerges, flies and is gone, but she leaves behind a row of eggs; and conversely, the most solid, taken-for-granted, ancient ground under our feet will someday crumble.

Robin forwarded this photo, sent by Evan of Virginia; his newborn son. He writes:

"The doctors are still wiping the fluids off of him seconds after birth."

Congratulations, Evan! And long may he thrive!
A little girl comes to grips with impermanence.Bev, of Burning Silo, sends this tiny plume moth, possibly a Himmelman's PM.

And also from Bev, a pair of Delicate Cycnia moths, photographed at her farm this week.
Robin, at Dharma Bums, says,

"I saw this very sweet chickadee pulling fibers from our doormat again. She may be getting ready for her second brood. There is something about the black-capped chickadee that is the essence of cuteness. They are tiny, but have incredible presence."

And this one, from C. Corax, rouses all my protective instincts; a temporarily, I hope, blind garter snake.

She writes,

"When I saw this garter snake, I assumed she was getting ready to shed. But I wonder--perhaps someone knowledgeable about snakes can tell me for sure--whether the snake has actually shed already but is retaining the eye scales. She was very nervous at my approach. Certainly when a snake is blind, even temporarily, it is very vulnerable. If vulnerability is viewed as a sort of fragility, this photo fits the theme."

Yankee Transplant sends this New England reservoir, demonstrating "durability and variety from season to season."
Along the Kamloops - Merritt highway, this dead tree still serves as a handy roost for birds.
A glacier calving brings to mind the fragility of our planet and its climate. From Wrenaissance Woman.
Eggshell china, almost a century old: Japanese Kutani porcelain. So delicate you can see through it to the signature on the back, so sturdy it stands up to a lifetime of tea ceremonies. From Laurie's collection.

Detail of the saucer.

And the cup to go with it.

And also from Wrenaissance Woman,

"Denali, ... one of the sacred places of the earth. Its durability gives me hope that we, and our good planet, will survive the current mess we're making."

It's a Good Planet we have here, a splendid, breath-taking planet. Thanks to all for sending these amazing photos of it.

Next Good Planets will be hosted by SBGypsy, of The Gypsy's Caravan. You can e-mail your photos to sbgypsy AT hotmail DOT com, on or before the Friday after next.

See you over there!