I chose just 11 wonderful things in our natural world to highlight here. Some of them are closely related but still unique enough to merit their own spot.

These are all special in their own way:

1. Spider Webs and Spinnerets

As much as I think spiders are among the creepiest of living things, I know they serve an important role in nature. And so I’m grateful for spiders (as long as I don’t have to encounter them much—especially big ones!).

And their giftedness for architecture is truly wonderful. The silk glands in their abdomens produce different kinds of silk for different purposes.

This silk is so strong and flexible for its size that no human has successfully designed a synthetic material that’s anything close to it. And it’s not just the silk that makes spider webs strong, but the design of the webs as well.

[I wrote an entire blog post about this that you’ll find here.]

If you’re like me and don’t care much for spiders, it’s time to re-read Charlotte’s Web! The only book I know where the spider is the hero of the story.

2. Pollinators

Pollinators and the plants they pollinate are a great example of symbiotic relationships in the natural world.

Some plants can self-pollinate, while others can be pollinated by wind and water. And then there are the living pollinators in our world: insects like butterflies, moths and bees. Some birds are also on this team, like hummingbirds, and even small mammals, including some bats.

These animals collect pollen either intentionally or accidentally from one plant, then transfer it to another plant. Plants are fertilized and can reproduce due to this pollination activity.

In many of these cases, one living species completely depends on the other for survival—one for food and the other for reproduction. It’s amazing!

3. Honeybees

Speaking of pollinators, honeybees are some of the most beloved because they make one of mankind’s favorite treats—honey. Isn’t it amazing that humans love to eat this same sweet substance that the bees eat?

There are more than 60 references to honey in the Bible, some dating back more than 3,000 years.

Bees make honey by gathering pollen and nectar from flowers, and then mixing it with enzymes produced in their bodies. Each type of honey tastes unique, depending on the type of nectar gathered.

And it’s not just honey we get from honeybees. The beeswax these little guys produce to store the honey is also valuable. People make things like salves, candles and cosmetics with it.

4. Butterflies

Butterflies are also pollinators, as I already mentioned. And one of the coolest processes in nature is their metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly.

(All insects go through major changes as they mature, but butterflies are so beautiful we’ll focus on them.)

Who could guess—or come up with the idea—that these fat, crawly worm-like things that eat leaves will one day become graceful, beautiful, colorful, flying, nectar-eating insects?

What the…??

It’s true, though. It’s one of the first natural processes I remember learning about as a young child in school.

Metamorphosis. Wow.

5. Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is another amazing process that happens every day, everywhere in the world where plants live. It’s gone on for so long and we’re so used to it that we forget it’s a wonderfully amazing thing.

It’s quite a complicated process, but to summarize: Plants take in sunlight, water and carbon dioxide which is then synthesized within the plant to produce food and grow.

It just so happens that people and animals breathe out carbon dioxide so there’s a constant and ample supply for the plants. And it just so happens that plants “breathe out” oxygen, which people and animals must have to live. Another symbiotic process on a massive scale!

(“Just so happens” or designed that way?)

6. Bird Feathers

One source I found says, “…feathers are a marvel of natural engineering, each serving a specialized function to help birds thrive in their environments.”

[Everything we’ve looked at here so far has been a marvel of natural engineering. How many civil, mechanical, electrical and bioengineering products came about completely by chance? None, actually. All were designed by very smart and skilled people. This is one of the reasons why believing there’s an incredible Mind behind the natural world is so compelling. These marvels of natural engineering.]

Birds have seven different types of feathers that serve different functions—thrust, speed, balance, airflow, warmth, buoyancy. Then there’s the structure of these feathers that allow for flight or swimming or the migration of thousands of miles.

We see them every day without stopping to notice how incredible they are.

7. The Colors of Bird Feathers

One of the reasons I love birds so much is ALL THE COLORS!

Some really stand out no matter where they are: parrots and cardinals, wood ducks and peacocks. Again, we have a seemingly limitless array of colors and patterns spread over the bird world.

But even the birds that seem plain and boring…look closely in some nice sunlight and there’s an iridescence to feathers that’s just gorgeous.

When I married Nick, he had a taxidermied pheasant rooster in a glass case with built-in lighting. I couldn’t believe the beauty of all the colors of those feathers when the lights would shine on them. What seemed dull was actually brilliant in good lighting. It’s the first time I’d been able to look that closely at a pheasant.

It’s just cool.

8. Symbiotic Relationships

I’ve mentioned this a lot already, but here’s a spot for it. Symbiotic relationships in nature are everywhere.

[I wrote an entire blog post on this one, too.]

The pollinators we discussed above. Clown fish and anemones. Monarch butterflies and milkweed. There are some species that literally cannot survive without it’s symbiotic partner species.

You’d think that would collapse the whole theory of evolution right there. How could two different species randomly evolve at the same time in such a way that one must depend on the other for survival? And then multiply that times the amount of symbiosis in nature. What are the chances?

These types of arrangements totally support design by an intelligent Mind, though. Did Someone very, very smart think up this process and create both species simultaneously? And all the other species that depend on symbiosis?

To me that seems much more credible than non-guided processes for things this complex.

9. Eagle Eyes

Actually, ALL eyes are marvels of the natural world. But I’ll focus on the eyes of eagles because they have some very cool abilities our human eyes don’t.

“Bald eagles can have 20/4 or 20/5 vision, meaning they can see four or five times farther than the average person. A bald eagle can spot prey the size of a rabbit three miles away!

“Eagle eyes are so huge they fill most of its skull. They also have a 340-degree field of view (compared to our measly 180 degrees) and have both monocular and binocular vision. This allows them to use each eye individually or together!”

That’s pretty incredible, isn’t it? Why do they need eyes that see so well? So they can spot a rabbit on the ground or a fish under the water as they soar high above.

Not only that, apparently they see in much more vivid color than we humans do. Wouldn’t that be cool?!

10. Dolphin and Whale Talk

Dolphins and whales are known to be some of the most intelligent animals on the planet, and are also very social.

Dolphins communicate with each other using whistles and body language—like slapping their tails on the water’s surface. In fact, dolphins seem to have “signature” whistles and can identify each other by them.

“How dolphins communicate…is both remarkable and indicative of their superior ability to initiate and maintain social bonds,” says one source.

Whales communicate with clicks, whistles and “songs.” Because many of these are exceedingly loud and sound travels further underwater than through air, whales are known to be able to communicate across vast ocean basins.

Don’t you wish you knew what they were saying??

11. Bat Radar

The way bats use echolocation (a fancy word for radar) is pretty astounding. They emit a high-pitched frequency that travels through the air, hits an object (like an insect they’d like to eat) and bounces back to their finely-tuned ears. They can pinpoint prey exactly using their radar.

“Bats can change their calls for different purposes. They have different searching, feeding, and social calls. And each species of bat has its own unique call pattern.”

How do you think bats (and dolphins and toothed whales, which also have a very refined system of echolocation) got this ability? If it was bit by bit over millions of years through natural selection, how were they able to eat in the meantime?

It’s high-level features like radar that have me convinced bats didn’t develop randomly over endless time but were designed with the ability already engineered in.

* * * * *

What wonderful things in the natural world are your favorites? I’m sure you have some!

Here’s more…

• How God Speaks through Signs in the Heavens
• What Valuable Lessons Pearls Can Teach Us
• Nature’s Health Benefits for Body, Soul and Spirit

The post 11 Wonderful Things in Our Natural World first appeared on Heaven and Nature.

I didn’t travel to the “path of totality” for the April 8th eclipse. And May’s northern lights were just barely visible at our house.

But during the eclipse I hopped from livestream to livestream of several cities in the path while it was happening. And the northern lights were faint in my neighborhood but they still kept me up long after my normal bedtime. I couldn’t get enough!

A couple things stood out to me from these recent events:

• The wonder and joy we humans experience when we get to witness them firsthand
• Learning that Earth is a very special place that enables us to see them

Since then I’ve looked for more information about both these heavenly events and what they mean for us. Specifically for followers of Jesus.

It’s pretty exciting!

Total Solar Eclipses

This is my favorite eclipse meme I saw later that day:

Wow! “The cosmos is so finely tuned that we can know precisely where every heavenly body will be 200 years from now, down to the minute.” And for this eclipse, astonomers knew exactly how long totality would last in each city—down to the second!

That’s crazy!

Does that sound like random chance and undirected processes to you? Me either. Heavenly bodies seem to be precisely ordered and predictable. Like systems designed for purpose by an intelligent agent.

The Unlikelihood of a Solar Eclipse

Not only that—Earth is the only place in our solar system where a perfect solar eclipse can be seen.

Here’s a tidbit from To Understand the Meaning of a Solar Eclipse by Jay W Richards, PhD (Discovery Institute): The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun. But the moon is also 400 times closer to us than the sun is.

So from our perspective, they match in size. When the Earth, the moon and the sun all line up, the moon perfectly blocks the sun from the Earth. That causes a total solar eclipse.

Dr. Richards says, “There are 65 major moons in our solar system and many smaller ones. But only we enjoy perfect solar eclipses when a moon just barely covers the sun’s bright photosphere…So the best place to view total solar eclipses in our solar system is just where there are observers to see them.”

Isn’t that amazing?

I took a ton of screenshots while I was watching NASA’s live streams in various cities on April 8th. These from Cleveland, Ohio turned out the best (the clearest video images):

Precision Design

Dr. Richards goes on to explain how the precise positioning of sun and moon to earth allows life to exist. And how total solar eclipses have allowed scientists to “unlock the physics of stars.”

It reminds me of Proverbs 25:2. The Message version says it in a fun way: “God delights in concealing things; scientists delight in discovering things.”

When God made the heavens and the earth, He hid all kinds of discoverable things. Then He made people with both the ability and the desire to discover things.

As the centuries have gone by, people have discovered more and more of those things God hid in creation. And the more we learn, the more we realize how fine-tuned and complex it all is!

Northern (and Southern) Lights

Aurora borealis (northern lights) and aurora australis (southern lights) are caused by the interaction of electromagnetic radiation from the sun with the earth’s magnetic field.

(I’m referencing In Aurora Borealis, Scientific and Aesthetic Design Arguments Meet by Casey Luskin, PhD, also Discovery Institute)

They can normally be seen best in the very north and the very south because of the shape of the magnetic field.

In May we experienced a major solar storm that produced these heavenly lights that could be seen across a vast area of North America. Places far south of what’s normal.

Again, we have a situation where Earth is unique among the planets. A strong magnetic field is vital for life to exist—to protect us from solar wind and other radiation from space.

Earth is the only rocky planet in our solar system that has a strong magnetic field. And Earth is the only place with life able to observe and wonder at such a light display!

Like I said earlier, we could just barely see them from our house.

Here’s one shot I got, actually facing east (not north):

My friend Pam got much better photos from her home across the river in Wisconsin. She’s graciously allowed me to publish a few here (including the one above):

Why Do We Experience Wonder and Joy?

At the very beginning I mentioned something that really stood out to me, especially during the eclipse—the wonder and joy people were experiencing while they witnessed these heavenly events.

As I was watching NASA’s live streams, I could clearly hear the cheers of the crowds where they were broadcasting.

It was incredible! I was getting goosebumps and choked up just watching the live stream and listening to all the people.

It made me wish I HAD made the effort to drive to the path of totality! (Now I have to wait ’til 2044)

And the day after the northern lights were so spectacular for so many, there were photos ALL OVER social media.

People respond to these things. To eclipses and northern lights and gorgeous sunsets and brilliant rainbows.

In his northern lights article, Casey Luskin says, “An evolutionary psychologist might say it results from some ancient vestigial neural module which made your ancestors seek colored fruit on trees or deep blue/green water for hunting fish. I’m sorry but an explanation like that falls very short of explaining the moving emotional experience you have upon seeing the aurora.”

Or when seeing any of these incredible “signs in the heavens.”

Because We’re Not Random-Chance Creations

I agree with Casey when he says we appreciate these phenomena because we weren’t created by random-chance evolutionary processes.

Romans 1:20 says: “Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power.” (TLB)

We can be like those who ignore the obvious and insist God had nothing to do with it. Or we can embrace the wonder and the Creator and worship Him for it.

So how does God speak through these signs in the heavens?

I think He’s saying: “These demonstrate My reality, My power, My wisdom. And I made it for you—enjoy!”

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

Here’s more…

• Spiders: Silk Producers and Extraordinary Architects
• Why Symbiotic Relationships in Nature are So Cool
• 20 Meaningful Bible Verses about Nature

The post How God Speaks through Signs in the Heavens first appeared on Heaven and Nature.

Parallels of God’s Character 

There are so many places in the world and in life where God’s character is represented.

I love when God’s character represented in the natural world parallels something that’s true about our faith walk as well.

To me this points to God being steadfast and unchanging. That we would find these similarities consistent across so many diverse areas of the world.

One of the aspects of nature I admire is how mollusks take irritations and turn them into pearls.

People have viewed pearls as valuable resource since Jesus walked the earth. That’s evident in the ways the Bible references pearls. The parable of The Pearl of Great Price uses the metaphor to communicate this.

Johannes Vermeer’s famous painting Girl With A Pearl Earring shows how they continue to be considered valuable and symbols of beauty throughout history. 

Let’s take a deeper look at ways pearls can teach us about our faith walk. We’ll see a couple places where the Bible mentions them.

Let your Light Shine 

A beautiful aspect of pearls is that they reflect light.

They amplify the light and bring a luminous quality to the air around them.

They interact with the light.

The light reveals unique qualities about their colors and the dynamic layers that lie within them.

Similarly, the Bible teaches that we as Christians are to amplify the light of Christ that lives within us and share it with the world around us.

We can let the love of Jesus bring out our unique giftings to demonstrate how diverse God’s gifts to the world are through us! 

Adaptation to Life 

Pearls take something irritating and turn it into something enduring and beautiful.

Pearls are formed when a piece of sand, food or parasite is covered by layers of the pearlescent material nacre. It’s made of a calcium-based chemical called aragonite. Pearls act as a protective mechanism so mollusks can continue to function the way they were made to function.

In a similar way, we can use the grace God gives us to respond to difficult situations so He can transform them into something beautiful.

This doesn’t mean we have to show up as “perfect” or think that “reflecting light” means to always be cheerful!

There are things in life that are HARD. We don’t have to make them look easy.

As Christians we will not always respond perfectly to situations where there’s pain or irritation. There’s grace to be human and to be imperfect.

However, we can know with certainty that when we’re experiencing something irritating or painful that God is with us. We can ask for the presence of God to be near us and cover us, like the pearlescent material covers the irritation. Then we can have the spiritual resources we need to continue through that situation.

And when we look back at how the unique contours of that season are reflected in our testimony, we’ll see them reflecting back the goodness of God that covered all of it.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 

What some might consider imperfections, we consider diversity and individuality.

Every pearl is different and is formed by the mollusk in which it lives.

We are all unique in how God made us—our talents and our personalities. So when we allow ourselves to be formed by Christ, we will all reflect the goodness of God in different ways—just like pearls come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. 

The Parable of The Pearl of Great Price 

In the Bible in Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus talks about pearls in a parable. He talks of a man who sells everything he owns to buy a valuable and rare pearl.

It says, “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” 

In this story we see there’s one specific “pearl” that’s more valuable than others. That’s worth investing in.

A life of following Jesus is worth investing in. Our faith practice has beauty and value that will continue to be a worthwhile investment. It will continue to grow in value for as long as we pursue it. 

The Gates of Heaven

The Bible also mentions pearls in Revelation 21:21, saying they’re what the Gates of Heaven are made of.

I thought this was interesting because I believe there’s purpose to the many metaphors in the Bible and symbolism in the physical things that carry spiritual meaning.

I found a commentary on this verse I thought was worth including. The author Roger W. Lowther writes this:

“It’s fascinating, then, that pearls—formed from brokenness and suffering—symbolize the perfection of the kingdom of heaven, for no one can enter its celestial city without first walking through its ‘pearly gates.’ ”

The commentary goes on to talk about how this metaphor points to us walking with God through our lives regardless of the season, and the way this points to the grace of God in the gospel story.

[Read the rest of Mr. Lowther’s article about pearls here.]

As you look around your world today, where can you ask God to cover situations with grace, like mollusks cover irritations with nacre?

How can you ask people to help you in this?

I think sometimes God wants to use faith communities to be nacre for each other—applying strength where we would not find it on our own.

How can you pursue and invest in your relationship with God like the merchant pursuing and purchasing The Pearl of Great Price? 

(Sources referenced for this article: Smithsonianmag.com, mtw.org)

Here’s more…

• Daily Bread: Our Enjoyment of the Outdoors • Our Enjoyment of God
• Hearing God Speak in the Outdoors
• How to Use a Daily Devotional

The post What Valuable Lessons Pearls Can Teach Us first appeared on Heaven and Nature.

It symbolizes a change in season and is something embedded in the biology of migratory animals.

I look forward to seeing them fly over every year both in the spring and in the fall, landing on local lakes.

In the fall I usually also notice the new chill in the air. In the spring, seeing the geese brings hope that winter is almost over and the warm sun will soon melt the Minnesota snow into spring. 

The Migration Phenomenon

There are so many variables that go into migration that show how complex and amazing creation is! From the complex migratory patterns to the strength and perseverance these animals display on these long, arduous journeys.

These patterns aren’t something the animals think about consciously. They don’t decide every year when to leave, what route to take, or why they’re going. It’s an innate and precise calling that continues through generations of species.

Their actions aren’t random but rather God intentionally designed them with these intrinsic callings built into their genetic codes.

And God has planned for these animals to be provided for as they migrate. Often their migratory timing and paths coincide with advantageous resources such as favorable weather and food sources.

They find the resources needed for different life stages and activities of an organism in completely different locations. The migrating animals know none of these details as they interact with their various ecosystems! 

If you live in another region of the world as you read this, there may be other animals whose migration and transition marks a season.

Other examples are that of monarch butterflies, blue whales, and salmon. There are examples of migratory animals of all shapes and sizes and in all locations. 

How God Can Speak to Us Through Animal Migration

One of my favorite things about nature is that God often writes into it parallels that display His character and goodness. We see those same characteristics of God present in our lives and spiritual journeys, too.

This is true for the topic of migration.

I’m thankful God tells parables and stories through nature. He uses these gentle parallels to speak to us continually about living a faith-filled life. 

I see in each of these migratory species a unique journey God designed them to undergo. It’s written into their genetics.

For our spiritual walks, I would compare that to our characteristics, calling, and the journeys we have written into our spiritual DNA by God. He uniquely designed each of us to bring beauty and purpose to the world around us. 

A Couple of Epic Biblical Journeys

In thinking about stories of faith that describe this, I thought about Abraham and Rebekah. Not only did they spiritually have a very specific journey that God asked them to say yes to, but they also physically migrated—much like the examples from nature listed above. 

Abraham heard the voice of God calling him to seek new lands and to create a place for his people to continue to grow and experience God. This journey laid the groundwork for the Jewish people and the genealogy of Christ. 

Rebekah was offered a huge life-changing decision, with not much time to think about it. She said yes to the journey God had for her that resulted in a move far from her family and everything she had known. 

I believe they both had personality traits and characteristics God had given them that allowed them to say yes to those journeys. And allowed them to have the skills and strengths they needed to be successful.

Just like God has placed into monarch butterflies and Canada geese the strength to fly hundreds of miles at a time! 

Our Yes to God Blesses Others

When we say yes to the things God has built into us, it brings life to others around us as well.

Another fall tradition that accompanies the migration of salmon is the preparation for hibernation grizzly bears go through. They feed on salmon as the fish run through specific, historic feeding grounds on their way to spawn.

This has been happening for generations. The salmon migrate upstream, and the bears feed on them in preparation for hibernation. This is a picture of nature working together for the greater health and balance of ecosystems.

When we say yes to the journeys built into our spiritual DNA, it brings life to us and to those around us. It’s a testimony of the goodness and grace of the God we follow. 

When I think about my life, I see ways that God has woven together a story from things that made no sense at the time—just like a Canada goose flying south one day wouldn’t make sense outside of the greater story of its life.

Whether it be relationships or jobs, God has continued to be that internal guiding force pointing my life towards a migration homeward, closer every day to the Creator. 

Questions for Reflection

Are there any stories in the Bible of God using someone’s natural gifts and strengths that speak specifically to you? 

When you think of your spiritual DNA and the journey you’re on, what comes to mind? 

As you spend time in silent reflection and prayer about this, what’s the Holy Spirit saying to you about how you’re made and how this topic interacts with your story? 

FOR FUN: If you’re interested in watching this happen in real-time, tune into Katmai National Park’s Fat Bear Week every October to see the salmon run and the bears eat! Vote for the fattest bear!

Here’s more…

• Why Symbiotic Relationships in Nature are So Cool
• Paddling Through Life: Resilience
• Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace

The post Animal Migration and Epic Journeys in the Bible first appeared on Heaven and Nature.

(Maybe after writing this I’ll be more of a fan! haha)

Here’s a quick list of some facts about spiders you may not have known:

• There are at least 50,000 different species of spider in the world (and scientists suspect many more that haven’t been discovered yet)
• Spiders are found on every continent except Antarctica
• Spiders aren’t insects, they’re arachnids—in the same family as scorpions and ticks
• All spiders have 8 legs
• Spiders can have different numbers of eyes—most have eight, some have six, some have fewer—but they’re always in pairs
• Spiders help control the world’s insect population by eating 880 million tons of them every year (I am a fan of that!)

(Sources: ScienceKids, another ScienceKids, LiveScience and Smithsonian)

Let’s look at what spiders are most known for: making silk and weaving webs…

How Specialized are Spiders’ Spinnerets?

A spider’s silk is produced inside spinnerets in its abdoman. While not all spiders make webs, they all have spinnerets that produce silk.

“Spiders have special glands that secrete silk proteins (made up of chains of amino acids), which are dissolved in a water-based solution. The spider pushes the liquid solution through long ducts, leading to microscopic spigots on the spider’s spinnerets…Each spigot has a valve that controls the thickness and speed of the extruded material.” (HowStuffWorks)

Scientists known there are seven different types of spinnerets that make different types of silk.

“One silk gland produces thread for cocoons and another for wrapping up the prey. The two seem to be the same, but they require especially designed silk. Other glands make the walking thread so the spider doesn’t get snagged herself, while another makes the sticky material that captures the juicy dinner. Some of the finer threads are almost invisible to us unless the light is reflected just right.” (Institute for Creation Research)

Human Technology Can’t Match the Strength of Spider Silk…Yet

Scientists know that spider silk is five times stronger than steel!

“The next time you brush aside a spiderweb, you might want to meditate on its delicate strength—if human-size, it would be tough enough to snag a jetliner.” (Science.org)

No human engineer has been able to figure out how to design anything as strong and flexible yet. And researchers have been trying for decades, apparently.

Several research labs around the world have worked on developing a synthetic silk with the strength and resilience properties of spider silk, but so far without success.

“Even though life scientists and engineers understand the chemical structure of spider’s silk and how its structural features influence its mechanical properties, they have not been able to create synthetic versions of it with the same set of desired properties.” (Reasons to Believe)

Isn’t it interesting that even though this is the case, evolutionists still insist these engineering marvels came into existence by chance over millions of year? How?

What Makes a Spider Web Special?

It’s not surprising that knowing the strength of spider silk, the webs made by this ultra-tough material would themselves be super strong…as in the jetliner quote above.

It’s not just the strength of the silk though, it’s also the engineering of the web itself. The geometric patterns. The criss-crossing of radial and spiral threads.

Some of the silk threads in a web are sticky, to capture insects that fly by. Others aren’t sticky, so the spider can crawl on it without getting stuck.

And research even shows that when the web is slightly damaged, its makeup is such that it becomes stronger, not weaker.

(From an Institute for Creation Research article that’s quoting a report published in Nature)

Could These Have Developed Randomly?

Again, this was all supposed to have happened by unguided, random processes over millions of years? How?

Spider spinnerets and the webs they make—not to mention the other uses for silk—are obviously highly complex and specialized.

As the author of this Reasons to Believe article says, “The idea that biological designs [like spider silk] can inspire engineering and technology advances is highly provocative…In the case of spider silk, design elegance is not limited to the structure of spider silk but extends to its manufacturing process as well—one that still can’t be duplicated by engineers.”

When we look at other highly-complex and specialized systems—like your smart phone, a Beethoven symphony or a Tolstoy novel—doesn’t it make more sense to recognize there’s intelligence and design behind them than blind chance?

Spider silk and webs are just another reason for us to wonder at God’s creativity, wisdom and unfathomable mind!

(All photos from Canva)

Here’s more…

• Why Symbiotic Relationships in Nature are So Cool
• 15 Favorite Rocky Mountain Wildflowers
• What Does it Mean to have a Biblical Worldview?

The post Spiders are Silk Spinners and Amazing Architects first appeared on Heaven and Nature.

Some relationships in nature don’t benefit both parties. And some harm one party—parasites, for example.

We’re going to look here at “mutually symbiotic” relationships in nature—when both parties benefit.

Clownfish and Anemones

Finding Nemo brought the clownfish and anemone relationship into popular culture. Every child in America (at least in my kids’ generation) knows what a clownfish is because of Nemo.

Anemones have toxic chemicals in their tentacles to gather food and for protection. But clownfish are immune to these toxins. Scientists think it has something to do with the mucus on their skin.

Clownfish help clean and fertilize their host anemone, drive off potential predators and maybe provide “leftovers” for it. In return, the anemone provides shelter and protection from the clownfish’s predators.

Honeybees and Flowers

Another well-known example of a symbiotic relationship in nature is honeybees and flowers.

Honeybees depend on the nectar and pollen of flowers for their food. Because they live in huge colonies with thousands of members, they need a lot of food. They get it from all kinds of different flowering plants.

The plants, in turn, rely on honeybees (and other pollinators) for reproduction. Pollen from the male plants must get to the female plants. Honeybees accomplish this inadvertently as they fly from one flower to another collecting their food. They carry the pollin with them.

Monarch Butterflies and Milkweed

A symbiotic relationship I remember learning about as a child in school is monarchs and milkweed.

Milkweed is the only host plant for the caterpillars of monarch butterflies. But the milkweed leaves don’t just provide food for these young ones. The leaves have a toxin that makes the caterpillars toxic to potential predators—and yet it’s not fatal to the caterpillar.

How cool is that?

Adult monarchs benefit milkweed by pollinating the flowers, like the honeybees we just talked about.

Fig Wasps and Fig Trees

Here’s one I hadn’t heard about before—fig wasps and fig trees depend on each other for survival.

The fig tree’s flowers are inside hollow little balls, so most pollinators can’t find them. But the fig wasp knows how to look for these flowers. It gets inside one of these balls and lays her eggs.

These fig wasps live a rather tragic, short life. But that life depends on the fig tree, while the fig tree depends on these wasps in order to produce their figs.

Yucca Moth and Yucca Plant

Yuccas are striking plants that thrive in the American Southwest and other dry areas. I’ve seen them often during my time trips to Colorado and Wyoming.

Yuccas are the only host plant for the tiny yucca moth…and these yucca moths are the only pollinators for the yucca plants. Isn’t that extraordinary?

Not only that, female yucca moths will usually only lay their eggs on a yucca plant where another female moth hasn’t been. This helps ensure there’s enough food for all the little guys that hatch.

What Do Symbiotic Relationships Tell Us About Nature?

For those of us who see life through a biblical worldview, these relationships are one more reason to be in awe of God’s creative genius and power. They shout design! Planning. Engineering.

Could unplanned, random, step-by-step mutations eventually produce two highly-specialized species that happen to depend on each other for survival?

What about many highly-specialized species that depend on each other for survival?

How God Created People to be in “Symbiotic” Relationships

These mutually-beneficial relationships in nature are a vivid picture of the way God created people to be interdependent on one other.

Families

First, we have the design of the family. Fathers, mothers and children aren’t meant to do the same thing, to be the same thing. Healthy family relationships are “mutually symbiotic” in the various seasons of life in different ways.

Churches and The Church

The Church is another great example of mutually symbiotic relationships (at least the Church as designed and overseen by the Holy Spirit!).

1 Corinthians 12 is all about the various roles and responsibilities of people in His Church:

“There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are various kinds of service and the same Lord. There are various kinds of workings, but the same God…” (verses 4-6)

“But the one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.” (verse 11)

Romans 12 gets into this in a lot of detail too, such as:

“Even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another, having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us…” (verses 4-6)

And then it goes on to list what many of these gifts are. A healthy church is one where its members mutually benefit each other for the glory of God’s kingdom.

Organizations

We can even look at a well-run organization as an example of this. Everyone has their own role—their job description and duties. When they each do their own job well, the entire structure flourishes.

God has designed these mutually symbiotic relationships into the fabric of His creation! Amazing.

Here’s more…

• 7 Wild Edible Berries of the Midwest
• What Does it Mean to Have a Biblical Worldview?
• Lessons Learned Beyond Running

The post Why Symbiotic Relationships in Nature are So Fascinating first appeared on Heaven and Nature.

There’s something special about witnessing beauty in our natural world that only those willing to make the effort have seen.

Here are a few “hidden beauty” spots we found on family trips while our kids were growing up. I’m sure you’ve got a list of your own, too!

Cascade Canyon

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

When a friend of ours heard our family was heading to the Tetons the summer of 2011, his advice was: “Don’t just look at the mountains—make sure you get into the mountains!”

Our last day in the Teton/Yellowstone region took us to Jenny Lake, where we were able to do just that.

The scenery is stunning enough from the parking lot! A short walk took us to the boat that would ferry us across the lake to the trail head. From there we followed the crowds (it was July, after all) along the trail and up to 700-foot Inspiration Point that overlooks the lake.

A Park volunteer on the boat recommended we continue on from the Point and take the trail into Cascade Canyon, where few visitors venture.

Are we ever glad we took his advice!

We left 90% of the people behind and walked on another 15 minutes. The trees parted, the Canyon opened up with the peaks on either side, a clear mountain stream bubbled down towards the falls below. Gorgeous!

Because we were on a strict time schedule we couldn’t stay long, but are we ever glad we took that extra half hour.

Dream Lake

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

This was another case of reaping the benefits of listening to a local expert.

We were at the trail head to a number of different hikes—from 500 feet to one lake, to several miles into the mountains. One of the rangers advised us to take the 2-mile roundtrip hike to Dream Lake.

Are we ever glad we took her advice!

This very moderate trail takes in some of the most gorgeous mountain views I’ve ever seen. While in Rocky there are stunners from the highways too (as in most of our National Parks), taking it in on-foot is a different experience.

Our destination—Dream Lake—is the quintessential alpine lake. Just what we picture in our minds: clear, green, surrounded by trees and snowy peaks.

Eddy Falls

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota

This one is the most remote of the three examples. The national parks mentioned above get a few million visitors each year, with a percentage of them going on the hikes we took.

This one is hidden away in the Boundary Waters, only reached by a 13ish-mile paddle and portage trip.

The BWCAW averages just 250,000 visitors a year. Only a small percentage of them take the route that uses the portage between the South Arm of Knife Lake and Eddy Lake.

The 75-foot elevation difference between the lakes creates a picturesque stream that cascades down amidst large moss-covered rocks and under criss-crossed cedar trees that have aged and fallen over.

Eddy Falls is the name we christened it with—I don’t know that it has an official name.

Our family visited this remote and lovely spot during a 2013 multi-day canoe trip together.

Shovel Point

Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota

The Visitor Center at Tettegouche State Park is one of the most popular stops on the North Shore of Minnesota. Hundreds of thousands of visitors stop each year.

Of those, a great many take the short and steep hike to the cliffs of Shovel Point that overlook Lake Superior a couple hundred feet above the water.

But those high cliffs are where most hikers turn around. We keep going to get even more spectacular views with only a fraction of the people along with us.

The trail continues to the end of the point and it’s very possible to keep hiking and rock-scrambling around the other side. The deep green waters of Superior are so beautiful, and you can see where its crashing waves are carving out sea caves in the shoreline.

No matter how many people stop at the Visitor Center (the parking lot is often packed in the summer), there are never more than a handful on the rest of Shovel Point.

Black Mountain Summit Hike

Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming

The Bighorn Mountains in northcentral Wyoming is very popular with the locals. But otherwise not nearly as well-known as their neighboring national parks.

Our family has camped there for a few days twice now. One of the reasons we love it so much is how few people there are, and yet the beauty is stunning.

I don’t know how many people do the Black Mountain hike every year. Based on how hard it was to find the trailhead, I’m guessing not many!

But I wanted to hike it, so my son and nephew joined me for this 4-mile up-and-back during our 2019 trip. It’s a thigh-burner for sure, but well worth the reward of this view:

Every time I get to witness something this incredible I always wonder how many other people have made the effort to see it.

God’s Hidden Things

Proverbs 25:2 says:

“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”

World English Bible (public domain)

I love that verse! I think of it when we have experiences in nature like I’ve described above.

When He created nature, the mountains and valleys, animals and flowers so much has been hidden. The microscopic world and galactic world were hidden for thousands of years before people got to see what they’re really like.

When we take time to search out those things He’s concealed, I think He loves that. It could be beauty in the natural world, or things about ourselves and others we’re close to that we discover.

It could be hidden treasure in His revealed word, or in His character.

When we take time and make effort to find this kind of hidden beauty it gives Him glory! And it makes us so grateful that we get to be part of it.

Here’s more…

• 9 Ways to Survive the Crowds in the Outdoors’ Most Popular Places
• The Value of Extended Time with God
• How to Plan an Epic Family Road Trip

The post Find Your Way to “Hidden” Beauty first appeared on Heaven and Nature.

I used to think getting outside was simply personal preference for a few of us who are wired that way. That some of us choose it because we feel a connection with the natural world.

But I’ve since discovered that all of us — independent of our culture, race or location — respond positively to nature. That, in fact, it was known as far back as the ancient world that nature benefits people in many ways.

How Nature Boosts Our Health & Well-being

Here’s the short list of what researchers have found are some of the benefits of nature — of being outside in “green” areas:

• Nature helps us cope with and recover from stress
• It gives us a sense of relaxation and calm
• The outdoors enhances our emotional well-being and happiness
• It helps us forget our current problems
• Being outside gives us the opportunity to reflect on personal matters
• And it helps us recover from mental fatigue
• Nature helps us focus on the positive
• It enhances our curiosity and creativity
• And it engages our mind while letting it think about other things, allowing our attention to “rest”
• The outdoors helps us think through and gain perspective on our problems
• It helps rejuvenate mind, body and spirit

And you don’t have to be in the middle of a natural setting to gain some of these benefits. These benefits begin to take shape just looking out the windows at a “green” space.

It’s even good for us to look at pictures in a book or watch a film about nature.

Isn’t that amazing?!

(These facts come from an Australian study “Beyond Blue to Green” done in 2010.)

The “Why” Depends on Your Worldview

Why does nature give humans all these health benefits? The “why” you come up with depends on your worldview assumptions.

If you believe in naturalistic evolution, it’s because eons of human evolution haven’t disconnected us from the fact that our earliest ancestors depended on nature for survival. Or something like that.

Or it’s purely by chance that the natural world just happens to benefit us in all these really cool ways.

The biblical worldview would say it’s because God created both the natural world and people—and He built in these benefits for our good.

He designed nature to be beautiful, but also full of health benefits for us.

(Read: What Does Jesus Have to Do with Nature?)

He created us with five physical senses that all help us take in and respond to our environment. Not just respond for survival, but respond in appreciation, wonder and pleasure.

(I’ve never thought those types of responses make any evolutionary sense at all…)

God placed Adam and Eve in a garden, full of trees that were both good for food and beautiful to look at, and instructed them to care for it.

That He created the animals “and brought them to the man” shows God intended there to be a connection between us and the animals. Anyone who’s had a pet knows that first hand.

Our physical, emotional and spiritual responses to the natural world have been wired into us by a loving God.

Take Advantage of Your Natural Wiring

This means it’s to our benefit to take the time, to make the choice to get outside on a regular basis.

It can be as simple as sitting out in the yard next to a pot of flowers, or going for a walk. Or it can be as ambitious as planning a destination trip across the country or the world to one of your dream places.

All these choices will help us regulate stress, even out moods, stay positive even in the middle of hard things.

I love that when God tells us in His word to rejoice always, be thankful, don’t be anxious…He’s given us resources that make it easier for us obey those instructions.

One of those resources is as simple as being in the natural world.

If I’m starting to feel depressed by a situation, now I know that getting outside will help me fight that depression.

Or if I’m mad at a person or situation, now I know that being in the natural world tends to help me say “no” to that anger.

If I’m stuck on a problem and am having trouble finding a solution, now I know that getting outside (and moving helps, too) can help me clear my mind and refocus.

This is very good news! Especially for someone like me who only needs the flimsiest of excuses to get outside to begin with.

Look back again at that list of benefits at the beginning of this article. How many of those have you experienced by being outdoors. Especially in places of beauty and quiet that are away from the bustle of our everyday lives.

What a gift that is from our faithful Creator!

Here’s more…

• What the Bible Says about Nature and Creation
• Enjoy God’s Magnificent Creation Often
• How God Uses Wilderness to Shape Us

The post Nature’s Health Benefits for Body, Soul and Spirit first appeared on Heaven and Nature.

My daughter, Jamie, and went on a road trip together to West Virginia a couple years ago to visit friends.

I’d never hard of Hocking Hills until a friend shared something about it on Facebook. The photos convinced me it was worth taking the time to drive an hour out of our way, and are we ever glad we did!

There’s a large Visitor Center at Old Man’s Cave and a large parking area. Unfortunately, the Visitor Center was closed (presumably still due to Covid restrictions) so we couldn’t pick up any printed info, including a trail map. But the signage makes it easy to find your way for the most part.

Our visit was mid-day on a Tuesday in early May…and it was rainy. So there were very few visitors that day compared to what, I’m sure, would be normal for weekends and during the summer. (The size of the parking lot is a good indication of how busy it can get!)

Why You’ll Love Hiking Old Man’s Cave Loop

We wanted to see things we don’t commonly see in Minnesota, which is why we wanted to focus in on the main cave features of Hocking Hills.

But the cave was just one of the reasons we liked this hike so much…

It’s Gorgeous

We visited in early May so spring was in the air. The trees and the moss lining the cliff walls were SO green, especially in the light rain. There was lush vegetation of all kinds. Mature trees towered over us.

I found out later by looking at the map online that there’s also a Gorge Overlook trail. I’m sure it’d be beautiful, too. We took the trail in the gorge, called Grandma Gatewood Trail (I’m sure there’s some history there).

The rock walls of the gorge, the intense greens, the creek and waterfalls and the dramatic cave all add up to almost sensory overload.

Not in the way a mountain scape does—grand and sweeping—but in a more intimate way. You feel closed off from the world down inside the gorge.

Old Man’s Creek & the Waterfalls

We expected the creek and falls to be higher since we were there in the spring. Whether it’s just a small creek or whether it had been dry for awhile, we didn’t know. But it was very pretty just the same.

The creek water is clear with a greenish tint, particularly noticeable in the pool beneath the Upper Falls. There’s a Middle Falls right beneath Old Man’s Cave, and then a Lower Falls we didn’t get to see because we didn’t know about it (we didn’t have a trail map).

There’s also a water feature called Devil’s Bathtub where the creek falls into a cauldron and spins into a whirlpool.

None of the waterfalls are big or extra amazing, especially by Minnesota standards. But the overall setting in the gorge that makes them so lovely.

There were also several places where water was spilling down over the cliff walls, which added to the beauty and mood of the place.

The Cave

Old Man’s Cave was named after an old man who really lived in it with his two hounds back in the day. It’s a large recess cave above the creek in a particularly beautiful spot in the gorge.

The hiking trail leads right up inside the cave. It’s quite dramatic. As far as caves go, Rock House (also in Hocking Hills State Park) is cooler…but the hiking loop to get to Old Man’s Cave makes this one the overall winner.

Cool Stone Walls & Bridges

Along with the stone walls of the gorge, there are several human-made stone walls along the trail, with bridges that cross the creek fairly often. I love things like that so they made the hike even more enjoyable, even if it distracts from it being entirely natural.

What to Know about the Loop

Lots of Ups and Downs

You need good knees for this hike! It’s not long—maybe a mile around the loop—but there are plenty of steps. I wouldn’t call it strenuous, but consider trekking poles if you have knee or hip pain.

It’s a One-Way Trail

We’d couldn’t remember being on a one-way hike before, but it’s really nice! It seems less crowded when you don’t meet people on the trail. And in a few places the trail is simply too narrow to pass.

We did disobey the law once to get back up to the Visitor Center, but no one else was in that area at the time so we felt OK being a bit rebellious.

Try to Look at the Map First!

We would’ve saved some time and not have missed the lower falls if we’d have had a map.

We also might have decided to hike the Gorge Overlook Trail if we’d known it was there. You can find a map on this page, and hopefully the Visitor Center will open up again soon for a printed one.

How to Get There

Set your GPS for Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio. It’s just over an hour southeast of Columbus, two hours east of Dayton and two-and-a-half hours east of Cincinnati.

Once you’re in the area you’ll see signs for the park. Then look for signs to Old Man’s Cave.

Hocking Hills is considered Ohio’s most popular state park, getting around 2 million visitors each year, just FYI when you make your own plans to visit. Consider skipping the busy summer season.

There’s no fee to enter the park or hike the trails. Here’s an FAQ page for the park.

Final Thoughts

It was well worth adding a couple hours to our travel day to swing by Hocking Hills State Park. We knew we only had time to hit a couple of the attractions, and we’re very glad the hike to Old Man’s Cave was one of them.

It would be well worth spending a day or two at the park as there are several cave attractions. There’s a large campground nearby, although we didn’t stop to check it out.

Aren’t you glad the Lord created so much diversity in the terrain, vegetation, landscapes and beauty in our world?

This state park in Ohio offers a much different experience than the state parks we’ve visited in our home state of Minnesota. And that’s true all across the country, our continent and around the world.

It’s a privilege to get to explore new places when we get the chance!

Here’s more…

• Why Beauty Matters to Us
• Niagara Falls: A North American Natural Wonder
• 6 Common Plants You Didn’t Know are Medicinal

The post Hike Old Man’s Cave Loop in Ohio’s Popular Hocking Hills first appeared on Heaven and Nature.

Chances are your favorite summer hiking trail in the north or in the mountains also make a great snowshoe trail.

In fact, the popular ones are probably well-traveled in the winter, too, both by winter hikers and snowshoers.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Off-Trail or On-Trail?

Here in Minnesota there’s a big difference in snow cover across the state. Depending on the winter, we may or may not have enough to snowshoe on in many parts of the state. But there’s one area we always know will have snow: up in the Arrowhead.

(Take a look at this average snowfall map from the DNR to see what I mean)

If we try to snowshoe off-trail up where they get tons of snow each year, we’re in up to our knees or deeper, even with snowshoes on.

It’s too much work! So we stay on-trail in deep snow.

An exception to that are some of the frozen lakes. The wind often keeps the snow from accumulating too deeply, so off-trail on the lakes has worked fine for us.

If it’s windy, though, think twice. Wind you won’t feel in the woods is wind you’ll feel full-force out on an open lake!

If you’re in snow just a foot deep or less, off-trail is just fine.

Advantages of Snowshoeing Hiking Trails in the Winter

Yes, it’s cold. But there are lots of advantages to snowshoeing the summer trails:

NO BUGS! I don’t know about where you live, but in Minnesota we have a lot of them. It’s glorious being in the woods amidst all the beauty without the biting critters.

HARDLY ANY PEOPLE. On trails with dozens or scores of visitors during the summer and fall, we might see a couple, or at most a handful of folks during the winter. (There seems to be enough traffic to keep the trails open, though, which is nice!)

LOTS OF ANIMAL TRACKS. This is one of my favorite things—to see all the animal tracks in the woods criss-crossing the trails. We all share the same space! They’re fun to see and try to identify.

SERENITY AND QUIET. There are a few cold-weather birds that stick around, but many of the song birds have left for the winter. Less traffic, fewer people and lots of quiet in the winter. Sometimes even the waterfalls are frozen.

CLEAR VIEWS THROUGH THE WOODS. With no leaves on the trees there’s plenty to see.

WINTRY BEAUTY. Winter has its own kind of beauty, especially after a recent snowfall. If you live in the south and have never been in a winter wooded landscape, you need to be in one once in your life! It truly is a wonderland.

A DIFFERENT TRAIL EXPERIENCE. In the photo at the very top of this post, we were snowshoeing on a Boundary Waters canoe route. Walking across the lakes instead of paddling them is definitely a different and very cool experience!

Does It Matter What Kind of Snowshoes to Use?

As snowshoeing gains popularity, you’ll find more parks and retailers are renting snowshoes.

If you like hiking and like snow, you’ll love snowshoeing! It’s worth investing in your own pair. You’ll be much more free to go wherever you like, whenever you like.

The old fashioned wood snowshoes with the webbing are the best for lots of deep snow—but they’re tricky on narrow trails through the woods and on hills.

Modern snowshoes are less cumbersome and have metal crampons that help up on ice and hills.

About Snow Conditions

Even though temps in the 30s may be more pleasant overall for getting out on the trails, packable snow is terrible for snowshoeing!

One winter the warming snow kept packing into ice balls in our crampons, making it almost impossible to keep walking without constantly pausing to scrape them off.

If the forecast is for 30s and up, get out early before the sun has a chance to warm up the snow! You’ll have better, drier snow conditions if the temps are colder.

I hope this has inspired you to get out there and snowshoe! If you don’t live in a northern climate, think about heading north or to the mountains for awhile in the winter.

Snowshoeing is a great way to enjoy the snow that requires no special skills. Just a sense of adventure!

Here’s more…

• What the Bible Says about Nature and Creation
• A Multi-Generational Women’s Outdoor Retreat? Yes, Please!
• Who’s Your Trail Guide through Life?

The post Snowshoe Your Favorite Hiking Trails in the Winter first appeared on Heaven and Nature.