Artwork by Daniel Venturo Psalm 99 The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! (v. 1a). “Tremble”...

Once upon a time, there lived a marmot. A marmot is a large type of rodent that lives high up in the mountains. This marmot had a very cozy home under a rock. The top of this rock was his porch, and every morning he sat there and had breakfast while he watched the sun come up over the snowy peaks where he lived. Sometimes, he liked sitting there, all by himself, watching the sunrise. But sometimes, he felt lonely. One day, he felt especially lonely. This was because today was

Artwork by Daniel Venturo Psalm 31:14-18 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my...

©2025 by Joshua Venturo Ambystoma gracile is a species of mole salamander native to the eastern Pacific coast. It grows to 8.7 inches (220 mm.). This salamander lays eggs in water. When the eggs hatch, the hatchlings have feathery gills and are 1-35 mm. long. Northwestern Salamanders have spots in the northern end of their range, but southern salamanders have no spots. Their diet includes insects, worms, and arachnids; juveniles eat snails and tadpoles. We found a Northwester

The chiton, or sea cradle, has a shell made up of 8 shell-plates, called valves. It has a soft covering for this shell, a girdle, which is usually only covering the edge of the shell. It also holds the valves together. The chiton lives around the world, and has a strange habit called homing. It will choose a “home,” which it always comes back to after long searches in the rocks for food. People still do not know how they find the same spot again. The chito

Photo by Paul Venturo Boondocking—it’s a word we have thrown around for a long time, yet we never took the plunge. Until this week. For...

The sea lion is a medium-sized mammal that lives in subarctic and tropical waters in all oceans except the North Atlantic. Sea lions grow to about 10 feet long and reach weights of up to 2,200 lbs. Sea lions can swim from 18 mph to 35 mph and can stay under water from 10-20 minutes. The sea lion is aggressive and will sometimes attack humans, but it usually eats squid, crabs, clams, seals, and fish, such as mackerel and pollock. Its main predators are sharks and killer whales

The sea otter is a large member of the weasel family. The average sea otter weighs about 22-99 lbs., but the largest one recorded was 4’11” and weighed 119 lbs. The sea otter is the only marine mammal with no blubber. Its thick fur keeps it warm. The sea otter’s fur is the densest of any mammal, with about 150,000 strands of fur per square centimeter. Sea otters feed on sea urchins, mollusks, crustaceans, and fish. They are diurnal, which means they sleep at night and are awa

The pink salmon is a medium-sized salmon that lives in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. The average pink salmon weighs about 4.8 pounds, but the current world record weighed 15 pounds and was 30 inches long. The pink salmon is anadromous, meaning it lives in saltwater and swims into freshwater to spawn. It always goes back to the stream in which it was born. The salmon makes a redd, which means “nest,” and guards it until it dies, which happens shortly after the salmon spawns.

The sea cucumber is an echinoderm that lives on the ocean floor around the world. Its size ranges from 3 mm. to 10 ft. long! The sea cucumber uses hollow tube feet to move. If a sea cucumber wants to squeeze into a crack, it can liquefy its body to pour through. The sea cucumber can make long jumps, up to 1,000 m. (3,300 ft.) off the seafloor. The sea cucumber feeds on detritus and plankton. It feeds by burying itself in the sand and sticking out its mouthparts to grab prey.

Pisaster ochraceus is a sea star with five arms. These arms can grow up to 10 in. long. Its color ranges from yellow to reddish-purple. The purple sea star can attach itself to a rock whenever waves threaten to carry it away. It uses its tube feet to accomplish this, and these feet also aid in prying California mussels open, the sea star’s favorite food. It also eats chitons, limpets, snails, and barnacles. The purple sea star has another way to eat. It can insert its digesti

©2025 by Joshua Venturo Dolichovespula maculate is native to southern Canada and the northern United States, but it is most common in the southeastern US. It prefers the forest, where it builds a nest about 23 inches long, high in a tree. The bald-faced hornet is very protective of this nest, and can sting and also spray venom into the eyes of anything or anyone who comes near. Its diet is omnivorous, including spiders, caterpillars, flies, fruit, and nectar, which it feeds t

The caribou is a large, deer-like mammal that lives in Alaska, Canada, and parts of Washington and Idaho. There are several different types of caribou, including the barren-ground caribou of the north and the woodland caribou of the south. The barren-ground caribou prefers tundra, while the woodland caribou lives in boreal forests. The caribou’s antlers are large, growing up to 53 inches long. A caribou’s diet consists mainly of lichen, but it also eats willows and birches. D

Psalm 142 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him (v. 2). We find David hiding in a cave several times in...