Into the Woods with Curio: A Hiding Place

“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalm 32:7

Mice are always looking for a place to hide. It could be in the hollow of a tree several metres above the ground, (mice are good climbers) or in a birdhouse, in a woodpile, on a shelf in the toolshed, or in as unlikely a place as an empty compartment in your lawn mower, or even in your car!

They need a safe place because there is always someone hunting them. Foxes, coyotes, weasels, skunks, raccoons, owls, hawks, snakes, domestic cats and dogs, as well as squirrels and chipmunks, and even shrews all want to make a meal of a mouse. No wonder mice are always trying to hide.

I’m referring to deer mice specifically, which are the dark brown mice with big eyes and big ears that you might see by chance when at camp. They are called deer mice because their colour pattern of brown upperparts, lighter sides and white tummies resembles a white-tailed deer. And they are as agile as a deer. The white-footed mouse is almost identical to a deer mouse but usually lives further south. Two species of jumping mice are also found at camp but hibernate from the late fall right through the winter. Meadow mice are actually voles, and look different, having much smaller ears and eyes, and short tails. It is voles that make tunnels under the snow and may be active during the day, while deer mice are nocturnal, and prefer to stay above ground.

At this time of year, the deer mice start looking for a place to stay safe and warm because they lose their cover when the frost kills the vegetation. This is why you may hear the pitter-patter of very little feet in the ceilings of your house, or during your stay at camp. Somehow the mice find a way inside these buildings, being able to
squeeze through openings less than an inch wide. Once inside your house, they hide in a corner of the basement or crawl space, in the walls, or sometimes in a corner of a cupboard. And they search everywhere for food. Outside, their usual diet is seeds, nuts, berries, grasses, insects, and spiders. Inside your house, they eat whatever is available.

With food and shelter taken care of they then proceed to make a cozy nest for themselves, using whatever soft material they can find, such as tissues, rags, or the stuffing from a couch.

This nest is home to both parents and their family of one to nine pups. That’s right, the young are called pups. These youngsters only stay in the nest until they can take care of themselves, which is at about 5 to 6 weeks of age.

Once the pups leave Mom starts another nest somewhere else, (mice aren’t good housekeepers) where she’ll give birth to the next litter about three weeks later. She may have four or more litters between early spring and fall, while the young themselves start producing families not long after they have left the nest. The math shows it doesn’t take long for the local mouse population to increase dramatically. However, that long list of predators helps keep their population in check.

That’s why most deer mice never live to see all four seasons of the year, though some may live as long as 18 months. There are just too many dangers, and not always enough places to hide.

God provides a safe place for us to hide from the very real dangers we also face every day in this world.

Monk's Musings: For such a Time as this!

Mordecai tells Esther: “who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

We are now halfway through our Fall Season of Beacon camps. The leaves are turning colour, mushrooms are popping up and the days are drawing shorter. The nights are getting colder and it takes a bit of courage to dive into the lake! The Lord has been so faithful, orchestrating the details of each of our lives and bringing us to our present circumstances and positions. Many centuries ago, a young Hebrew maiden was made queen over the empire of Persia & Media, married to King Xerxes. He was a pleasure-seeking proud despot who ruled by inspiring fear, so her royal position was a tricky one to be in. And when the king carelessly signed an irrevocable decree to exterminate her people, her position went from delicate to desperate. Should she try to hide? Or flee? Or lie about her ancestry? Mordecai convinced her to use the position God had given her as queen to risk it all and seek to save her people from death. It’s one of the great Old Testament stories which is exciting each time one reads it! Eventually, God DID use Esther and Mordecai, in miraculous ways, to bring about salvation for the Jewish people.

I don’t know what position God has placed you in. But it’s true to say that each one of us is in the middle of a sphere of influence where others look to us as an example, role model or friend. And these folk may be going through critical times or are about to face suffering or tough decisions. Who knows but that God has put us in our unique position “for such a time as this”? May we pray and fast as they did, but may we also put our trust in God and courageously initiate that sensitive conversation that God wants us to have. Let us not shrink back in fear, but bravely step forward and trust the Lord will use us to further His good plans in the lives of those around us.

And once again, may we encourage you to make Beacon a part of that plan! invite a friend or a family member to come with you to one of our Fall or Winter Camps. Look up the details on our website, and register this week!

May God powerfully use each one of us in the “little corner” He has positioned us in!

On behalf of all the Beacon Staff,
Andrew ‘Monk’ Nunn

Into the Woods with Curio: Goldenrod- Not a weed

“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

John 7:24

When goldenrod starts to flower it is as much of a sign that fall is coming as when the leaves start to turn colour. Their tall stalks of bright, plumed gold flowers are a common sight in the fields and along the roadsides at Beacon, and throughout Muskoka and southern Ontario. This year they seem to be especially abundant, and because I always thought of them as something of a weed, I started to pull them out of my garden. However, I have learned that goldenrod is not a weed, but an important part of the local ecosystem.

A late bloomer, goldenrod provides a much-needed source of pollen for many insects well into the fall, after most other flowers have gone to seed. Ecologists have discovered that it is a vital food source for monarch butterflies as they make their way south. Bumblebee queens need it as food as they prepare for their winter hibernation. Many other bees, and even some pollinating wasps also rely on goldenrod as a source of food to help them prepare for their upcoming hibernation.

There are at least 30 species of goldenrod native to Ontario, though not all are commonly found in Muskoka or around camp. Two common species are the Canada goldenrod, which has spreading blooms that are about 12 to 24 cm long, and the Showy goldenrod, which has more feathery blooms that grow to about 15 to 20 cm long.

These two species, along with several others are now being encouraged to grow in residential gardens rather than being treated as a weed, as I was doing. They are being planted to attract pollinators, including some specialist bees, which are bee species that are only able to use the pollen from a few species of flowers, including certain kinds of goldenrod. Hardy and adaptable, goldenrod also serves as a host plant for many moth and butterfly caterpillars, which in turn provide many birds and other animals with a significant source of insect protein.

All of the above are good reasons to plant some goldenrod, if you have room, and are not worried about goldenrod as a possible cause of hay-fever. Goldenrod is often confused with ragweed, which is famous as a problem plant for hay-fever sufferers. Goldenrod doesn’t cause hay-fever because its pollen is too heavy to be carried in the wind. Its flowers look quite different, as well. The smaller ragweed plant’s green flowers produce profuse amounts of wind-blown pollen, causing many allergy sufferers much grief.  At one time Muskoka was a haven for allergy sufferers from the city because the region was ragweed free. Unfortunately, ragweed eventually made its way into Muskoka, and the region’s ragweed-free status was lost.

Regardless of whether it’s in your garden, along the roadsides or out on the fields, goldenrod is an undervalued but essential late-blooming plant, providing sustenance for many at a critical time of the year. I missed understanding the worth of this common ‘weed’ because I based its value solely on outward appearances.

Monk's Musings: Job Well Completed!

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month of Elul… They realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. Nehemiah 6:15-16

As I write these lines, yesterday was our last day of the last camp of the Summer Season at Beacon. The Lord has helped us complete the task He gave us to do this summer! When the Jews completed rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem about twenty-five centuries ago, they, and all the nations around them recognized it was because God had helped them. And we also freely admit that it has only been possible because God has helped us. In addition, Nehemiah only succeeded in completing the wall because many volunteers worked wholeheartedly until the project was completed. And the same is true for Beacon. More than 200 volunteers joyfully gave a week or more of their time to love campers, challenge them to trust in Jesus and build them up in their faith. We thank God for each one of you.

Now that life returns to “normal”, God has other projects for us all to work on. He wants to use each one of us to build up our family, our friendships and our local church. Perhaps you are facing “ruins” similar to the ones Nehemiah had to deal with. Take courage, God is powerful to restore and rebuild. He specializes in bringing beauty out of ashes. But He chooses to work through you and I. Let us do as Nehemiah and his contemporaries did: pray and work together. Don’t let the enemy discourage you, for “greater is He who is within you than he who is in the world”. God has promised to complete the task, so let us “trust and obey” Him.

So may we all be encouraged, as we enter this next chapter of life, to continue serving the Lord where He has placed us. And we encourage you to make Beacon a part of your “building plan”: Invite a friend or a family member to come with you to one of our camps, whether as a couple, or as a family, as a single adult, as a senior, or indeed encourage and sponsor someone else to come to Beacon. Look up the details on our website, and register this week!

On behalf of all the Beacon Staff,
Andrew ‘Monk’ Nunn

Into the Woods with Curio: Berry Time

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

Mark 16:15

Plants have some ingenious ways to distribute their seeds. Some, such as burdock seedheads, are designed to catch on the fur of a passing animal, (or a pant-leg). Others, such as milkweed pods, open up and release their seeds into the wind. One of the most important and effective seed dispersal methods that plants, especially trees and bushes, employ is with berries.

Blueberries, strawberries, bumbleberries, blackberries, pin and choke cherries, mountain ash berries and many other berries all contain seeds. And all of these are eaten, with fervour, by robins, bluebirds, waxwings, woodpeckers, grouse and other birds, as well as squirrels, mice, bears and many other animals. It’s a ploy the plants use to distribute their seeds away from the immediate area. The delicious, bright-coloured berries serve as a lure for the animals to literally swallow, becoming unwitting participants in the process.

Scientists refer to this process as endozoochory. It goes like this -- a robin eats a mountain ash berry, which then passes through its digestive tract and is eventually excreted, usually a good distance away from where the robin first ate the berry.  Et voila – the plant has succeeded in getting its seed dispersed, and there are even some nutrients from the excrement to help the seed germinate. Many, many, many bush and tree species expand their ranges this way.

Berries are an essential part of many bird’s and animals diets in the late summer and into the fall. It’s more than just breakfast, lunch and dinner for them -- it’s the protein needed for the immature birds and other young of the year; the fuel that many birds need for their upcoming migratory trip; and the fat some animals need to make it through the upcoming winter, or hibernation. Bears especially need the satiation that blueberries, one of the earliest berry crops to ripen, provide. As each successive berry crop ripens the bears start to gain the weight they need for their upcoming winter’s hibernation.

Birds don’t build fat reserves the same as mammals, or they can’t fly the distances needed for their migration. But they benefit nutritionally from these additions to their diet as each berry crop ripens. The birds that don’t migrate, such as chickadees and bluejays, cache many types of seeds for the winter, (because berries are perishable they aren’t cached for later use). Some of these stored seeds are not found again, so end up germinating where they were left, which also serves to help the plants with their seed dispersal. Blue jays are noted as an important agent in the establishment of oak forests through their caching of acorns. Squirrels, mice and chipmunks also build caches of maple keys and other seeds to help them through the winter. The remnants or forgotten portions of these stored seeds contribute to still more seed dispersal.

It is all part of God’s amazing plan for His Creation, to be fruitful and multiply. And God wants me to be doing the same, that is, dispersing His good seed that I have ‘eaten’ and understand.

Into the Woods with Curio: Found Feathers

“You were taught, ABOUT your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:22-24

The middle of summer is a good time to find bird feathers while out on a walk or hike. A small blue feather from a blue jay, a long, dark brown feather from a Canada goose, or a cryptically coloured feather from a turkey. It’s always fun to pick them up and try to work out which part of the bird they came from – is it a secondary flight feather from the left wing, a tail feather, or a smaller covert feather?

These lost feathers aren’t random. They are the result of the annual moult that many birds go through at this time of year when they lose their old, worn feathers and grow new ones to replace them. For most songbirds, this takes place over a one to two-month period. It takes that long simply because birds need to keep flying, so they only lose a few feathers at a time. Larger birds, such as ravens and turkey vultures, take up to six months to complete their moult.  They start in late spring by losing one flight feather at a time from each wing, which is noticeable when they fly over. Other birds, such as ducks and geese, go through their moult in a shorter time – about one month -- temporarily losing the power of flight during that time.

Moulting is a complicated process for birds. Some go through a complete change of feathers, while others go through only a partial moult. Other birds delay their moult until after the nesting season but still complete it in time for their fall migration. Moulting also takes a lot of energy and requires a lot of protein. Feathers are made from the protein keratin, which also explains why most birds feed insect protein to their nestlings, so they leave the nest with strong feathers.

Once a bird’s moult is over and it has a new set of feathers it’s ready for the fall migration, or for winter’s cold weather. Goldfinches have up to 1000 more feathers in their winter coat compared to their summer garb.

Other animals besides birds change their coats with the seasons. Foxes and many other fur-bearers shed their long winter coats for shorter summer coats. Snowshoe hares and weasels even change their colour to brown in the summer, and back to white in the winter, for camouflage. Snakes regularly shed their skins as they grow. It’s always exciting to find the papery, shed skin from a snake. Even insects shed their skins. A dragonfly larva sheds its larval shell when it changes into its adult form. The same is true of cicadas. Because caterpillars grow incredibly fast, they shed their skin 4 or 5 times before forming their final chrysalis or cocoon to metamorphize into a butterfly or moth.

These changes of skin or coats are a reminder -- have I shed my old ‘skin’? that is, my old nature? God’s Word encourages me to ‘put on the new self’, and to be constantly growing spiritually.

Monk's Musings: Don't be Afraid

And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. “Don’t be afraid,” he said… 1 Samuel 23:16-17

A new summer has arrived! Beacon Bible Camp is in full swing into the summer 2024 season. We are so thankful to the Lord for all the campers who are already here as well as for those who have signed up for the rest of our summer camps. We are also incredibly thankful for all the volunteer staff who are here and for those who will come up each week to serve at Beacon this summer.

And this is what brought the verses above to my mind. For some campers and staff, this will be their first experience of Beacon. And perhaps you may also be facing a new situation in life which gives you some anxiety. In David’s case, he was fleeing for his life from King Saul, not knowing where to go or what tomorrow would bring. And that was exactly when his closest friend Jonathan came to him to help him “find strength in God”. He encouraged him to not be afraid but to find guidance and strength in the Lord. May we be encouraged in the same manner? And may God also use us to encourage and strengthen others that God puts in our lives!

If you are serving here at Beacon in some capacity, may you also be encouraged! Find strength in the Lord to serve with all your heart and love. And whatever God calls us to in life, in our family, work, study, relationships, and church service, may God strengthen each one of us and help us to find joy in all the challenges and new experiences that He brings into our lives. Finally, may we also be “Jonathans” to others: let us seek out and encourage those who may be going through rough times. Let’s help them to look to the Lord always.

On behalf of all the Beacon Staff,
Andrew “Monk” Nunn

Into the Woods with Curio: Giant Silk Moths

“Thus says the Lord who made the earth,the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known”

Jeremiah 33:2-3

If you are at Beacon this June or in early July keep a look out for an amazing insect – a giant silk moth! It might be a light green Luna moth, with a pair of twisted ‘tails’ on the bottom wings, or one of the several species with reddish-brown colouring, or possibly a pale-yellow Io moth. There are potentially 9 species of giant silk moths found in Ontario, though only 6 of these are commonly seen in Muskoka. Besides the Luna and Io there are also the cecropia, Columbia, polyphemus and promethia moths.  Depending on the species and whether it is a male or a larger female, (she can have up to 100 or more eggs inside her body) any of these moths are as thick as a man’s thumb. Their wingspan is twice as large as that of a monarch butterfly -- as large as that of a hummingbird.

It used to be that these beautiful moths could be found under the outdoor lights of any of the camp buildings. The old incandescent lighting attracted them each night, along with many other flying insects. About 10 years ago Beacon replaced this lighting with low voltage LED lighting. This low-impact lighting is less attractive to moths and other flying insects and causes much less light pollution. Another important measure that camp has put in place is a good steward of God’s Creation.

Why are these moths at the lights? CBC’s Quirks and Quarks host Bob MacDonald mentions this; “A new study suggests that insects flit around artificial light at night because they are confused, not because of a fatal attraction. Sam Fabian and Yash Sondhi used motion capture and high-speed imagery to understand insects’ flight patterns and found that they always turned their backs to the light, which left them trapped in a spiral around the source. This suggests the insects are mistaking the lights for the sky, which normally helps tell them which way is up. The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.”

Some scientists also believe this behaviour is why there are far fewer flying insects than there used to be. Too many are dying, and being predated, when trapped at artificial light sources, especially lights that are not environmentally friendly.

Fortunately, there are still giant silk moths in Muskoka and at Beacon.

Despite their surprising size, these are harmless insects. They have no pincers or stingers, or even mouths. That’s right, no mouths because they don’t eat. They ate as caterpillars, and now that they are adults, they just need to find a mate. They use chemicals to help locate each other. The female releases pheromones that attract the males – 1 drop can be detected by the male, using his amazing antenna, up to one kilometre away. Once they have mated the females lay their eggs, and then die. These moths only live a week or two as adults.

The eggs hatch within 1 to 2 weeks, and the tiny, (at first) caterpillars start eating right away on the leaves of their host plant – cherry or birch or sumac, oak or poplar. Within 2 months – by late August or early September – they will be up to 10 cm or more long. That is a large caterpillar. Then they find a place to pupate and spin their cocoon, which takes about a day, and over 1 kilometre of silk thread. This seals them into their leafy enclosure for the winter, to emerge next June as moths and start the cycle again.

Another amazing example of the incredible variety of God’s Creation which he shows us in His love for us.

Monk's Musings: God's Anointing

“Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?” … Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him...”

1 Samuel 10:1, 16:13

About three thousand years ago, Israel first began to have kings. Saul and some years later David, were both anointed to be king over Israel by God’s prophet Samuel. After their anointing, God’s Spirit also came powerfully upon both men, empowering and guiding them to lead Israel. Both men started out very well, humbly and courageously serving God and God’s people, and leading them to victory over the cruel and oppressive nations that surrounded them.

But that’s where their lives started to differ: Saul slowly moved away from God’s word, twisting it in subtle ways so that he could do his own will instead of follow God’s commands. On the other hand, David, despite his serious failings, kept God’s word and His holiness central in his aspirations; he tried to serve the Lord faithfully as best as he knew how. And when he went astray, he received correction humbly, repenting and turning away from sin, asking God to give him a clean and undivided heart to serve and worship Him alone. Saul ended up rejected, his life and family destroyed by his own stubbornness. David ended up being called by God “a man after my own heart”, whose kingly lineage continued for a thousand years, right up to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings!

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has also anointed you with the Holy Spirit to serve Him powerfully in every facet of your life. And we are confronted with the same choices Saul and David faced: How will we respond? The outcome of our lives depends upon these choices we make daily. May we all follow the Lord and His Word faithfully this summer and for the rest of our lives!

On behalf of all the Beacon Onsite Staff,
Andrew “Monk” Nunn

Into the Woods with Curio: Welcome back, Migrants!

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

Romans 11:33-34

May is when the spring migration is at its peak. Every day a new bird species arrives back to Beacon from their wintering grounds. Some will stay to raise a family in Muskoka, while others are passing through on their way to the boreal forest north of Lake Superior, or even up to the Arctic.

For some birds, it is just a short distance for them to come back from where they spent the winter. Robins are an example. They don’t go far, often spending the winter in southern Ontario if it is a mild winter, such as the one we just experienced. There they shelter in the ravines, feeding on a variety of berries.

Other migrants go further south, to a warmer climate where they can find the appropriate food. The hermit thrush is an example. A close relative of the robin, they winter along the Gulf Coast states in the U.S., arriving back in Muskoka in late April.

You are more likely to hear them than see them at camp. Their beautiful flute-like song, coming from somewhere in the woods behind the Crow’s nest, is an anticipated part of the summer evenings. If you chance to see one in the underbrush it is the same size as a robin, but with a spotted breast, plain brown back and rusty-coloured tail.

Some migrants leave the North American continent during the winter, making their way into Central or even South America. The very is an example of a long-distance migrant. Also closely related to robins, (and Hermit thrushes) veeries are common at Beacon in the summer. A warm brown, with a white belly and slightly

streaked breast, these robin-sized thrushes are also beautiful singers. Listen for their cascading series of notes in the early morning hours, beginning around the same time as the staff training weekend.

What brings these birds back to camp each summer? Some of the same reasons that you and I return -community and good food and singing. Their reasons for leaving each fall are similar, too -- the cold and snow make it much harder to live at Beacon in the winter. But their trip to the sunny south is not a holiday. Birds face many dangers there, including more predators, more competition for food, and habitat destruction that limits where they can safely live. Their migration journey there and back here is also full of perils. Often flying at night to avoid predators, they are at risk of crashing into tall buildings, wi-fi towers and sometimes windmills. Unpredictable weather also wreaks havoc on migratory birds, blowing them off course, stranding them in a vulnerable place, or sometimes over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico!

How do they do it? At one time it was all attributed to instinct, though ornithologists are now understanding there is much more to it. Birds are not really ‘bird-brained’ but much more intelligent than we have given them credit for, (think crows).

We shouldn’t be surprised, as they are part of God’s Creation. Though we don’t understand all of what it takes for these birds to find their way back to Beacon each spring, we can appreciate them all the more when we consider their amazing travels.