Welcome!
Nature Beings are the intelligent spirit of nature. Theirs is an enormously complex society, with a wide variety of personalities and community tasks. Nature beings may record actions of their realm in rocks and trees – earth forms visible to both them and us. This website is dedicated to sharing photographs and stories about this significant world that co-exists with us on our one earth. This is a new, more robust iteration of my website; the reorganization will take some time to complete – please enjoy it as I go, and come back often to see the changes.
Most Recent Posts (from the Library)
King of the Cats – An Ironwood Story
Australian Ironwood is an amazingly complex metamorphic stone whose colors range from deep reds of iron ore to the subtle variation of yellow tiger's eye. Stone sculptors love working with this complex stone, especially finding optimum design slice views they then...
An Amused Homage to a Bird-Chasing Dog
A very specific dog loved chasing birds, back when Longwood Gardens was a private estate. His antics amused the nature beings, who sculpted his story into this old cherry tree. The foremost image here is a specific startled bird, feet splayed wide in flight mode,...
We Appreciate Your Work!
An elegant middle-aged woman plants an appreciative kiss on the nose of a Masked Wood Elf - the chief nature being in charge of this beautiful area of Longwood Gardens. The partnership of humans and nature is deeply respected at Longwood Gardens and goes back to the...
Rare Himalayan Blue Poppies in Bloom
Himalayan Blue Poppies (Meconopis ‘Lingholm’) are a rare breed found high in the Himalayas. Longwood Gardens, PA, showcases them each March in their indoor conservatories and they are very popular with local visitors. The colors of the Blue Poppies range from...
Spirit of a Grand Sycamore, Pennsylvania
Sycamores are the magnificent native display trees in Southern Pennsylvania. Since moving here from Chicago - where Burr Oaks dominate the winter landscape - I have come to enjoy the winter display of the sycamores' dappled upper-limb bark and ornate branches....
Black-Eyed Susan Vine Spirit
Vine spirit is very entrancing to me lately. The gentle, enthusiastic little beings are in love with life, trusting the future will take them someplace interesting. The little spirits travel and wind around each other, do loop-de-loops and start out each day on a new...
Facebook Posts
Follow Atala Toy on Instagram
This fairy elder is a protector of a community in Allenspark, Colorado. He has positioned himself on the West side of a cliff that overlooks the desert beyond. This is his outlook post. #atalatoy #naturespiritphotography #naturebeingsphotography #animism #sentientbeings #ataladorothytoy #elves #rockspirits
Crum Creek gently meanders through the woods behind Swarthmore College. A fallen log becomes a winged bird drinking. A tree spreads lacy roots along its banks. #atalatoy #naturespiritphotography #naturebeingsphotography #animism #sentientbeings #ataladorothytoy #swarthmorecollege #crumcreek #birdspirit
Christmas Ferns unfurl in an elaborate fashion, looking like lace creations, abstract geometry...or, as here, like a Momma Bird watching over her hatchlings...#atalatoy #naturespiritphotography #naturebeingsphotography #animism #sentientbeings #ataladorothytoy #christmasferns
Here's a rock with eyes wide open and a bit puzzled by it all, overlooking Crum Creek at Swarthmore College, PA. It looks like some of the college kids found him and decided he needed a bit of decoration! The white spots are natural - the eyes are added. #atalatoy #naturespiritphotography #naturebeingsphotography #animism #sentientbeings #ataladorothytoy #swarthmorecollege #crumwoods #rockspirits
These thirteen rock and tree photos are the May photo exhibit at Crosslands Community, PA . I'm also offering a talk on my photography on May 20. I'll post the zoom recording for all to see later that month. #atalatoy #naturespiritphotography #naturebeingsphotography #treespirit #animism #sentientbeings #ataladorothytoy
A surrealistic landscape at Chanticleer Garden, Wayne, PA challenges us to contemplate where reality ends and fantasy begins. Manmade features are counterpointed by nature's own sculptures. #atalatoy #naturespiritphotography #naturebeingsphotography #treespirit #animism #sentientbeings #chanticleergarden