Looking for the Magic✨: A Nature Almanac
August 2026 / The Dark and Light of the Sea
Welcome to Looking for the Magic✨: A Nature Almanac
✨ The Dark & the Light ✨
The yin and the yang. The sweet and the salt. The dark and the light. Balance seems to exist in the space between opposites. It makes me wonder if the same is true of us. Do we each carry those opposing forces within us?
I stumbled across a fascinating fact about Sand Tiger sharks that made me wonder if it could really be true – the baby sharks eat one another. And since it was just Shark Week, it seemed like the perfect excuse to indulge the creatures that ruined swimming for me as a child. Truly, I wish I had never watched Jaws. Ever.
Then there are manatees. I like to refer to them as the pugs of the sea*. Gentle, slow-moving herbivores, they're often described as peaceful, almost zen-like creatures. Mothers cradle their calves so tenderly near the surface that, centuries ago, sailors are said to have mistaken them for mermaids.
The sea has always felt a little like outer space to me. Vast. Mysterious. Stretching farther than we can imagine and descending into depths we’ve barely explored. It shelters creatures we’ve never seen and mysteries we have yet to understand. And yes, I do believe creatures exist in outer space. : )
And every time I think about that, I’m reminded of how little we truly know – and how miraculous it is that we get to be here at all.
Things included this month:
Creature Feature: The Shark & The Manatee
The Sturgeon Moon: Arrives Friday, August 28th
August Creative Prompts
I crave the sound of the ocean. I could sit on the beach for hours just watching the waves roll in with all that white noise. I wish I felt that same peace when I swim in the ocean. If I feel anything brush against my legs, a panic fills my chest – it might be a shark.
According to the International Shark Attack File, your odds of being bitten by a shark are about 1 in 11.5 million in a given year. In 2025, there were only 65 shark attacks worldwide. But in my mind, that is 65 too many.
Did you know that sharks are older than trees? They have been swimming in the Earth’s ocean for 400 million years, and have survived five mass extinctions, including the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.
But nothing is quite as fascinating as the Sand Tiger Shark. A mother may begin with dozens of embryos, but the strongest embryo in each womb (she has two) eventually eats its siblings. By the end of pregnancy, only two pups are born – one from each uterus. They emerge as the strongest predators of the bunch, their siblings digesting in their bellies.
Take a moment to take that one in – the nature of the shark.
More Interesting Shark Facts:
✧ They have a sixth sense
Sharks have special organs called the ampullae of Lorenzini. It allows them to sense the heartbeat and muscle movements of prey – even if it is buried beneath the sand. They have a hunting superpower.
✧ Their teeth reproduce like weeds
Most sharks continuously replace their teeth. Depending on the species, they can lose thousands of teeth during their lifetime. New ones are always in the wings.
✧ Not all sharks are fierce predators
There are more than 500 species of sharks. The largest, the Whale shark, feeds almost entirely on plankton. Though it grows to over 40 feet long, it feeds on some of the smallest creatures in the ocean.
✧ Some sharks glow in the dark
Several deep-sea shark species are bioluminescent. They have light-producing cells embedded in their skin that camouflage them and help them communicate.
Can you imagine seeing this in a black ocean at night?
Sharks are ancient creatures that move through a mysterious underwater world. When you really take a look at them and those teeth, I suppose they appear like underwater monsters capable of harm. But they are also beautiful creatures of this planet full of their own magic. Though it might not top my list of creatures I wish to run into while in the ocean. Though I know this is an irrational fear. Most sharks are completely harmless. (And quite beautiful.)
I could not leave you with shark babies eating one another. So I bring you the beloved Manatee.
Long ago, sailors came back with stories of mermaids spotted at sea. They were more glimpses of manatees floating near the surface, often with a calf tucked against their side. Christopher Columbus documented three mermaid sightings in 1493. But noted how they were “not half as beautiful as they are painted” and “had faces with some masculine traits.”
How did the shape of a manatee morph into those beautiful, bare-chested mermaids?
Manatees belong to the order Sirenia, named after the sirens of Greek mythology. It's one of the few animals whose scientific name carries a touch of ancient folklore. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the Sirens are beautiful half-human creatures that lure sailors to their death with their irresistible songs.
Interesting Mantee Facts:
✧ They are the gardeners of the sea
They spend up to 8 hours a day grazing on seagrass and sea plants. By trimming underwater meadows, they help keep these habitats healthy for fish, turtles, and countless other marine creatures.
✧ They are masters of slow living
Manatees move slowly because they have a naturally slow metabolism. They move through the world with intention and by instinct. They are zen masters.
✧ Mothers stay with their calves up to two years
Mothers nurse their calves and keep them close. They teach them where to feed, migrate, and find warm waters.
✧ They see with their whiskers
Those adorable whiskers are a tool in the sea. They are covered with tiny touch receptors that help manatees feel currents, explore objects, and locate food in murky water.
✧ They have sprawling lungs
Their lungs stretch almost the entire length of their bodies; it helps them control buoyancy so they can rise and sink with remarkable ease.
Manatees are one of my favorite sea creatures. In a world that often celebrates speed and ambition, they offer a different kind of wisdom. They take their time, do little harm, care deeply for their young, and spend their days tending underwater gardens. They are gentle giants with peaceful souls.
☽✶ This full moon name is attributed to the Algonquin Indigenous Peoples.☽✶
The Sturgeon Moon will peak on Friday, August 28th at 9:18 p.m. PST. This is excellent timing in California to get a wonderful view at peak hours. Do you ever go out at dusk to watch the moon come over the horizon? I find it is the most beautiful time to view.
But what is a “sturgeon” you ask?
The Sturgeon Moon got its name from the freshwater lake sturgeon fish traditionally caught during August in the Great Lakes region.
This fish was a staple for Native Americans. Long ago, when it was abundant in late summer months. They are bottom–feeding fish that were best caught in the moonlight.
They are prehistoric-looking fish referred to as “living fossils” that have been traced back to around 136 million years ago. That means they existed along with the dinosaurs.
Bizarre fact: It takes a Female around 20 years to start reproducing, and they can only reproduce every 4 years.
They have evolved in size from the size of a bass to a monster sturgeon as big as a Volkswagen. Take a look online. You might think a fisherman caught a shark. But unfortunately, they are rare today due to overfishing, pollution, and damage to their lake habitat.
✨ 🌙 The Sturgeon Moon Meditation:
The Sturgeon Moon is a moon of endurance.
Long before dinosaurs walked the Earth, sturgeon swam through ancient rivers.
They have survived ice ages and millions of years of transformation.
They did not rush.
They braved every current.
They adapted.
This moon asks you to consider your own journey through time.
Make a cup of tea. Light a candle. Find a quiet place to sit.
Close your eyes and take a slow, deep breath.
Think back to a time in your life when you weren’t sure you would make it through.
Yet here you are.
You carried yourself farther than you ever imagined.
Take out your journal and write down three moments that made you stronger.
Not necessarily the goals you achieved.
But the times in your life you were present.
The days you wanted to remember.
The people who inspired you to lean into yourself.
The dreams you refused to abandon.
Then step outside.
Stand beneath the Sturgeon Moon.
Remember to move with the current while staying true to your course.
You carry an ancient wisdom within you.
Trust it.
It has been guiding you all along.
The last days of summer. Don’t miss them.
✦ Discover the Tiny Worlds
I take a lot of photos of flowers and plants. Inevitably, I will come home and find a tiny creature in the blooms – something I have never noticed before. I invite you to step outside and explore your own neighborhood. Look closely inside the flower blooms. Peek under the leaves. Get down and inspect the grass and foliage. Creatures are everywhere.
✦ Collect Tiny Treasures for later
In many places, the blooms of summer will soon begin to disappear. Before they do, collect a few of your favorites and press them between the pages of a book. There is something magical about opening a forgotten book and finding the foliage you gathered during those summer days. A tiny time capsule from a season passed. You can use it to create something or place it around your home.
✦ Catch the Summer Sunsets
The nights are so long, but not for long. Get outside during magic hour. Take a walk. Sit out in your backyard. Watch the sun fall from the sky, and the colors change in the sky. You won’t be sorry you did.
✦ Write a summer poem
I know you may not consider yourself a poet. But you don’t have to be. All you need to do is sit outside with your morning cup of coffee and write down whatever comes to mind. A few words. A feeling. A tiny observation. You never know what will find its way onto the page.
Until Next Time✨ 🌙,
Kim
P.S. If you enjoyed this, please give it a 💛 or share it with another. It helps others discover it as well. 🤗
*I’ve shared my home with pugs for more than 25 years. That’s why I like to call manatees the pugs of the sea. They feel like distant cousins.
This is Midge, who spends most of her day sitting right beside me. Though I can’t exactly call her zen. She enjoys chasing tiny creatures that move a little too quickly and barks at my bird feeders.
Louie, on the other hand, was a Buddha. He would sit with his face turned toward the sun, soaking in its warmth as if he understood the secret to a good life was to simply be. He pops up on my phone often, and it makes me miss him terribly.
Not me immediately scrolling to find exactly what I hoped for at the end of that asterisk! I love reading your research and musings on nature.
One of the best things I've read this week!