found feathers

on my shelf sits an empty starbucks cup. in that cup, i stick the feathers i pick up. this particular cup has been on my shelf  for about two years. so, this collection represents about two years of found feathers. remarkable, right?  found feathers don’t last forever. they will eventually break down and start looking quite ragged. so, i often return them to the woods after i have photographed them. someone has suggested i put them in the freezer for a bit to kill any mites they might be carrying, and this will prolong their shelf stability. i don’t know. i find a lot of feathers. the joy is in the finding. not the keeping.

collection of found feathers