A Two for One Special–October 15, 2013
Sometimes I get a bonus when I download the day’s photos, like in the one above. My shot was of the bright orange butterfly, a variegated fritillary, but when I downloaded the image, there was a second butterfly immediately to the right, clinging to the plant with its wings closed. Nature had gifted me a two for one special. I love surprises like that. Butterflies aside, I also love the colors, textures, and intricacies of the foilage in the area they chose to light upon.
I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about this parcel of land, but I got another surprise today. On the far north end, there were two snakes within a foot or two of each other, coming from opposite sides of the trail.
It’s not like the place is crawling with snakes–but I guess in a way, it is. The changing weather and changing conditions have stirred them up. I have seen more snakes in the last two days than I’ve seen in months. As I’ve mentioned before, there’s nothing to be afraid of–as long as you stay on the trail. You can see how obvious the snakes are, contrasted against the trail. It’s simply a matter of avoiding getting too close. Now, all bets are off if you venture off the trail and into the brush. I would tread lightly, or better yet, avoid going there.
It looks like this cormorant got a surprise, too, when he scored this large fish.
He was having a hard time deciding what to do with it. He swam around with it for a while before finally swallowing–that should have taken care of him for awhile.
The immature heron at the left was obviously having a bad hair day. We’ve all been there. No matter what you do, it has a mind of its own.
A beautiful day that started like this (left) and ended like this (right).
I’m grateful for the beauty and the ability to share it.
Green Thought: “That is the earth, he thought. Not a globe thousands of kilometers around, but a forest with a shining lake, a house hidden at the crest of a hill, high in the trees, a grassy slope leading upwards from the water, fish leaping and birds strafing to take the bugs that lived at the border between water and sky. Earth was the constant noise of crickets, and winds, and birds” ― Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game
