Bumblebee

Bumblebees leave a scent behind on flowers they visit so other bees don't waste their time on flowers that have already been touched.  Scent marking reduces the time a bumblebee spends looking for a flower with nectar making them really efficient pollinators.  

Brilliant.  

Simply brilliant.

Sunflowers

It is fascinating to me how swiftly things can shift and shake loose in my mind simply by sitting and watching.

Today I watched a mama and papa house finch decide whether it was safe to bring their babies over to the yard or not. Once they determined it was safe they quietly flew off to the edge of the woods and moved their young from a sweet gum to another sweet gum (significance?). Their young are pretty noisey so I imagine they have to be picky about where and when they take them. Once they were tucked safely into the leaves mama and papa got to work getting them. And the way they showed them what to do - gentle and firm. This is the stuff that will determine whether they survive to adulthood or not.

Life.

It is dramatic.

And infinite in measure.  

The learning is endless.  

In the bird world it is life and death.

In the human world it is life and death.

I'm paying attention and trying to learn.

Are you? 

Unicorn Caterpillar

Sometimes the moth is as invisible as the caterpillar and their beauty lies in the wisdom to blend in with that which is around them.

Another lesson in camouflage.

My field guide to caterpillars of Eastern North America says 'surely a predator would require a special search image to successfully locate a unicorn caterpillar in a forest with its sea of leaves. Perhaps this is their defense, being at the same time cryptic and unusual - like the caterpillars are recognized far less than they are seen.'

Finch

This morning as I sat and the cardinals sang

two males side by side

my mind began to drift to this flock and what I can learn from it.  

I came in and looked up the wisdom of the finch...

'They are generally cheerful, musical, and social birds, and delightful to both watch and listen to.  These birds are signals of a high level of energy coming into your life, and bring the hope of excitement and joy.' (Healing Wisdom of Birds)

That sounds about where my own energy is at these days

creating, manifesting, and dreaming.