i’m not sure why the three finds above, all discovered on a short walk, none showing any signs of life, reminded me so vividly of how much life is on display around here in august. partly it’s the contrast with the parched mediterranean basin we just left behind, after which, any temperate zone would seem almost tropical. but for whatever reason, carrying this colorful little handful back to the car, i couldn’t look anywhere that wasn’t bursting with life. ducks cruising across the lake, bumblebees crawling over the coneflowers, clumsy looking swallowtails flopping through the tops of the cottonwoods, a toad short-hopping it across the asphalt trail, goldfinches swooping along the lakeside willows, and a cackling kingfisher keeping three or four trees ahead of me, one eye on my progress, one eye on any interesting movement just below the surface of the lake. maybe being away for a month has given me back the temporary gift of wonder in a familiar place.

one walk in august: monarch butterly, dragon fly, blue jay feathers

sucker lake regional trail, saint paul, minnesota