The Quiet End

After overnight thunderstorms that continued until late morning, the skies cleared and the temperature rose above 70 degrees for only the second time this year. About mid-afternoon I walked to the St Olaf Natural Lands. Common Green Darners patrolled the catchment pond at the corner of campus. An American Lady fluttered from dandelion flower to dandelion flower.

In the woods, on my way to the wooded pond, I stopped at several groupings of Bloodroot. The wide-open flowers were attracting a lot of bees. Male Andrena Bees, often close to a dozen flew pretty much nonstop around each grouping of flowers. Twice I noticed two bees tangled together at/in a flower. I don't know if they were two males being territorial, or if they were male and female making a clumsy attempt at mating. In addition to the Andrena bees, several small sweat bees (probably Lasioglossum sp.) visited the flowers, as well as a deep-red Nomad Bee (Nomada sp.).

Heading home, I cut through the woods at the north end of Lashbrook Park. I'm well off trail when I happen upon the remains of a Raccoon, a small circle of fur and bones. I have a sense that the raccoon, sick or old, curled up here last fall, maybe even at the start of the first snowfall, closed its eyes and never opened them again, low elderberry thickets providing shelter and peace. No, the death had to have happened earlier for the carrion beetles to have done their job so completely. The bones have been only slightly scattered, picked at no doubt by crows. The shambles are both dignified and somber. Here, at my feet, is the quiet end of a life.

Posted on April 16, 2017 04:16 AM by scottking