Laura Ingalls Wilder spoke of her father believing he had come across a bear one evening, and his only means of defense was a stick. He soon discovered what he was about to do battle with was nothing more than a tree stump. In nature it's not only the size, shape, color, or posture that can fool the eye, it's motion as well.
Sitting outside this past weekend, I spotted an Eastern Swallowtail doing loop-de-loops in the backyard. It seemed most migrating butterflies are gone by now so I followed this one only to realize it was one of the many maple leaves riding on the breeze. The shape and size of the leaves affect the way they fall. Some drop like hawks after prey, others glide like butterflies, some spiral, a bit like moths that take flight when I've disturbed them during the day.
There's a whole outdoors "show of shows" that is a gift to behold. My daughter called my attention to a youtube video about the birth of baby squids. Like so much in nature, the movement is a ballet in and of itself. To watch a new generation emerge in all its beauty and splendor is captivating. And can't help but think some of the movement of the adult squid and babies mimics the very swaying of the trees and shedding of their leaves.
