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Guest column: Eye on Nature
Signs of spring brings
precious gifts of nature's beauty
MHCC instructor
During dark days, whether due to clouds or politics, flashes of beauty, no matter how brief, are precious gifts. Today, cheered by sun, the students of FW253, enjoyed the flash of gold from a flock of yellow-rumped warblers as they used the willows of Salish Ponds to refuel for their migration north. High in a still leafless alder, a pileated woodpecker perched proudly, seemingly soaking in our adoration.
His prehistoric call proclaimed his territory and in reply the sweet notes of asong sparrow did the same.
Equally precious were the smiles and laughs of the students, friends and colleagues in this grand adventure of education. Certainly, it would have been hard to remain unaffected by the mood and energy of today's field lab, but inreality the moments of beauty do not have to be grand to be powerful.
May the sun of today, and the beauty of spring, refuel your own spirit, just as the insects and flowers of our community fuel our feathered friends as they move through our yards, parks and campus.
— Wally Shriner is an MHCC ecology, evolution and wildlife biology and writes a monthly column on the connection between our life and the rhythms of nature.
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