Sometimes when I’m on my property I feel like I’m back in elementary school on the day when the local nature center people bring in a few animals for everyone to get excited about. Just yesterday my gardener came upon a beautiful pickerel frog, a garter snake half way through digesting a mouse, and some incredible fuzzy caterpillars. To some, these creatures are normal occurrences or at least common enough that they’re not worth getting excited about. But to me, knowing how crucial each of these organisms is to its ecosystem, each spotting is a glimpse into the intricate web of life surrounding me. Seeing the outline of a creature inside another creature—like mouse-in-snake—is a tragic, yet potent example that every creature plays a part. My joy though comes at the same time, when I realize that even my small effort to preserve areas for native habitat is actually providing room for life to continue as it was meant to!
