We live at 1000 feet above sea level, but still the bottom of someone else’s elevation, and in a time of atmospheric rivers. Tuesday the floods.
On Wednesday the water was already retreating so I donated a few mins of idleness to build a little mud dam. Here my dog is pointing to it.
On Thursday there was just enough trapped water remaining and sunlit moss to bring every bird in the epi hood down to play. Here are just some of the songs Merlin Bird ID captured at this spot.
However, this diversity of life is just the slightest scratch of surface. Dig into the soil around this spot and a miniature to microscopic garden as E.O.W would say, unfolds. Millions of creatures, each with history , purpose, plans appear.
Indeed to quote Dr E.O. Wilson roughly
The abundance of organisms increases [exponentially in proportion] from top to bottom like a pyramid. In the woods, 12-15 birds, a bit of soil hundreds of insects, next layer down say a million fungi, and next layer yet a billion, no make that 10 billion bacteria and viruses.
All descendants, sequenced, with a place, purpose, and plan for survival.