Let It Be...A Moment in Nature

Late summer evening in the heart of Carolina. The pond is alive. Great egret works the shallows and green heron lurks in the willows just as the last rays of the setting sun yield to the shadows. Suddenly, radiant red sparks erupt from the bank like an unexploded pyrotechnic spontaneously igniting. But it's alive, this crimson geyser of reflected sunlight. This glorious denizen of the riparian zone bears the name cardinal flower.





It is a given name, just like the moniker borne by the belted kingfisher regaling us with its raucous rattle, and the   mottled gray Carolina mantis hunting nearby.

Nature. Alive. Boundless. Eternal. Named.

Observed, identified, catalogued, added to a list. Convenient.













Surrounded by the diverse but orderly array of previously discovered and named members of our ecological community, I wonder... Is something lost when a name is assigned, a label affixed, a species identified?

Is the immensity diminished as order is established? Does the awe and wonder recede as well?

Look! Hiding there! What is it ?! A spider. A tiny, furry predator lurking amidst the radiant waves of red. What species? Let's look it up on the internet!

Stop.

Deep breath.

It is a magnificent creature, and so are you. Creatures communing, sharing a moment or two of an indescribably vast and wonderful journey. Let it be nameless. Let it BE...

Death in the Lettuce - Green Lynx Redux

Wild lettuce, mightiest of the forest giants! Towering above an understory of smaller weeds; flowers spent, almost completely gone to seed. Desiccated remnants of once radiant blossoms, swaying gently in a warm late-summer breeze, broadcasting next year's crop in the sunny spots at the feet of their brooding bark-bound brothers. A wily wasp surveys the terrain, seeking beetles or larvae to nourish its brood,...What!?   Has the Watcher  left the kudzu!?

Aerial ambush artist, green flanks emblazoned with the rosy red chevrons of a decorated arboreal assassin. This, too, is the she-lynx's domain.



Never let down your guard. In the wild and woolly world of the weeds, every leaf might be a mantis, every limb a lynx. Desperate places, where survival is the name of the game, and the next hand is already being dealt...

Ante up!

Royal Family - Kingsnakes of North Carolina

Kingsnakes, rulers of Colubridae and victors in Viperidae as well.

Family Colubridae "Snake"- encompassing the vast majority of the world's snakes, almost entirely non-venomous.

Genus Lampropeltis - "Shiny Shield"- referencing the glossy dorsal scales of these beautiful animals.

Merciless in their pursuit of sustenance, these "kings" dispatch their fellow colubrids (and the occasional venomous viper) at a rate surpassing King Henry VIII's disposal of wives. Lizards also litter the larder, and insects will do just fine too!

















The Scarlet Letter; S is for Scarlet Kingsnake

Master Mimic; "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow; red touch black, friend of Jack." 

The scarlet kingsnake is a classic example of Batesian mimicry, in which a vulnerable prey animal evolves to closely resemble a venomous or toxic relative, in this case the eastern coral snake; prompting parents and scoutmasters throughout the southeast to teach their children the mnemonic "Friend of Jack" rhyme.

Mistaken Identity

Non-venomous corn snake and venomous copperhead. Superficially similar snakes; perhaps an advantage for the corn snake in some settings, but a significant disadvantage in encounters involving humans. Fear, fueled by a lack of knowledge and awareness, often leads to the indiscriminate killing of reptilian wildlife.

Corn snake from the Sandhills area, exhibiting the vivid orange and black markings often associated with corn snakes from the coastal plain. Corn snakes are powerful constrictors which still play a significant role in controlling rodent populations throughout their range.

Copperhead from the same area with its distinctive "hour-glass" banding (wide on each side and narrowing significantly in the middle of the back). This juvenile still retains its green tail which is used as a "caudal lure" to attract small lizards and other prey.

Snakes are a vital part of a healthy ecosystem, consuming large quantities of insects and rodents, and providing food for larger predators such as owls and bobcats. Venomous snakes in close proximity to human homes can be a problem, but with common sense, education, and awareness, encounters with snakes need not have a negative outcome for either party.