I grow old.. I grow old…
I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled
T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Hmmm, is there an upside to being change averse?
I am creature of habit. Always have been, but that character trait becomes more prominent as I get older. I will concede that this tendency is not always healthy. I do not want better. It did not need to be improved. I want it the same as it was yesterday. That refrain plays regularly in my mind. But for better or worse, I have made peace with who I am and how I approach life.
As an unapologetic nature geek, I have settled on a handful of locations for my summer ramblings. My favourite haunt is a little known, out-of-the-way conservation area that is lightly used and a haven for the winged wonders I worship. Let me take you on a tour of my glory spot.
Tour Stop 1: The track from the parking lot. Just an entry point for most, but I linger along that stretch knowing that the weedy edges will be alive with dime-sized grass Skippers hopscotching from plant to plant. Orange flashes of light overlooked by most, I eagerly seek them out.
Tour Stop 2: The footpath through the meadow. I keep my eyes peeled for an elusive Coral Hairstreak while admiring Green Darners, Crescents and assorted small Skimmers.
Tour Stop 3: Past the first swamp pond, I focus on the path to spot the hiding-in-plain sight Comma butterflies whose dead leaf camouflage I have attuned myself to detect. A Question Mark for sure, probably an Eastern and, if I am lucky, a Gray or Green.
Tour Stop 4: The hot corner where the trail forks. This unassuming, sunny spot adjacent to another swamp pond seems to be a convergence point where butterflies and dragonflies alike come to converse and frolic. I am always hoping for a repeat of the Fiery Skipper that appeared here several years back well north of its usual range.
Tour Stop 5: The small creek by the bridge. My reliable spot in early summer for an always stirring Spiketail – a Twin-spotted or Arrowhead, but a Delta-spotted is also possible.
Tour Stop 6: The hidden swamp pond. I pick my way through the brambles to yet another swamp pond known to me. Guaranteed to be a hive of activity with a dozen or more dragonflies cruising over the pond. If I am lucky, a Painted Lady may be waiting for me there.
Tour Stop 7: The sloping trail through the woods. A stop to scan the area where the Dreamy Duskywing showed up is a must as is pausing at each sunny glade to commune with its residents. Staying alert the whole way for any number of blue mosaic Darners.
Tour Stop 8: Side path near the top of the hill. Bushwacking through tall grass in the tiny meadow. A Roadside Skipper may put in an appearance here along with a Great Spangled Fritillary. In mid to late summer, the drooping tree branches can be laden with Darners.
Heading Home: By 3:30, I have retraced my steps to the parking lot perhaps adding a Comptons Tortoiseshell or Racket-tailed Emerald to my day list.
When I grow old and wear the bottom of my trousers rolled and I can longer hike these hallowed trails, I will retrace them countless times in in my mind. Remembering every curve, hollow and sunny glade with crystal clarity. Still extracting metaphors of life from their bounty.
~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.
Tags: butterflies · dragonflies · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · T.S. Eliot · The Love Song of J. Alfred PrufrockNo Comments