It was a windy day at Heritage Park this afternoon. I took a stroll through the swamp before dinner. I stopped by the pond and found a few Monarchs feeding on Swamp Milkweed. I watched this one for a long time and studied his movements. They appear to constantly change directions. They’re a lot like me when I’ve had too much coffee. But let’s be honest. I’m a lot like them without the coffee…not in appearance, but in their actions. A few years ago I was hanging out in at the Sugarlands Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains. I heard a bird identification cd playing on the PA system. I went inside, bought the cd and listened to it non-stop for about a year until I had almost all the bird songs memorized. Shortly after that I was given a Michigan Frogs cd. It was a little easier to memorize the frog sounds since there aren’t as many frogs as there are birds. Not too long after that I picked up a little pocket-book titled, “Tree Finder” by May Theilgaard Watts. I’ve been taking it on my walks in the woods. So when the birds and frogs are quiet, I identify trees. Trees by far as the easiest to identify. They can’t hide or jump away. They patiently wait while I study their leaves. I think wildflowers will be next on my list. Anyway, I once heard someone say that learning about nature is a lot like listening to a symphony orchestra. After attending some Adrian Symphony Orchestra concerts with music director John Dodson I tend to agree. John breaks the music down into parts that are easy to understand and identify. Afterwards, you begin to understand the beauty and the genius of the composer. There is definitely genius in natures composer. I doubt I will ever be convinced that God wasnt involved. Mostly because I am humbled by the complexity, life in the balance and how perfect it is. Man now has the ability to create life by cloning. Man can now manipulate cells to create perfect humans. Man can claim that he is solving all the mysteries of life. But nature is out of balance because of man. Animals are dying because of man. The planet is out of balance because of man. There is no symphony in mans attempt at playing god. There is just a director waving a stick in the mirror. I’m sorry but you’re not God. You stink at trying to be God. So get over yourself. I would rather listen to Monarchs Third Symphony. Now that’s genius.
The Heron 