Circle of LIfe

Yesterday, heading up to town, I came across a Diamondback Rattlesnake again. Probably the one I straddled the other day. This time, I was too late to save him. I'd like to give the locals the benefit of the doubt and believe he was just in a bad spot and the running over was unintentional and unavoidable. Circumstantial evidence suggests otherwise. *sigh*

We tend to think of butterflies as dainty, delicate delights that gracefully flit from flower to flower, sipping nectar all day. The actual truth isn't quite so enchanting. Many butterflies include the juices from rotting fruit, dead animals and animal feces in their liquid diet.

I cropped the pics for the sake of the squeamish.

While I took these pictures, another truck went past, stradding the whole mess. The Tiger Swallowtail sat tight the whole time. The draft blew him over to a near 90 degree angle, but he held on, uprighted himself and went on with his dinner.

Flies, butterflies, ants, vultures, rats... the cleanup crew isn't always pretty, and is often held in contempt, but it does its job amazingly well. And there is a sort of beauty in that. I just wish we'd stop keeping them so busy.

And that's the end of this rattler's tale.

TIP of the day...

Always.. ALWAYS.. take the camera along! I was only going to the Post Office. 6-7 miles up, 6-7 miles back. It's supposed to storm. No point in dragging the camera out, coz it'll be pouring by the time I get back anyhow, right? Well, not only has it still not rained, some 4 hours later, but I missed a most obliging Bald Eagle. He was scavenging a road-kilt possum. As I approached, he took off, flying very low for several seconds, then lifted up into a nearby snag to wait for another crack at that possum parfait. He was relatively low, relatively close, and the lighting was just about perfect. >8\

One would think I'd have learned by now. Yesterday, that same possum was being noshed by a Red-shouldered Hawk. I pulled in a driveway to turn around, then remembered.. no steenkin' camera. It's a very rare occasion that my camera isn't within arm's reach. It's about to become rarer.