Nature Reflection #4

 

Nature Reflection #4

            You must look closely for this one, but you will see a big red hornet on the largest log. This happened during our first excursion to the Nature Center. I did not know what to expect in both the job itself and the area in which we would be working. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have my initial dismissive attitude of North Texas nature when I first saw it. I had to take a step back and remind myself of the point I made in the first reflection: beauty is everywhere. If I can find it on TCU’s campus, I can find it on a freaking nature reserve. As we got to work, I slowly got more and more into it. I did a decent amount of manual labor like that growing up with a cabin in Minnesota, so I think I got hit with a dose of nostalgia as I sweated and worked to clear the brush. Don’t get me wrong, I complained all the time as a young child about it. However, after several years of not doing as much of that work, it felt satisfying to get in there and get my hands (gloves) dirty. The woodchipper was an absolute blast as well. I found that I liked to take it one section at a time. This made the work move a little slower, but it felt immensely gratifying to look at a spot I cleared and notice the difference. I felt more accomplished that way. I came across two of these guys at the bottom of a big pile I had been clearing. After getting close to taking a picture, I kept removing the sticks around them while carefully avoiding a sting. I was so determined to finish the pile I had made that I cleared away all of it and they flew away. I am always fascinated by things that can be so small but produce such an outsized reaction from people. It was no bigger than a quarter of my index finger, yet when I first saw them I might’ve jumped back 20 feet. Even creatures like that hornet, who us humans tend to hate, play a role in the ecosystem. I think that thought process gets too wrapped up in religion/spirituality and people dismiss it. But, scientifically, nature is interconnected and dependent on each other. I think that is a beautiful thing. Even that ugly, mean hornet.


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