The unfolding

Finding peace and happiness in wild things

This spring has been a deep long meditative breath of fresh air for me. I’ve had some very special moments in nature, and some very frustrating moments in nature, that have led me to a new appreciation for balance and harmony and the importance of letting things unfold naturally. This is something I need to work on. Just letting go and letting things happen the way they are supposed to happen.

This morning when I got up I decided not to put any pressure on myself. I have so many projects and things that need to be taken care of but I decided I would just let the day unfold and see what happens.

I had my coffee and watched the birds in my yard. Then I decided I wanted to go to one of our birding hotspots. A beautiful park in the city of St. Louis where they have a special dedication garden with a bubbler for the birds. It’s a small wild wonderful peaceful place with a bench that is normally very birdy.

I was loading some drinks and my camera gear into my vehicle and as I was shutting my door I noticed a spider on my rug. I got down on my hands and knees to get a closer look and to see if it was alive as I was afraid I had accidentally stepped on it. When I bent over to look at him he peered up at me with his big beautiful eyes. It was a bold jumper, my favorite jumping spider. I went back upstairs and grabbed my Macro camera kit and came back to the hallway and he was still there on the rug. I asked him if he needed a lift to get back outside and I stretched my finger out in front of him………he didn’t hesitate to climb up on my hand.

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male bold jumper (Phidippus Audax)

They normally shy away from humans so I was honored that he trusted me. I carried him outside and then I asked him if he wouldn’t mind posing for a few photos. I took a couple photos and then I found a small stick and put it in front of him. He climbed on and posed very nicely for me.

I warned him that I had to get really close so I could capture the beauty of his beautiful eyes and he sat perfectly still for me. If you look closely you can see my flash modifier in his eyes.

After I took some photos I released him by my back door. These spiders like to hide in cracks and crevices during the day so I frequently see them hunting insects and hiding in my vinyl siding.

I headed to the park for some birding. When I arrived it was quiet and there was no one else there, which is highly unusual. I walked around a bit and photographed some of the warblers that were still hanging around the area and then I went outside of the garden to a field of flowers surround by trees to watch some tyrant flycatchers hunting insects.

There was a least flycatcher hunting low to the ground

and an Olive-sided flycatcher sitting at the top of a tall snag

As i’m watching these two birds hunt I look up to my left and I see something flying slowly across the field in front of me. It took me a few seconds to realize it was a Bat. Holy Batman!

I was mesmerized and completely lost track of time while I stood there and watched this Bat hunt insects in and around the trees. He must have made seven or eight passes in the 35-45 minutes that I watched. It was 35-45 minutes of being completely zoned out to all of the craziness going on in the world right now. Nothing else mattered except me enjoying these very special moments in time. What an amazing gift from the Universe!

I’m not 100% positive what species it is. I believe it is an Eastern Red Bat but i’m waiting for some of the experts to weigh in on iNaturalist.

I didn’t walk out of my house today expecting to have a special encounter with a bold jumping spider, nor did I expect to have the pleasure of watching a Bat hunt insects in broad daylight. But it happened! And both experiences brought me so much joy and gratitude. I didn’t leave my house with any expectations and I didn’t return home feeling frustrated or feeling like I missed something.

Psssssst! It’s behind you!

I have a deep appreciation and respect for every living creature and I hope by reading a story like this you can accept that their lives are just as important as our lives. Many people have no tolerance for spiders and that’s okay, but if you find one in your house I hope you will consider not killing it and just relocating it outside. Thanks for reading!