Reading the Signs

After the rain, the first thing I noticed when I walked out the door was that the wild roses had bloomed.

The anthers in the center of the bloom were looking all bedraggled and bunched up, either because they had just now opened, or because they had been rained on.

Little insects that looked  a lot like bees, but were much smaller, began to exploit the blossoms. I was surprised by the appearance of the flowers. Hadn't these been pink last year?

After the rain, the tulip tree leaves were covered with raindrops, and inside the blossoms there was water to drink.

Tiny little insects had gathered inside the blossoms, but I could not tell if they were after pollen, nectar or just water. A bee who was resting on one of the bracts of the flowers backed out and began to approach the blossom.

It seemed to be asking itself: Will all the other insects mind if I join them?

Gingerly, it came in for the landing.

But once it entered the flower, it did not stay long.

Later in the evening, after visiting the kitten in the barn, I was examining some berries in the woods, when I saw a rabbit by the lagoon.

The rabbit saw me, too, but it allowed me to come in for a closer look, before it bounded away.

 I have seen a lot fewer rabbits close to the house this year, and this too might be an indication that the cat is still around.

I wanted to ask the rabbit if it had seen the cat, and this reminded me of the children's book I wrote for Sword many years ago. Wild animals do not snitch on other wild animals, even when they are natural enemies.  That's why the best I can do is just try to read the signs.