Not one to ever be bored,
I follow my brain
in a million different directions
every day.

Sometimes the thoughts are broad-winged,
and even if I try to hide them,
they catch up
and stare me down.

Other times they are quick
and race through my head
in such a manner
that I can hardly capture them.

And then there are those 
that are as small as a Spittlebug
but still worth considering
because everything counts.

Some moments I get to share with others
and together we wonder
how long the Heron 
will wait before taking the next step.

In that same space named for Otters
we spy basking Painted Turtles
who remind us we don't always need to 
slip into the water and disappear from the scene.

And then the Woody Woodpeckers 
of the North Woods
Rat-a-tat messages
best interpreted by their mates and I can only listen.

They may get a wee bit ruffled
in their Pileated fashion,
but I soon realize 
that's because his she was nearby. And then they flew. 

Next, upon a fern so Sensitive,
one with Spiny Legs doth land,
a Northern Crescent in its mouth
meant to provide nourishment.

Meanwhile, strung between other ferns
of the Sensitive sort, 
a large Black and Yellow Garden Spider
packages a meal as a smaller one looks on.

And I realize I've never seen 
such a small female
and wonder why she hangs 
onto the web of her bigger sister. 

Across the path
another Black and Yellow has several packaged meals 
that may be a betrothal gift
for her Guy dangles above her, he being much smaller and drabber.

And the Black-shouldered Spinyleg
finds me again
and practically smiles,
if dragonflies can do such a thing. 

Water also flows into the scene
as it should 
for it is life giving
even if its merely a trickle. 

But the delightfully curious thing
is that upstream
the mosses imitate
the water's action even where it is practically non-existent. 

Upon the ground just above,
the Big-toothed leaf that most recently
gathered energy from on high
chose to shut down and show off its colors before giving back to the earth.

It's in this same place 
that My Guy and I notice a Bear Claw Tree,
the marks located just below a trail blaze 
and we wonder if the blazer was aware of the bear sign.

Back to a garden planted for Pollinators
I wander alone
and listen as a million bees buzz
and watch the clear wings of the Hummingbird Moth remain almost stationary. 

It's in this same place, 
just above a sign bearing the name of its adult form
that I spot a caterpillar 
so many of us revere. 

While spotting Monarchs 
has been a bit of a challenge these days,
I rejoice that occasionally
I have the thrill of being in their presence. 

All of this
and oh, so much more, 
as the hawk shouts that being ec-lec-tic 
means deriving a taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

I'm so grateful 
to enjoy an eclectic view of the world
on so many fronts, 
and to share with you just a smattering of what matters.