Minutes of Awareness

When we read about Miley Cyrus dancing like a hoochie at the VMA's our faces are glued to our phone, television, or computer screens. We are so submerged in this pseudo sea of celebrities that we forget about the world we actually live in. When is the last time you starred up into the sky to marvel at the numerous species flying above you, or when have you taken the time to just sit quietly and observe the varied interactions going on at the height of your feet. Well, the last time I sat quietly within my nearby nature was about thirty minutes ago. Within those thirty minutes I observed a consumer feasting on a species of a lower trophic level, I also witnessed intraspecific competition, and many other marvels of nature.

The consumer I spotted was a large black widow who was in the middle of lunch. The black widow had caught a fly in its web (more specifically a fruit fly) and was not wrapping it tightly in its silk web. The fly was soon consumed by the silken blanket.

Once the fly disappeared I turned my attention to the birds in the tree chirping. They must have been males because they were singing up a storm. A quick motion through the tree caught my attention. It was a large black crow and he seemed to be after something. A little brown bird shot out from the tree and the crow was right behind him. They looked like coreographed gymnists twirling through the air. The crow was trying to catch up to the little brown bird, but the little bird was too fast. Out of the corner of my eye I see a black blur come rushing toward the little bird. It was another crow! The crow began chasing the little brow bird, but the first crow was not having it. The crow changed targets and began going after the second crow. Intraspecific competition was taking place right in front of me. The second crow that came in after the bird fought for a little bit, but quickly backed off. Instead of chasing the little brown bird the crow came down and put his beak right in the only cantaloupe I had growing in the backyard. Oh well.

I also witnessed something that made me think about people and how we treat one another. I was watching a group of ants behaving in their programmed soldier like form. They were picking up small crumbs of dog food and turning right back around. There were a few stragglers that were exploring off to the side, and then I saw an ant that was slowly dragging it self. It had gotten crushed by something. Immediately another ant came to the crippled ant and began dragging the ant towards the crack in the cement they had been pouring out of. This ant population was taking care of each other. Picking up their injured and carrying them home. As people we gawk at horrible accidents, laugh at those who are different or need help, and we are the species who are able to clearly think about our actions.

In those thirty minutes I reflected on the amazing relationships that take place on earth, and realized we as humans are not the most important. We may be at the top of the food chain, but that's only because we have thumbs and guns. With our faces so close to the screen it is easy to miss the amazing things that are going on around us. Maybe after you finish reading this you can take a look outside and find something amazing. It shouldn't be hard to do.

Thanks for reading,
Samantha