I felt like Dorothy, only I was following the magical blue path of bluebells
along the Potomac trail. Blue-gray gnatcatchers and yellow-rumped warblers
called, accompanied by the musical trilling of American toads in the creek.
Adding to this dreamworld were scores of zebra-striped swallowtails driven
by the ancient call to their paw paw trees. Along the sandy shoreline,
several tiger-striped swallowtails were repeating their annual mating dance.
In the distance , along the opposite bank, two wood drakes were to be seen.
Some common mergansers, their heads resplendently iridescent green were
darting in and out of the water and one finally came to rest on a rock on one
of
the little islands. Tree swallows swirled about. Cormorants dove in and
out as black vultures like eminence grises, looked on. A bald eagle showed
himself and then perched behind fresh foliage in a tree on the other shore. An
osprey sailed over us gracefully.
Trillium was blossoming . And finally, not to be topped a teeny carnelian
spider boldly crossed the path in front of us.
Our hearts soared.
Karen Nyere
Alexandria
