I saw an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail in the field sucking nectar from a thistle bush. I had a difficult time getting a picture as I have no telephoto lens. Creeping up on a butterfly is not an easy thing to do.
I took a long walk through the cow pastures. Walking the cow pastures is a challenge. The ground is uneven and there are all kinds of surprises. Thorn bushes, thistles, cow patties. High grass buzzing with grasshoppers. Rocks.
I am sad to note that the doe I saw wandering around the house this weekend has lost her fawn. I saw it dead along side the road. I feared that might be the case when I kept seeing her without it. Poor Mom Deer looked so lost. I know I'm supposedly just projecting human feelings onto animals but I believe they do feel and notice things.
For instance, once my mother killed a mouse and tossed it outside. An hour later, a number of mice gathered around the little body in a circle. We watched, amazed. They were there for a few moments and then hurried off. We were sure they were having a funeral.
The deer seem to know when one of their own is killed. My husband is a hunter, and he once saw a doe nose at a downed buck in effort to see if he was alive. And then she watched as he took the buck away. He swore she was upset about it.
I have danced with the deer myself. I know how to stand still and watch them. They get very close if you're quiet and nonthreatening. I have even called them from the woods by playing my guitar.
I'm convinced that animals have emotions, even if they don't show evidence of some "higher" thought processes. For example, when one of my pet birds died a few years ago, the other one became quite clingy for a few weeks. Perhaps she sensed my sadness, or perhaps she just was sad on her own.
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