Spring Awakening

 We are at that point in early spring when every living thing begins to wake up. Trees are blooming, shoots poke up in the garden. Lines of soft, velvety moss always grow on the bricks protecting a row of front gardens. Right now, the moss is very hairy. Mosses have no stems. They don't develop pistils with pollen. Instead, they send spores into the wind. These lively, hair-like structures are the female equivalent. Backlit in the afternoon sun, this bit of moss has transformed into a tiny, fabulous creature, crawling down the brick. It is actually spreading, but at a pace way too slow for us to see. The truth of nature may be slow, but it's still magical.