Watching for change while you walk

Yesterday I was thinking about how I have lived in the same house for the past twelve years. Consequently, when I take a short walk near my home, I tend to follow the same route. We call it “The Loop”. Even my son will give in and walk “the loop” when forced to go outside and get some exercise.

After doing the math, I realized that I have walked about 3600 kilometers(a little more than 2200 miles) in the last 12 years of walking this path.

During all of those walks, I have watched many things change around me. More cows on the farm, more dogs in the neighborhood, new fences, more plants, new cars, new neighbors, etc. There have also been a dozen or so houses built over the years. This construction boom can turn any walk into a discovery of “what have they finished since yesterday”. Yet, what I mostly like observing are the things that change based on the time of year. That is why each seasonal change is marked by a bit of anticipation.

For example: Something special

I have a neighbor with a very large patch of, what looks like, faux bamboo. I have always found it beautiful but I recently learned that it is called knotweed and it is considered a “backyard nightmare”. It has this insanely active root system that lets it get a foothold and not let go. She once told me that she has been in that house for 26 years so I am not sure if she bought a plant that went haywire or if she has been dealing with this forever because it was already there.

Either way, I love this “forest”. It is about 25 feet long and maybe 8 feet deep and grows right alongside the road. For about 10 months of the year, it is just there in whatever state the weather dictates. But towards the middle of August things start to get interesting.

Nature in action

It starts in the springtime with the new stalks. These grow to about 7 feet tall and by mid-summer are covered with green leaves. Then little white flowers grow on stems that sprout from everywhere. Waiting for them to bloom is an exercise in patience.

The zenith of all of this summer growth is the two or three days when these plants transform into a veritable who’s who of the flying insect world. An amazing invasion of bees, flies, and others show up to enjoy the pollen and nectar in the little white flowers.

Understandably, for this wonderful event to take place, it requires some fairly specific weather conditions. If it is too windy the insects are never there. Similarly, if it rains, the day is a bust. Ideally, it also has to be warm. Fairly demanding conditions… but well worth it.

This year was a bit iffy. The winds were really strong and there was a lot of rain. I was certain that the inclement weather would destroy the flowers before the insects arrived. Sometimes it is good to be wrong.

This is what it looks like up close.

I love walking slowly back and forth as the insects move from flower to flower. There are hundreds of them. I am not particularly adept at identifying insects but I have seen several types of bees and flies. Also, our street is usually pretty quiet so the collective buzzing sound is audible.

And they are all doing their thing without, at least to my untrained eye, any conflicts. We could learn something from these amazing creatures about working collectively.

As the insects empty each flower of its nectar/pollen the flower falls to the ground. By week’s end, the street below is littered with small white flowers and the small stems that held them are bare.

This is one of many seasonal events that I look forward to every year.

I realize that not everyone has the luxury of a nature walk. Instead, it could be your walk to school or work. Maybe it is the walk you take with your dog. What changes do you notice from week to week or even month to month in the environment around you?

This world is constantly changing.

Seems to me that there will always be something to look at that could be different the next day.

Probably worth keeping an eye out.