Bumblebees make their yearly debut in early spring when they emerge from hibernation. These individuals are not only some of the first bumblebees to stretch their wings; they are the queens.
Few leaves remain on oak trees in late autumn, and the lack of foliage reveals the trees’ exquisite structure. I stand at the base of a bur oak tree and look up, imagining a squirrel’s point of view as it runs vertically up the trunk. The tree is a gnarly specimen with rough bark and angular branches that twist and turn in all sorts of directions.
A large shape was on top of the otherwise thin and angular branch and looked slightly out of place. But it was not out of place at all. It was an owl.
