Pollinators

It has been too hot already this year and I worry about what the summer will bring.  Most of us worry about what will be of the next few months, the nation and world sweltering, sweating, drying out. Some boil over, others simmer. Too many scald, but there have always been those kind of people.  I distract myself--put my phone away, walk barefoot over the grass, and sit on the back porch watching the only neighbors we have met--birds, bees, and deer.  The bees and birds scatter over the property, from flower to flower, back and forth doing their job.  They are the pollinators, scattering goodness across our land, dutifully and diligently.

The bees hum in unison, their voices hypnotizing.  Some with red backs, others a soft yellow.  I ask my dad why they are different colors.  "Why did the goldfinch that landed in my hand have a black back?"  he asks.  I guess it doesn't matter as long as they are happy to be here and aren't hurting anyone.  The bees favor the lavender, which the deer stay away from.  We will have every kind of lavender by the end of our mortgage, I'm convinced.

The hummingbirds are a bit more aggressive, but contribute just the same.  They quarrel between themselves, with as many as five at a time vying for a spot at the feeder.  The birds peck quickly at each other, then leave for a flower, come back when it is their turn.  Still, the red liquid remains full as they instead spend most of the time in the garden.  The purple sage flowers are thriving, again untouched by the deer, but maintained by the flying neighbors.  I am grateful for what is left behind, whether it was stripped or has time to grow.

I watch the birds putter around the garden, the bees staying put in the front yard.  Sure, they contribute to stay alive, but have a bigger purpose.  If it weren't for their work, we would be without wildflowers, without the bright hues we rely on.  Their work is good work, their flight with meaning.  They do not take as the deer do, they do not scamper when I sit and watch them.  Other birds pollinate accidentally, unintentionally--dropping a sunflower seed and not noticing it in time before it grows its sturdy stalk.  The pollinators teach to keep pushing, trying, and focusing on the flowers straight ahead.  Everything will bloom in due time.

A large female deer frequents our yard and takes what is in sight.  A few weeks later a fawn emerges behind her, saturated with white spots and walking on knobby knees.  A twin stumbles from the woods minutes later and I am reminded, though they take too much, they are doing the best they can. She is scared too, she is focused on her own. She need a bit more those weeks ago  She can't give like the birds, she is more vulnerable and can't fly away.  For those of us who can, we can always do more.

The heat looms, but the birds and bees are unfazed, the flowers bloom, and the world will keep turning.