“Hope and the future for me are not in lawns and cultivated fields, not in towns and cities, but in the impervious and quaking swamps.”
-Henry David Thoreau
A winter swamp isn’t without beauty, but nothing matches the splendor of a wetland in spring and summer.
As temperatures reached the mid-60s this past weekend, area swamps showed visible signs of coming to life. Turtles swam beneath the surface, cottontails scampered about and a Cooper’s Hawk eyed a potential meal.
In one small puddle hundreds of tadpoles, newly hatched and not more than a quarter-inch long, swam herky-jerky in the shallow clear water while their parents’ croakings filled the evening air with a pleasing melody.
Most of the plant life has not yet awoken from the winter slumber, so the bluebirds and cardinals that flitted among the brown grasses and dried cattails presented a striking contrast.
And the pale purple of wild violets edging up along the water’s edge offered a glimpse of the beauty that will soon explode in the coming weeks, evidence of nature’s rejuvenation.
The Cotton Boll Conspiracy 
Rebirth, in nature, and in our souls, is a sign of continuity and hope. It assures us that our Creator God is always present to us. His works are manifested in all of His Creation.
Indeed, nothing is more inspiring than the spring beauty of young shoots on trees, green grass poking through last year’s dead fields and songbirds chirping in the morning. If that doesn’t confirm one’s belief in a higher being, nothing will.
Thank you, made me feel cooler just reading it 🙂
It won’t be cooler here for much longer. Our spring lasts for about 15 minutes.