Between Our Steps: The Unseen
Cathy Hird reflects on overlooked moments in nature and questions how attentive we really are to the world around us.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION
I forgot there is an ironwood tree in my front yard. The trunk with its distinctive bark is hidden by the other bushes. One morning, I looked out and saw hop-shaped flowers, remembered and admired the tree. I guess I have been paying too much attention to the dying ash trees and forgot about this healthy native tree.
When I first saw the flowers six years ago, I had to ask the Facebookverse what kind of tree it was. I was informed that it was a hop hornbeam tree, otherwise known as ironwood. Then, I wondered why I did not know about the tree’s flowers. We had lots of ironwood in our bush, easily identified by the flaking bark. But the tree flowers in mid-July, which is late haying season. So, I never would have taken a stroll in the woods when the tree was flowering. Now, I recognize the flower as well as the bark.
Working in a neighbour’s garden, I saw a raspberry cane reaching into the path, so I stepped aside. What my companion saw was the ripe berry hiding in the brambles behind it. Thanks to his attentiveness, I got to enjoy the sweet berry.
I never notice jewelweed until it flowers. Which is strange because it’s quite a tall plant. It grows in swampy areas, though, and its stem and leaves are green. It blends in with the rest of the foliage. Only when the orange flowers appear do I take notice. They are so interesting, hanging below their stem, with a shape like an open snapdragon. I caught sight of it just last week.
Three times now, I’ve stepped out of my downstairs door to the outside and had a spider’s web stick to my face. I’m looking at where I’m going, not at what is right in front of me. I don’t use the door a lot, so the spider has time to re-spin its web, but you would think that after the first time, I would have checked. But I didn’t see it. Just felt it. Finally, the fourth time I exited that door, I saw the spider scurry away and remembered to sweep the web away from my face.
Walking on trails in the woods, I am often the first being to pass by. I walk the dogs early. So, I often walk through a strand of spider’s web. Occasionally, the sunlight will sneak through the leaves at just the right angle so I see the strand of web before I get to it. I can move it away with my hand rather than catching it with my face.
The current bushes I planted a couple of years ago have grown thick. The berries grow on the older stems. They are hidden by this year’s growth. I have to remember to check if the berries are getting ripe. They will make a good jelly if I get enough of them picked.
My forsythia was cut back drastically last fall. Now, it is full and reaching up and out. But the first new shoots came up from the roots. I had never noticed how close to the surface this shrub’s roots are or how far they spread.
On my walks in the forest and along the road, I see tree roots with their tops exposed. Sometimes, these are uphill from all the trees. I cannot see which tree the root belongs to.
Walking along the road, I don’t notice the deer flies until one of my dogs starts snapping at the air above him. He seems to attract biting flies more than me or my other dog. As soon as he starts snapping, I see the devilish little things landing on his back, flying around his head. This dog has great eye/mouth coordination, so sometimes he gets them. My other dog doesn’t try. He once grabbed a bumblebee that stung his tongue. He has been wary of flying things ever since.
I think of myself as a person who walks through the world with her eyes open; that I am aware of the ecosystem around me. I pay attention to what people and creatures are up to. This last month raises some questions about that sense of identity.
Thank you to sponsors of The Owen Sound Current Writers’ Fund, who make these community contributions possible. Contributions from the community do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
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