"Good morning sunrise, welcome," I whisper under my breath. "Your warmth and radiance disguise the gathering gales of November and frosty breath of winter looming on the northern horizon." Familiar harbingers, such as wedges of geese, also remain absent. Prolonged drought continues to ravage their playa lake rest stops and forces less familiar flyway detours.
Heartened by azure skies and a gentle southwesterly breeze, Cooper and I weave down game trails and soon relish a sense of harmony with the prairie. I pause to savor the pungent aroma of crushed Fetid Marigolds. The scent, akin to sage, typifies the aromatic essence of prairie wilds. To my left a Northern Harrier glides low and slow just above an array of yucca skeletons. It plunges briefly then takes to the air with prey in its talons.
As I inch forward, noisy launches of Red-winged Grasshoppers divert my attention from the raptor. Crepitations of the hoppers’ wings in flight rattle the serenity, while Texas Trilling Crickets sing harmony. From out of nowhere, a Painted Lady butterfly brushes my cheek and then alights on a Texas Blueweed for a sip of nectar. The winged finery of this colorful lepidopteran begs exaltation. The poet within me obliges with a moment of reflection.
Just ahead on our trail Cooper alerts on a Bullsnake and veers from his intended route. With overnight temperatures in the forties, I surmise this juvenile constrictor has taken advantage of the warm morning and hunts one last meal before settling in for its winter slumber.
A distant train whistle drifts in on the winds, urging me to resume my trek towards the sun. I take a trail less traveled eastward and unwittingly ingress nature’s light parade. Autumn hues dominate. The imminent trials and tribulations of winter adversities sweeten my indulgence in the moment. I rejoice in the magnificent scene. I take a deep breath and rend the air with a joyous shout of, “prairie paradise, just ahead!”
© Ilija Lukić 2011
Heartened by azure skies and a gentle southwesterly breeze, Cooper and I weave down game trails and soon relish a sense of harmony with the prairie. I pause to savor the pungent aroma of crushed Fetid Marigolds. The scent, akin to sage, typifies the aromatic essence of prairie wilds. To my left a Northern Harrier glides low and slow just above an array of yucca skeletons. It plunges briefly then takes to the air with prey in its talons.
As I inch forward, noisy launches of Red-winged Grasshoppers divert my attention from the raptor. Crepitations of the hoppers’ wings in flight rattle the serenity, while Texas Trilling Crickets sing harmony. From out of nowhere, a Painted Lady butterfly brushes my cheek and then alights on a Texas Blueweed for a sip of nectar. The winged finery of this colorful lepidopteran begs exaltation. The poet within me obliges with a moment of reflection.
Just ahead on our trail Cooper alerts on a Bullsnake and veers from his intended route. With overnight temperatures in the forties, I surmise this juvenile constrictor has taken advantage of the warm morning and hunts one last meal before settling in for its winter slumber.
A distant train whistle drifts in on the winds, urging me to resume my trek towards the sun. I take a trail less traveled eastward and unwittingly ingress nature’s light parade. Autumn hues dominate. The imminent trials and tribulations of winter adversities sweeten my indulgence in the moment. I rejoice in the magnificent scene. I take a deep breath and rend the air with a joyous shout of, “prairie paradise, just ahead!”
© Ilija Lukić 2011
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| Snakeweed Master (Cooper) |
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| Rough-Hewn Corsage |
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| Autumn Serenity |
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| Autumn Light Parade |
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| Painted Lady |
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| In The Prairie Milieu (Cooper) |
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| Green Bayonets |
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| Mixed Company |
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| Golden Crownbeard Constellation |
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| Lonesome Llano Trekker (Cooper) |
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| Autumn Gold |
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| Autumn Brush Strokes |
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| Triumvirate Of Crowns |
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| Eyes Of A Hunter (Cooper) |
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| Fetid Marigold |
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| Gentle Flair |
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| Prairie Tale (Bullsnake) |
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| Share The Trail (pituophis catenifer sayi) |
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| Threadleaf Groundsel |
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| Silent Pappi |
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| Scarlet Harmony |
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| Buscando El Llanero Viejo (Cooper) |
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| The Shadow Of Your Smile |
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| Broom Weed |
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| Early Autumn Greenery |
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| Llano Autumn |
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| Ragwort Lantern |
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| Groundsel Foursome |
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| Crownbeard Scepter |
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| Plains Zinnia |
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| False Boneset Puffs |
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| Autumn Shadow |
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| Ballet Company |
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| Light Posts |
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| Think Snow...Not Really (Cooper) |
