Noticing: a shrub on my street

This shrub is growing out of a little bare opening in the sidewalk on my street, and I pass by it at least four times a day as I walk up or down the hill for errands or a dog walk.  Today, it was bursting with small yellow flowers, a herald of spring! I stopped for a moment to appreciate it.

I was in the mood to find something amazing amidst the ordinary. So, curious about what I might discover, I leaned in for a closer look. What was there? Lots of activity!

I counted at least four different pollinators, busily flitting from bloom to bloom (circled in green, above). While I watched them, I felt a desire for more! more! -- that is, to do this more often, to give myself the gift of slowing down and appreciating the natural world around me, like I used to as a child when each day felt endless. 

There are so many problems today in human society and so many environmental and climate change challenges ahead. Based on a calling of my heart, my response is to take the time to interact with nature right in front of me, and to see where that leads.

When I got back home, I looked it up and learned that this shrub is called "the common goldentop," and the scientific name is Euthamia graminifolia. It grows worldwide, and biologists in Great Britain have observed at least 13 different species of Hymenoptera (sawflies, wasps, beetles, and ants) and Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) pollinating goldentops.

I also discovered a really useful tool, an app called "plantnet" (https://plantnet.org/en). You just upload a photo and the app will tell you what plant it is, with reasonable certainty.

So, this experiment of mine is to observe what I notice in the natural world around me and to see where that natural curiosity leads me and what it inspires me to do.