We woke up to the alert that bear cubs and the mother bear were seen down the road, so we take caution on the walk to school.
We’re extra-observant.
We’re not too worried since we have the protection of so many neighborhood dogs and friends:
We find some wonderful treasures this morning, including the rare Lady Slipper Orchid that nobody can remove, ever, because it’s protected by law. Its presence is too vital for the forest. Lady Slipper Orchids exist in a symbiotic relationship with the trees around it, and if we remove even one, the whole colony suffers.
Up near my house, I check in on some new nests. I find a house divided with competition between the Eastern Bluebird and Sparrow. I’m not certain, but it appears as if each placed an egg here and then both abandoned what they couldn’t exclusively possess.
The Robins, however, continue their incubating:
We saw no bears, but we watch closely and discover extraordinary finds.