Nature Essays
Small Treasures
Nature can be truly extravagant, offering up a variety of grand spectacles that make you say, “Wow!” Just consider the Sierra Nevada, a field of Kansas sunflowers, or the rocky coastline of New England. These sights have thrilled artists for centuries. Paintings and photographs of such scenes fill calendars and galleries.
Yet Nature has more to offer than splashy vistas. She is nothing if not diverse. Besides providing sweeping views and enormous landforms, Nature also offers a truly staggering array of hidden treasures. One might be a gleaming insect, trundling along a stem. Another could be a brilliant fruit, tucked beneath a leaf. These are the small beauties that I love. They are the little surprises that are sometimes discovered by accident and sometimes seen mainly by those who know when, where, and how to seek them.
Yet Nature has more to offer than splashy vistas. She is nothing if not diverse. Besides providing sweeping views and enormous landforms, Nature also offers a truly staggering array of hidden treasures. One might be a gleaming insect, trundling along a stem. Another could be a brilliant fruit, tucked beneath a leaf. These are the small beauties that I love. They are the little surprises that are sometimes discovered by accident and sometimes seen mainly by those who know when, where, and how to seek them.