It’s BUT an Animal 2

That all-too-common “but” never appeared in my dictionary.
As soon as I could walk, I started collecting seashells. Completely fascinated by their beautiful colors and ingenious shapes, I neatly arranged the shells I found in order. I was so happy with my treasure! And then, the next day, my entire collection had crawled away.
I was even more impressed. Those shells weren’t just eye candy, they were inhabited! I was in awe of something so seemingly ordinary. And actually, that has never changed.

Of Fairies, Fables and Pink Jackets

Take that but a starling, for instance, which, without a scheduler or WhatsApp, meets up with hundreds of thousands of its kind at the same time, same place, only to form the most breathtaking patterns.
And, as cherry on top, they can even mimic some of our most bizarre sounds, like ringtones, a bicycle bell, a barking dog or an alarm system. You couldn’t make this up, could you?

Or dragonflies, those almost alien-looking creatures that live underwater until one day they suddenly decide to crawl to the surface. And – as if it were the most natural thing in the world- they transform into such a dazzling, fairy-like creatures creature with glassy wings… How bizarre!

…a deer that just sheds its impressive antlers, only for them to grow back neatly as if by magic.

You often read about “the fox”… that’s purely a fable; the fox doesn’t exist. Every fox has a unique personality with its own distinct face!

That tiny spider that makes a kind of super-thread with its own body and, entirely out of its little spider brain, knits something that is both incredibly efficient and outrageously artistic.

Grasshoppers are hopping all over the place, and you hardly even notice these little green and brown jumpers anymore. Until an artistically inclined one suddenly decides to put on a pink jacket! How cool!

A fantastically camouflaged little little owl that you only notice once you’ve spotted it. And then you can’t unsee it.

Or that funny little yellow fluff-ball that manages to unfurl into a serious bird. How they make them like that!

Mirror, mirror

And that’s how I’m still enchanted by animals. No animal is ordinary. For me, the entire animal kingdom is a huge grab bag of wonders, and the magic is truly everywhere. Literally under your feet, above your head and right before your eyes. You just have to see it.
Animals are not less. They are different. The animal kingdom is absolutely brimming with intriguing, mysterious, puzzling, and fascinating phenomena that we, with our own “unique selling point,” our brains, are still far from being able to comprehend. Let alone replicate them.
We could learn so much from animals. They are our mirrors. And if you dare to really look into them, you’ll see very clearly: We ARE animals.

Happy World Animal Day!

In case you want to invite the magic in, all photos are available as wall decoration.