Under Leaves

For a close look at nature lift up a fallen leaf. Under it see what has taken refuge - an insect, whether it is a bug or a fly or a wiggling worm. The cool damp weather of autumn makes vertebrates seek warmer places. And so should invertebrates - insects. Each species knows where it can find safety and will search for a place to hide. Maybe from a predator. Maybe for privacy while slithering out of a shrinking skin as the thing grows larger. Leaves are falling from deciduous trees in my yard - black walnut, English walnut, and Hazel nut. Snowball, buffalo berry, lilac, and apricot bushes shake leaves off to please swift blustery winds. As I search among them for animal life, I discover none. Whatever was mobile left while it could still move, to go under bark, under soil, under leaves. As for me, I go under blankets.