a transluscent snail from a wetland. video below shoes the snail gleaming on a woody stem of a plant that runs horizontal across the frame.
2. eastern v western meadowlark. "the bird with two voices." nearly-identical birds that sing a different song on the eastern and western parts of Iowa (and presumably outside of the state to the north and south, where they are found). can only be identified by its voice.
3. thrasher, mockingbird, catbird. bird that imitate other birds.
4. curled up behind the library, ears twisting toward me and head turned away, dusted with white: a fawn. napping in the afternoon the way animals are supposed to. seeing animals chilling helps me relax.
5. lots of different kinds of algae and seaweed. macrophytes.


6. mom and babies. cancer season.

7. mars and venus conjunction in leo. hot turkey times.
