I saw a red-headed woodpecker flittering around the crown of a large oak tree recently. They were a common sight of my childhood, but I seldom see them anymore. And seeing that woodpecker immediately whisked me back in time.
Red-headed woodpeckers are good at hide-and-seek. But it seems they are always hiding, and we humans are relegated to the seeking. As a kid, I can vividly remember seeing them at my grandma’s farmstead. They may have been on a utility pole or perhaps an old cottonwood or elm. I could admire them from a distance, their bright red head and black and white body. But if I approached them, inevitably a game of hide-and-seek would commence. It seemed that they would always move around the backside of the tree or pole as I approached. When I would move to the side to get a better look, all I would see is a bit of the head along with an eye, and it would again be out of sight. No matter which way I would move to get a good look, the result was the same. This hide-and-seek game would go on for quite a while, and would inevitably end when the woodpecker flew away. That happened again the other day.
House wrens elicit a similar response for me. Most everyone around my hometown had at least one wren house on the posts at the end of the clothesline (remember those structures?). The wrens brightened our days with their song and activity. And when we mowed the lawn and came too close to the wrens, we would get a good scolding. So when I hear a house wren, my mind wanders to the backyard clothesline with clothes drying in the breeze, and maybe even a clothes-pin bag hanging on the line.
I couldn’t help but think about the wild things that we adults see or hear that takes us back to our youth. Do you have an example or two? I suspect that many among us have at least one plant or animal that makes us wax nostalgia for the good old days of our youth.
I hope the younger generation has some experiences with nature that enables them to feel something similar about the natural world when they grow older. That they feel that kind of connection to nature. Maybe us elders can help ensure these connections will continue.
If you have a plant or animal that takes you back to your youth, we would love to hear about it. Just go to Prairie Public’s Facebook page and post your story.
~Chuck Lura
