I feel very touched whenever I see a scraggly wildflower rising from the tiniest bit of dirt in the pavement and want to cheer it on. Recently I find myself especially enchanted by those you have to get very close to in order to see teeny blooms, like spurges.
But my spirit species remains Nannotrigona perilampoides, a not flashy, small, stingless bee. It is not fussy and will visit whatever blooms are available. It lives in a no-nonsense communal pipa. I admire their work ethic, how they just put their heads down and get to work, even as larger bees buzz all around showily. It reminds me of my father and grandmother, and so I feel a little surge of love when I see these bees.
It has to be either the common raven (Corvus corax) or Orcas (Orcinus orca). I admire the intelligence of both species. I also think both species exhibit culture, which we thought was limited to humans.
Peregrine Falcon, my favorite bird. My favorite book of all time is My Side of the Mountain, which features a falcon as one of the main characters and is partly the reason I got into birding.
I definitely do, the ghost orchid (Epipogium aphyllum). Its legendary rarity (with that I mean it’s probably not all that rare), lack of chlorophyll, habitat in the middle of dark forests, irregular bloom schedule, just make it the most unique and enigmatic species I’ve seen so far. Sadly I have not yet found one this year.
For similar reasons, I’ve always wanted my “spirit” animal to be either a raven or a dolphin. But I believe they are both far too intelligent to want anything to do with the likes of me.
I’m convinced that should my true spirit ever reveal itself, it will turn out to be something far less noble… like a woodchuck.
(Apologies to lovers of Marmota monax.)
I dont know if I’ve found mine yet. But when I think of a perfect fall day, aimlessly wandering through the woods looking for mushrooms, this is what I like to think of:
Cantharellus formosus, beautiful unassuming beacons of golden light in a green forest! Yummy too. They really bring a wondrous and almost mystical feeling to the woods, and I love that about them. I’ve also had some very fond memories, especially about a year ago when I found a patch of them for the first time.
In close second is just about anything in the genus Psilocybe. It’s probably a cliche due to their popularity as “shrooms,” but their neurological and hallucinogenic properties are really something to be curious about.
Aw, it’s a beautiful bee! I love how cute its face is.
For me, I have a few, but it would have to be the Northern Bobwhite Quail, Colinus virginianus. I love all the quails, but this species used to be the only quail native to Michigan, where I live. It’s just such a lovely bird. The shades of brown, the complex patterns, the contesting coffee-black and white on the male’s face, and the equally lovely golden of the female’s is breathtaking on its own.
They live very interesting lives, too. One of my favorite of their behaviors is what I call a ‘quail wreath’- in the winter, the covey settles down for the night by arranging themselves into a circle, tails pointing in and heads pointed out. This does two things for the covey: it helps to keep them warm, and it also allows them to watch out for predators on all sides.
(not my image)
All in all, just a great bird. I relate to it because I love hedgerows, lightly forested woodlands, and all of the other similar habitats this bird loves. The smell of elderberries and grasses in the sun brings back wonderful childhood memories. Plus, they are such curious birds and have a beautiful call.
Unfortunately it is now extinct in MI, but I am working slowly on conservation efforts and public outreach and communication.
I like a lot of plants but that tends to be because they are flashy or rare. I think I ghost pipe because it has been all around me all my (short) life.
I love those as well! Unfortunately where I’m now they don’t grow, but we have pinesap which looks very similar. As does my orchid above, and in fact they often grow next to each other.
The animal for which I’ve felt a special attachment and affinity since child hood is the Anna’s Hummingbird. Not because they reflect any qualities of character in me, though. I could never aspire to the beauty and graceful energy they exhibit. But, I’ve always thought they were special to me and people know it. I often get greeting cards or gifts with images hummingbirds.
I am lucky to live in an area where they are very plentiful year around. They’ve been daily visitors to my patios for decades and I love sitting outside with them, watching their antics. They have many distinctive sounds they make with their feathers as well as their vocalizations and the male has a pretty song.
They are territorial and mean to each other except on cold evenings when they will call a truce and share the feeder. Anna’s become used to “their people” and do not take flight from us. Indeed, in the winter they may try to attract attention to themselves if they want the feeder refilled. One time, a painter working on my front door by the feeder was being buzzed by a hummer. The painter called, ‘Quick! he’s hungry! Bring his food!”
They are funny, pugnacious birds. I’ve seen them buzz my dog when he was trying to sleep on the deck. They’ll try to face down my Guineafowl too. They are big fight in a small package.
I second this! The first time I saw them, I was mesmerised. Ghostly pale flowers shooting up through the soil in a dark, damp forest. Seemingly fruiting out of nothing; no leaves, just the flowers - hundreds of them. A week later, they seemed to have disappeared out of thin air!
I live in an area with both Pinesap and Ghost Pipe, it’s quite a treat!
Haha, maybe. I Do share some character traits with Anna’s Hummingbirds after all