Perspectives from the ground

Why I was on the ground is another story, but I had the opportunity to slow down and think about what you see when you look at things from a different vantage -- in this case, half way down the path to the stream.

I may be on the ground, but I'm OK.

What's that in the sky?

As many of you will know, Rebecca has a ritual of staying up late, late, late to get spectacular photos of the moon and the night sky.  Well, imagine my joy when I got to see the moon AND sleep through the night.

While I was down, I also noticed a cool shadow on a thimbleberry leaf.  I tried to get in close with my camera for a good shot of this long-legged friend, but had a hard time getting the camera in focus. 

I've gone on-line to try to identify...
best I can come up with with common candy-stripe spider. 
I love that name.

Now I may have ended up on the ground again a little later, closer to the stream.  And if I had been on the ground, maybe these are the things I might have seen.

I found my first banana slug of the season! Yay. I had been talking with Janet who said she hadn't spotted any yet this season, so I was extra excited.

They are still just a tiny fella.

And then thinking about yesterday's musings on slowing down and decided to hold it and and wait for its cute little antennae to come out (just did a side quest and learned that these are actually called their upper and lower tentacles). You'll have to be patient and slow down for a full one and a half minute video is you want to see this friends tentacles. You'll also get to listen to the stream.

While I was down again I also spotted another gastropod. I am also in love with garden snails.

I also absolutely adore watching snails make their way across the terrain... stretching out and then pulling their shells along afterwards.

And if you thought that snail was cute, wait until you see what is up next.  Again, I would not have spotted this from above, only from below looking up. I saw a snail on the underside of a daisy.  When I zoomed in, I saw that the snail had made a friend.

I invite you to get down on the ground today and look at things from a new perspective.  I hope your transition from standing to being on the ground does not include falling.