Symbiosis

Sometimes I am amazed that I can be so oblivious to the obvious.  The first thing that comes to my mind is the day one of my grown sons informed me that you can always tell what side of the car the gas cap is on by looking at the little arrow on the gas gauge.  This has become an issue for me when I rented a car, stopped for gas, but hadn't noticed and always seemed to pull into the wrong side for a refill.  I had never noticed the little arrow….DUH!  I was well into my sixties when he enlightened me.   I have felt some consolation since, however, when I have shared this information with some of my friends, they also didn’t know.  

Today as I was driving here in Florida, I passed a farm with some cattle and birds.  I stopped immediately and pulled out my camera.  That same “lightbulb” when on.  "So that’s why they are called Cattle Egrets!"  They hang out with the cattle.  There in the field of cattle were six of them. They are a favorite bird of mine and I had never really thought about why they are called by that name.  Well apparently cattle egrets follow grazing cows and eat the flies and bugs that tend to bother the cattle. The movement of foraging livestock also dislodges various insects from the field, which cattle egrets feed on. I had only ever seen them in wetlands so I had absolutely no clue. 

On a similar note, I have added an extra of a close-up of a cow that was keeping an eye on me.  I have never noticed their cute little hairdos until I loaded this on the computer.  Obviously, I am a city girl and a dense one at that. 

In Florida for a few days to catch up with Number 1 and 2 sons and grandchildren.

Addendum:  I was telling #2 son about the cows and showing him the cute hairdo....when he said, "oh, you mean the cowlick?"   Duh....