A squirrel was munching its way through the afternoon. It wasn’t an unusual sight, squirrels seem to be everywhere. But this one was different — it had a blond tail! I never saw that before.

 

It reminded me of the time I noticed a squirrel with a white spot behind one of its ears. The next spring there were several with that spot and then some showed up with the white spot behind both ears! I still see them occasionally. As I was watching this unusual squirrel, another blond-tailed squirrel joined in the feast.

 

It’s easy to think of squirrels in the singular but there are many varieties and lots of colors, from albino white to deep black and everything in between. And their tails offer options as well.  I suspect that these blond-tailed squirrels will produce another wave of variety to grace my backyard; I will look out for them. 

 

Nature is always interesting. Whether it’s animals, birds, insects or plants, no two are exactly the same. Alike, yes, but there are always differences if we truly observe. And like people, each has its own way of interacting on our incredible Earth. Diversity is what makes life so intriguing. I hope we can remember that our individuality is vital to the greater whole and use it wisely.

 

Learn about squirrels:

 

Editor's Note: The Guardian came us with a list of Black, grey and read: top 10 squirrels in literature; Squirrels are the demons, tricksters and phantoms of the literary canon, from Nabokov to Nietzsche to Nutkin