With the advent of Autumn just around the calendar’s corner, all manner of night fliers are out gathering the last bit of nature’s nectar and insects. Last night as I opened the door to our deck, I witnessed this White-lined Sphinx ‘hummingbird’ moth feasting on the petunias in our flower basket. Some of these imposters can have wingspans up to five inches, and can look like the genuine hummingbird…this species not so much. However, at first glance I thought it was a hummingbird as it fluttered from flower to flower. As you can tell, the season for petunias is nearing its end.Another example of nature’s ever-changing dynamic is the proliferation of garden variety spiders which multiple toward the end of summer. I almost walked right into the center of this web this morning. Fortunately, I caught a glimmer of reflective light from one of the silk strands and stopped. My camera was nearby so I grabbed it and took a quick shot of this waiting predator and his intricate silken web. Amazing is an appropriate word for what a spider can create in a single several-hour period, and then repeat the same construction night after night. I’m fatigued just thinking about the amount of effort that went into creating this masterpiece of structural and functional design. It pays to be aware of one’s immediate surroundings. An added benefit to being a witness of nature’s unfolding drama is to have a child-like fascination for God’s creation. Such fascination enhances the experience…just ask a child what she is thinking when she studies a tadpole in shallow water or a little boy as he pokes at a turtle to make him move. They are simply amazed, as am I.