The Fauna

Blue Heron at Sunrise

Buzzing, creeping,
Swishing, slithering
Ecstatic leaping
Stealthful creeping
Barely descernible
Moving and breathing
Buoyant and vibrant
Slow and deliberate
Avoiding, confronting,adapting
Living, being
With and among

From the rich waters of the mighty Columbia, glacial Puget Sound and the coastal reaches of the Pacific Ocean to the peaks of the Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges, the Pacific Northwest teams with animals of all sorts. Insects, fish, and mammals confront the challenges of the terrain and climate, each other and encroaching urbanization to establish and reestablish their place in the ecology of this unique environment. Some are transplants born by wind, birds or humans. Others have established their niche here since the time of the glaciers. Some have incorporated a diversity that allows them the flexibility to survive under increased change. Others are perishing as the world that they once knew is fast disappearing.