Unawares

How many times have I blundered into a small creature's life, disrupted its flow, muddled its nest, even destroyed its chance for survival. I don't know because . . . I didn't know. Could have nipped off a branch that had a spider egg sac or a chrysalis on it and thrown it into the green waste bin. Could have turned the sprinklers on right as a grasshopper was molting, or dug in the dirt just as some grasshopper eggs were getting set to hatch. This time I was moving the cable spool table out of the painters' way. I did manage to notice a trio of cute snails but not before one of them had been squished by my clumsy efforts. The two survivors scurried as snails will to the nearest cool shady and unmolested spot.